Paninis (means a sandwich made with Italian bread, usually toasted) are a favorite go to for dinner in my house, my kids just love them! If you can’t find a good Italian roll, just go with a French or even a sour dough would work.
You can totally change this up say for instance you could use regular bacon or even add arugula, you could use jack cheese, I just really like the creamy mozzarella for a panini. I love the combo of peppers and onions so when I came up with this recipe I thought about all the flavors I love and put them in one Panini! It’s a fast meal, the cutlets cook quickly as well as all the other ingredients. Also such a colorful, beautiful Panini, healthy too!
Chicken Pesto Panini
Ingredients
- 4 chicken cutlets*
- Ready-made good Pesto
- Salt/pepper
- 1 large Vidalia onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large red bell peppers
- 4 slices prosciutto
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 package or bag of fresh organic spinach
- 4 rolls, I use a French roll, just get a good hardy roll that will not fall apart
Instructions
Preheat oven 375 degrees
Marinate chicken cutlets in pesto sauce for about 2 hours, salt/pepper both sides of cutlets, add olive oil, saute in cast-iron skillet until cooked through, remove cutlets, set aside
Using same skillet add the balsamic vinegar and a little more olive oil, saute onion till soft and slightly browned. Take onions out set a side.
Roast peppers in oven for about 30 minutes on sheet pan, take out put in paper bag or cover with foil for about 15 minutes, then peel off outer skin of peppers, cut in 4 pieces ½ pepper for each Panini taking out seeds as well. Season with salt and pepper.
Using same skillet cook the prosciutto till crispy, take out set aside
Same skillet, add the spinach and maybe a few drops of water, it will cook fast!
Using your favorite Panini press, assemble the Panini, the rolls can be brushed with olive oil, chicken cutlet down first, cheese on top, then the prosciutto, peppers, onions then spinach.
Put in hot Panini press making sure cheese is melted and all the ingredients are warmed through. Now, if you do not own a Panini press just use a heavy skillet to press the Panini down, a cast-iron works great for this!
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