Wholesome Pesto Chicken Panini Recipe

This easy, nutritious yet delicious Pesto Chicken Panini recipe is all you need on a busy weeknight or take-it-easy sort of weekend. On a base of multigrain bread, this hearty sandwich is layered with pesto, tomatoes, chicken, and—last, but not least—melted mozzarella cheese! With such a wholesome mix of ingredients, this panini is already a healthy, balanced meal without any additional sides. That is my favorite type of dish!

Even better, this panini is as scrumptious as it is wholesome. The tried-and-true Italian combination of basil, tomato, and mozzarella perfectly balances the no-nonsense flavor of grilled chicken. You might be tempted to buy the pesto from the store. But it is well-worth making the pesto from scratch. In no more than 5 minutes, you can mix all the ingredients yourself for a truly fresh, inspired condiment.

Besides being nutritious and delicious, this Pesto Chicken Panini is easy to make! The recipe takes less than 30 minutes, start to finish. So, give it a try; it will surely become a regular at your dinner table. Scroll down to see how you can make this simple yet delicious panini.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs Chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 3 Tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cup Shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 lb Panini bread, multigrain

Pesto

• 2.5 oz Basil
• 1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
• 2 cloves Garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup Pine nuts
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper

Instructions

Begin by cooking the thinly sliced chicken breasts in a lightly greased pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the cutlets with salt and pepper. Since they are thinly sliced, it will not take very long to cook them. Cook the chicken breasts for 10 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cooking process.

Once the chicken breasts are golden brown and cooked through, remove from heat and cut them into 1-inch-wide slices.

While the chicken is cooking, slice the tomatoes and prepare the pesto. Making the pesto is quick and super easy. Put all the pesto ingredients into a blender and blend them until a uniform paste is formed. With that, the pesto is done!

Once the chicken and the pesto are ready, it is time to assemble the panini. Preheat the panini grill to 300ºF and place the panini bread slices on the grill. Spread 2 Tbsp of pesto onto each slice. Then, onto the bread layer chicken slices, tomatoes, and shredded mozzarella cheese. Place another slice of bread on top to complete each panino and close the panini grill. Toast the Pesto Chicken Panini for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the bread has golden-brown grill marks.

I used a panini grill to make this grilled sandwich, but don’t worry if you don’t have an indoor grill. You can always use a large pan over medium low heat to toast the pesto chicken panini. To ensure that all the cheese melts, just flip the panini over so that the cheese is on the bottom. Toast for about 7 minutes, until the cheese has melted, and turn the panini over to toast for an additional 3 minutes.

Once the cheesy Pesto Chicken Panini is ready, cut in half and serve warm.

If you like this recipe, you might also like Caprese Eggplant Crotini or the Delectable Chicken Cutlet Sandwich. Also, be sure to subscribe via email or follow on Instagram to never miss my newest recipes!

Print Recipe

Healthy Pesto Chicken Panini Recipe

Toasted sandwich with multigrain bread, chicken, tomatoes, pesto, and melted mozzarella cheese.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: brunch, dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: 30-minute meal, basil, cheese, chicken breast, easy recipe, pesto, sandwich

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs Chicken breast thinly sliced
• ¾ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Pepper
• 3 Tomatoes
• 1½ cup Shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 lb Panini bread multigrain

Pesto

• 2½ oz Basil
• ½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese shredded or grated
• 2 cloves Garlic peeled
• ½ cup Pine nuts
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Pepper

Instructions

• Sprinkle salt and pepper on the thinly sliced chicken breasts, and cook them in a lightly greased pan over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning them over after 5 minutes. Once the chicken cutlets are golden-brown and cooked through, remove from heat and cut them into 1-inch-wide slices.
• While the chicken is cooking, slice the tomatoes and prepare the pesto. To make the pesto, put all the pesto ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
• Place panini bread slices on a 300°F panini grill. Spread 2 Tbsp of pesto on each slice of bread, then layer with chicken slices, tomato slices, and shredded mozzarella cheese. Top each panino with another slice of bread and close the grill. Cook for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted with golden-brown grill marks. Cut in half and serve warm.

Notes

• If you do not have a panini grill, you can toast the panini in a large pan over medium-low heat. Just flip the assembled panini over so that the cheese is on the bottom. Cook for 7 minutes, until the cheese has melted, then turn the panini over to toast the other side for 3 minutes.

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