Chicken Pesto Grilled Sandwiches/Paninis-Original & Lighter Recipe
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Directions:
- For pesto, combine first six ingredients in a food processor.
- Process until finely chopped; gradually pour in olive oil and process until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- For chicken marinade, combine all marinade ingredients (using 1/4 cup of the pesto you just made and reserving remaining pesto for later use). Place marinade and chicken in a bowl or zip-top plastic bag. Make sure chicken is thoroughly covered; refrigerate 6-8 hours.
- Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade.
- In a nonstick skillet, cook chicken in 2 Tablespoons oil over med-high heat, about 5 - 7 minutes. Remove chicken and divide into 6 equal portions; set aside.
- Drain tomatoes.
- In same skillet that you cooked the chicken in, saute mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes in remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon white wine until mushrooms are tender and liquid is absorbed; divide into 6 equal portions; set aside.
- Separate thinly sliced Gouda into 6 equal portions.
- Cut 12 slices, 1/2 thick, from Italian bread loaf.
- For each sandwich, do the following:.
- Take two slices of bread; spread 1 tablespoon pesto on each slice.
- On one slice of bread, layer chicken strips, mushroon/tomato mixture, and then Gouda slices.
- Place remaining bread slice, pesto side down on top of cheese.
- Spread approximately 1 teaspoon butter on top bread slice.
- Place, buttered side down, on preheated griddle or grill.
- With a spatula, press down on the sandwich - just to kind of smoosh it together, and while it is cooking, spread approximately 1 teaspoon butter on top slice of bread. Grill approximately 5 minutes, flip and grill approximately 3-5 minutes more or until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown and crispy.
- Repeat for remaining sandwiches.
- ***Lighter version***.
- For pesto sauce, substitute 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth for the olive oil and omit the salt (if using low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, you may not want to omit the salt) and reduce pine nuts to 1/3 cup or omit altogether (if you want to go even lighter).
- Proceed with recipe as instructed.
- Reduce Gouda to 6-8 ounces (depending on your preference for cheesiness), thinly slice and proceed with recipe instructions.
- Omit the butter that is spread on top of the bread before grilling and instead use a lighter spread - I use Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread w/ Flax, or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (No fat or calories in this one).
- Depending on which and how many of the suggested changes you make, you could cut the fat and calories significantly and still have a tasty panini. :).
Nutrition Facts
| Amount Per 1 Serving | |||
| Calories | 899.47 Kcal (3766 kJ) | ||
| Calories from fat | 665.4 Kcal | ||
| % Daily Value* | |||
| Total Fat | 73.93g | 114% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cholesterol | 149.57mg | 50% | |
| Sodium | 1584.32mg | 66% | |
| Potassium | 911.7mg | 19% | |
| Total Carbs | 13.5g | 4% | |
| Sugars | 6.5g | 26% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.48g | 10% | |
| Protein | 47.21g | 94% | |
| Vitamin C | 8.2mg | 14% | |
| Vitamin A | 0.1mg | 3% | |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% | |
| Calcium | 893.4mg | 89% | |
| Amount Per 100 g | |||
| Calories | 291.91 Kcal (1222 kJ) | ||
| Calories from fat | 215.95 Kcal | ||
| % Daily Value* | |||
| Total Fat | 23.99g | 114% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cholesterol | 48.54mg | 50% | |
| Sodium | 514.16mg | 66% | |
| Potassium | 295.88mg | 19% | |
| Total Carbs | 4.38g | 4% | |
| Sugars | 2.11g | 26% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.81g | 10% | |
| Protein | 15.32g | 94% | |
| Vitamin C | 2.7mg | 14% | |
| Iron | 0.7mg | 11% | |
| Calcium | 289.9mg | 89% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Find out how many calories should you eat.
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