Hey guys! Good to see ya!
Have I mentioned that I love paninis? I mean they are usually incorporated into our weekly menu in some shape or form. I love that you can mix and match meats, veggies and cheeses and create an entirely different meal. These 30 minute chicken pesto paninis are simply delicious! Even in the summer, there is nothing like a quick yummy meal using my handy-dandy panini grill. It is probably one of the most used appliances in my kitchen.
One bite of this panini and you will be wondering why you aren’t eating this sandwich outside of some trendy cafe under an umbrella with a fruity lemonade or something. 🙂 Haha! The flavors of the sautéed shallot, spinach, and tomato complement the pesto chicken perfectly. You want to know what was not so perfect? Okay, okay I will tell you. Watching me eat this mouth-watering, can’t hold back, crazy delicious panini that I can’t stop eating until my mouth is unable to hold one more bite. 😉
Seriously, this chicken alone is a great meal! Add it to the ingredients below and what do you get? Something that quickly gets scribbled on a recipe card and gets put in the VIP section of your recipe book. And yes, I still have a recipe book that is hand-written because I really enjoy looking back at old recipes and being able to relive the memories of when I previously made them. And today, my inner recipe book junky self is doing the Carlton dance from Fresh Prince because I know I have scored big in my own way with this recipe.
And to be honest, this is not one of those recipes that I spent hours tweaking and changing to get the perfect mix of ingredients. It was near the end of a hectic day when my dietitian-self was having mixed feelings about the fact I slapped down some fish sticks and fresh fruit for the kids because I was only hoping they would actually eat what I put in front of them. I provide countless options to them and what happens….smack dab on the floor. So today, I wanted to fix them a meal they would eat without a single tantrum for selfish reasons. I wanted to test out a new panini recipe I had been thinking about in my mind and I nailed it. I just have to share this with you!
Another thing I love….
30 minutes my friends! Only 30 minutes to get this nice little panini on the table!
The chicken is so easy and fast. Bake it at 350 for about 18 minutes. It is seasoned with salt and pepper and a spoonful of pesto slathered on top. While the chicken is baking, there is plenty of time to saute the veggies and prepare the slices of ciabatta bread with a touch of miracle whip on one slice and pesto on the other slice. Finally, preheat the panini grill, load your ingredients and grill the panini for about 4 minutes.
That is it!! So yummy, delicious, fantastic, the list goes on and on!
Hope you enjoy!
30 Minute Chicken Pesto Panini
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts skinless
- 4 slices ciabatta bread
- 1 tablespoon miracle whip
- 4 tablespoons pesto I used Mezzetta basil pesto
- 1 to mato sliced and then cut slices in half
- 1/2 shallot cut into rings
- 1/4 cup baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Grease baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. Place on cooking sheet and spray non-stick cooking spray to tops of breasts. Season with salt and pepper and spread 1 tablespoon pesto on top of each chicken breast. Bake for about 18 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- While chicken is baking, heat oil in small saute pan using medium-high heat. Add shallot rings and saute until translucent. Look ahead to step 3. Add tomato slices and spinach to pan and saute just until spinach begins to wilt. Remove from heat.
- Preheat greased panini grill to medium heat. Prepare ciabatta bread slices with miracle whip on one slice and pesto on the opposite slice. Add vegetables to one side with slices of the pesto chicken on the other side. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of the vegetables. Arrange sandwich together.
- Using panini grill, cook panini for about 4 minutes or until desired doneness.
Love,
3 Scoops of Sugar and my panini obsession self! 😉