Update and Redux: J – Unlike Christina, I didn’t care much about having crispy bread for sandwiches … until we got the panini press. Now, I’m a convert! Crispy bread. Warm chicken and cheese. Basil pesto infusing each bite. Rich and delicious. I can’t get enough!
C – The best thing about a panini? Crispy bread.
For me, panini is the best type of sandwich. Crispy bread makes any sandwich better. I am one of those weird ones who will toast their bread for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I hate when a sandwich sticks to the roof of my mouth. There isn’t an elegant way of getting the bread off the roof of your mouth. Crispy bread fixes that.
Crispy bread also means a beautiful crunch sound. It maybe annoying to some. But, it’s music to my ears. If you sit next to me and you are eating a crunchy item, my mouth might water just hearing it. Crispy, crunchy bread is a weakness of mine. I love it so.
This panini came about when we had a huge amount of basil in the garden and ciabatta bread crying out to me. Jim was getting frustrated for not doing anything with both. I even lost sleep thinking about how much basil there was. What happens if the basil plants die because they get too big and I wasn’t using it?
Jim really gave me a scare putting that idea into my head. I had to act fast. This basil situation was going crazy in the garden. We had tons of it. Pesto is the best thing to control this basil invasion. We also have our usual roasted chicken that Jim nicely never finishes and saves for me to make something.
Chicken pesto panini it is. Ciabatta bread is great for panini making. I made my simple pesto recipe then added some more basil leaves to the sandwich. For a touch of sweet, I added roasted red bell peppers.
| Chicken Pesto Panini |
- 2 ciabatta buns, sliced horizontally
- 2 Tbsp pesto (recipe below)
- 4 basil leaves
- 8 oz sliced, roasted chicken
- 3 oz gruyere cheese, sliced thinly
- 4 pieces roasted red bell pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Spread pesto on both sides of the ciabatta bun.
- Place cheese on one side of the bread.
- Place chicken on top of cheese.
- Place roasted red bell peppers on the other side of the bread.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Place basil leaves on top of chicken.
- Close sandwiches and place on top of a hot griddle or in a panini press. On the griddle, place a heavy skillet on top of the sandwiches until bread is crispy on the bottom. About 2-4 minutes. Rotate for grill marking, if desired.
- Turn over and repeat on the other side. Do not press too hard or everything in the sandwiches will be squeezed out.
- Slice sandwiches into halves.
- Serve.
- Enjoy!
Simple Basil Pesto recipe
This was a great sandwich. It was a warm, crunchy, garlicky, savory, sweet and meaty sandwich. Everything you want in a perfect sandwich.
It’s one of my favorite sandwiches. I was really full after this one.