Grilled Chicken Pesto Sandwich Food

GRILLED CHICKEN SANDWICH WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Marinate your chicken breasts by adding them to a large bowl, then drizzling over about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a couple of pinches of salt and black pepper, the Italian seasoning, lemon zest and juice, plus garlic, and toss to coat; marinate for 20 minutes, or even over night.
• Next, prepare your arugula-basil pesto: if blanching your basil leaves to lock in the vibrant color, bring a small/medium size pot of water to the boil, then turn off the heat; add the basil leaves and blanch them for just 5-10 seconds; drain and add the leaves to ice water to shock them, then drain and gently pat dry on paper towel.
• To the bowl of a food processor, add the pine nuts, grated parmesan cheese, garlic cloves, lemon zest and juice, the salt and pepper, plus 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and process for about 20 seconds until fairly smooth; add the basil leaves and the arugula, and continue to process, drizzling in the 1/2 cup of olive oil until smooth, about 30-45 seconds.
• Spoon the pesto into a jar or small bowl, cover with plastic, and place into fridge to hold.
• To grill the chicken, place your grill pan (you can also use an outdoor grill as well) over medium-high heat, and grill a couple of the chicken breast cutlets for about 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through and golden (grilling time is shorter since these are thinner cutlets); allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes.
• Preheat your broiler, and line a small baking sheet with foil; place the grilled chicken breasts onto the baking sheet, top each with 1 ounce of the grated smoked (or plain) mozzarella cheese, then place under the broiler for about 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted.
• To assemble the grilled chicken sandwiches, generously spread some of your pesto sauce onto both the bottom and top pieces of the bread, then place a cheesy grilled chicken breast onto the bottom piece of bread.
• Top the chicken with about 1 tablespoon of the julienned sun-dried tomatoes and a sprinkle of micro arugula greens or regular arugula greens; then, cover with the top piece of pesto-slathered bread, and serve.

GRILLED PESTO CHICKEN SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Slice tomato in to 8 thin slices and set aside.
• Mix cheeses and set aside.
• Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to make 4 thin pieces. Broil for about 3 minutes per side or until cooked through.
• Meanwhile, spread equal amounts of butter on one side of each bread slice.
• Place buttered side down in a large skillet and top each slice with equal amounts of cheese.
• Cook over medium heat until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown on the bottom.
• Top half the slices with tomato and cooked chicken, spread pesto over chicken and top with remaining slices.

CHICKEN PESTO SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. Spread 1 tablespoon pesto over each chicken breast; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink., Spread 3 tablespoons pesto over six slices of toast; layer with red peppers, chicken and cheese. Spread remaining pesto over remaining toast; place over top.

GRILLED CHICKEN PESTO PANINI

Steps:

• Pound the chicken fillets until thin between two pieces of waxed paper, then marinate in oil, garlic, pepper and Italian seasoning for about 1-1/2 hours.
• Heat a grill pan or sauté pan (the breasts can also be grilled on the BBQ).
• Season the breasts with salt and pepper.
• Cook the chicken on medium heat for about 5 minutes per side, or until golden and cooked through.
• Remove from pan and place on a plate or board.
• Top each fillet with some of the roasted peppers and a slice of cheese.
• Spread BOTH sides of the bread with pesto sauce.
• Place chicken inside the bread and form to a sandwich.
• Brush both sides of the outside of bread with olive oil.
• Heat a grill pan or a 10-inch skillet on medium high heat. Place the panini in the pan (only 2 at a time).
• Weigh the panini down with another heavy skillet and then top with a heavy can (a very large can of tomato juice works great for this!) cook for about 3 minutes, or until bread is toasted.
• Turn the panini, and weigh it down again with a heavy skillet and a can on top, and toast for another 3 minutes.
• Remove from pan and cut in half.