Chicken Pesto Sandwich
Posted: 03/18/21
Updated: 04/27/23
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This toasted chicken pesto sandwich brings the bistro right to your kitchen! Warm, toasty bread, juicy chicken and tomatoes, and creamy, melty mozzarella accented by Italian seasoning and buttery pesto.
🥪 What Makes This Sandwich So Good
- It’s an incredible hot sandwich option! Move over deli meat. This chicken pesto sandwich is full of amazing Italian flavors, and then it’s lightly toasted in a skillet to make the mozzarella nice and melty.
- It’s super filling but super light. Even with the oil in the pesto, you won’t feel weighed down after enjoying every bite.
- The BREAD!! Oh, I love a good ciabatta. It might just be the perfect sandwich bread. It’s a traditional white Italian bread that’s a little dense and a little chewy, but has this amazing crust.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- If you’ve got a panini press, fire it up! Instead of toasting your assembled sandwich in the frying pan toward the end, press it in the panini press. It’ll give you a beautiful even toast and press everything together into a melty, creamy, hot sandwich.
- Feel free to make this sandwich your own! You might enjoy adding a little arugula or spinach, using sun-dried tomatoes instead of Roma, or using Swiss or provolone instead of mozzarella.
🥘 More Easy and Delicious Recipes
- Instant Pot Sausage and Peppers
- Keto Grilled Cheese
- Marry Me Chicken
- Achiote Chicken
- Gluten Free Mozzarella Sticks
- Chicken Omelette
- Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
- Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage
- Baked Chicken Meatballs
Chicken Pesto Sandwich
Warm, toasty bread, juicy chicken and tomatoes, and creamy, melty mozzarella accented by Italian seasoning and buttery pesto.
sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 1 pound
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
For the Sandwiches
- 4 ciabatta rolls sliced in half horizontally
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise divided, optional
- ⅓ cup pesto divided
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced
- 4 Roma tomatoes sliced
- avocado oil
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Large skillet
- Internal meat thermometer
- large plate
- Basting brush
Instructions
- Place 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts on cutting board. Use sharp knife to slice chicken breasts horizontally to create 4 evenly-sized chicken cutlets. If needed, pound thicker areas with tenderizer or rolling pin until cutlets are evenly thick all over.
- Generously sprinkle 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper on all sides of chicken cutlets, coating chicken well. Set aside.
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add 1 tablespoon avocado oil and swirl pan to distribute oil across entire surface. Continue heating pan until oil is hot and shimmery.
- When oil is hot, place seasoned chicken cutlets in skillet. Sear chicken 3 to 5 minutes, then flip each cutlet over. Sear chicken 3 to 5 minutes more, until internal temperature of chicken reaches 160° Fahrenheit.
- Once chicken reaches target temperature, carefully transfer cutlets to large plate and set aside.
- Place halved ciabatta rolls in skillet with inside of rolls facing down. Work in batches as needed depending on size of skillet. Toast ciabatta rolls 1 to 2 minutes, just until rolls are lightly golden. Remove toasted rolls from skillet and repeat with any remaining rolls.
- Set toasted rolls aside. Keep skillet warm over medium heat.
To Assemble the Sandwiches
- Place ciabatta rolls on cutting board, with insides of rolls facing up.
- Cover one ciabatta roll half per sandwich with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, using 4 tablespoons mayonnaise total. Spread mayonnaise out to cover entire surface of rolls.
- Cover other ciabatta roll half per sandwich with 1 ¼ tablespoons pesto, using ⅓ cup pesto total. Spread pesto out to cover entire surface of rolls.
- Place one cutlet on top of each ciabatta half coated in mayonnaise.
- Place 1 ½ ounces of sliced mozzarella on top of each chicken cutlet, using 6 ounces fresh mozzarella total.
- Place tomato slices on top of mozzarella, using 1 Roma tomato per sandwich (4 Roma tomatoes total).
- Top sandwich with ciabatta halves covered in pesto, so that pesto is on inside of sandwich.
- Lightly brush avocado oil on top of sandwiches. Place sandwiches in skillet with avocado oil facing down.
- Cook each sandwich 2 minutes, then flip sandwiches over and cook 2 minutes more, until mozzarella is melted and sandwiches are warmed through. Remove sandwiches from skillet and serve immediately.
Notes
- Leftovers: Refrigerate any leftover sandwiches for one day.
- Reheating: For best results, wrap sandwiches in foil and heat in oven until food is heated through.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 541kcal | Protein: 28g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Total Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Net Carbs: 30g | Vitamin C: 9mg | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 892mg | Potassium: 407mg | Calcium: 278mg | Iron: 1mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
An absolute banger!! I found a new favourite lunch to pack for work!! I instead chose to slice and grill the ciabattas in the oven until they were lightly toasted, then buttered one side and spread mayonnaise on the other side. I then used rotisserie chicken and mixed it with pesto and Italian seasoning, then topped it with the sliced mozzarella. Was so good! Thank you for this
Yumm- I love toasted ciabatta bread for sandwiches! So glad you loved the sandwich, Roxanne!
amazing
So glad you enjoyed it, Ella.
Excellent recipe! The only thing I did different was at the end. I did not grill it in the pan on both sides. Instead, I used my panini press. Turned out great.
I love using the panini press! So glad you enjoyed it, Deanna.
My kids want this all the time. We love this recipe.
So glad it’s a favorite in your family! Thanks for sharing, Kim!