Chicken Pesto Sandwich
This Italian-style sandwich recipe is great for leftover chicken (grilled, baked or rotisserie), road trips, picnics and weekend lunches. Our favorite bread is homemade, but a good store-bought one does the job well.
Servings 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
For the chicken breasts:
- 2 boneless chicken breasts skinless
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
To assemble the sandwiches:
- 4 buns I use semolina bread buns or burger rolls
- 8 tablespoons basil pesto homemade or store-bought, see Notes below
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese
- 1 tomato sliced
- handful of fresh arugula leaves
For the homemade pesto:
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves packed
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves packed
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 1 small shallot
- ¼ cup asiago or parmesan cheese about 2 ounces, grated
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
For the chicken pieces:
- Season 2 boneless chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Let stand for 10-15 minutes, turning once.
- Grill the chicken breasts for about 6-8 minutes per side on medium heat, or until they are cooked through and no longer pink in the middle. Make sure to flip them halfway through cooking. Don't overcook them so they are juicy and not dry.
- While the chicken is cooking, warm or lightly toast 4 buns, split in half, either on the grill or in a toaster.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the grill and let it rest for a few minutes. Then, slice it into thin strips.
To assemble the sandwiches:
- Spread 1 tablespoon of basil pesto on the bottom halves of the bread slices.
- Place 1 slice of mozzarella cheese on top and then sliced chicken, dividing between the four sandwiches. Drizzle another tablespoon of pesto on top of the chicken.
- Slice 1 tomato and divide among the sandwiches (you might not use it all); then top with a handful of fresh arugula leaves.
- Place the top bread halves on top to close the sandwiches. Serve immediately.
For the basil pesto:
- In a food processor or with an immersion blender, mix ½ cup fresh basil leaves, ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, 1 small shallot, ¼ cup asiago or parmesan cheese, black pepper to taste, and half of the olive oil.
- Add the rest of the oil gradually and check a few times for salt and pepper. Adjust as needed. Remember, we're using it as a spread here, so we don't want it to be too oily or runny.
- If not using it all in the sandwich, keep it covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
Pesto: you can use your favorite jar of store-bought pesto, make a homemade pesto, or use a variation like cilantro pesto or spinach pesto.
We love the semolina bread to maintain the Italian flair of this chicken. But other sandwich rolls and bread work well, like yeasted beer rolls, semolina bread, store-bought sourdough or artisan bread. I don't recommend packaged bread from the store as it's usually too soft.
For a quick sandwich, skip the chicken marinade and cook the chicken with salt, pepper, a drizzle of oil and lemon juice. Use good bread and pesto from the grocery store.
