Chicken Pesto Panini Recipe

Forget the brown bag, this chicken pesto panini is a gourmet lunch option that will make you feel like you're strolling across a piazza in Florence. As this recipe by Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table proves, it's easy to take simple Italian ingredients and make them feel comforting, pampering, and epicurean with the help of a panini press or a simple cast iron grill pan. 

This panini sandwich packs bold flavors into a portable package, taking the classic Italian trifecta of basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella and jazzing it up. Juicy chicken — marinated in store-bought pesto for extra convenience — mingles with the melty cheese, tangy sun-dried tomatoes, fresh spinach, and herbaceous notes from the basil pesto, all grilled between slices of crusty sourdough bread. Indulgent yet surprisingly light, this sophisticated handheld meal comes together in under 30 minutes for a delicious, well-balanced lunch that's sure to inspire envy from your office mates.

For this Italian-inspired panini, you'll need boneless, skinless chicken breasts and a vibrant pesto sauce. Feel free to make your own pesto or buy one containing basil, pine nuts, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Crusty sourdough bread forms the base of the sandwich, while sliced mozzarella will give the panini its characteristic cheese pull. Sun-dried tomatoes, either packed in oil or rehydrated from dry, lend a tangy, concentrated burst of flavor. Fresh spinach leaves add a nutritious element, while olive oil is essential for grilling the chicken and crisping the bread. Lastly, you may also want to have some fresh basil on hand for garnishing the finished panini.

Preheat a grill pan over medium heat.

Using 3 tablespoons of the pesto, coat both sides of each chicken breast.

Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan.

Place chicken in the pan and cook for about 6-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.

Remove chicken from pan and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing into ½-inch-thick slices.

Take the remaining 4 tablespoons of pesto and spread 1 tablespoon on one side of each slice of bread.

Layer the sliced chicken, mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach on top of two of the pesto-covered bread slices.

Cap with the remaining slices of bread.

Clean the same pan you cooked the chicken in, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and heat over medium heat.

Place the sandwiches in the pan and press down with a heavy skillet or panini press.

Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the bread is toasted and the cheese has melted.

Remove from heat and slice the paninis in half.

Serve hot. Garnish with a sprig of basil, if using.

This recipe is quite flexible and allows for adaptations based on dietary needs or personal preferences. If you're looking to make this pesto panini vegetarian or vegan, you can substitute grilled or roasted vegetables — like sliced zucchini, eggplant, or portobello mushrooms — for the chicken. 

Different cheeses, such as provolone, cheddar, or fontina, can easily be swapped in for the mozzarella to change up the flavor profile. If you don't have sourdough on hand or want to try something new, opt for other hearty bread options like ciabatta, focaccia, or whole grain varieties. 

You can also get creative by adding extra vegetables like roasted red peppers, peppery arugula, or sweet caramelized onions for more contrast and layers of flavor in the sandwich. Just remember to avoid ingredients that may release too much moisture and make the sandwiches soggy or difficult to properly crisp up in the panini press or skillet.

If you're looking to cut down on carbs, or you follow a gluten-free or keto diet, this recipe can easily be adapted into a lower-carb or breadless meal. One option is to turn it into a pesto chicken salad. Instead of constructing paninis, simply slice or dice the cooked pesto-marinated chicken and serve it over a bed of fresh greens, such as spinach, arugula, or romaine. Top the salad with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, some fresh mozzarella bocconcini, and any other additions like sliced avocado, cucumber, red onion, or olives. You can even dress the salad with extra pesto, thinned out with olive oil and lemon juice for added brightness. 

Alternatively, you can make pesto chicken lettuce wraps by omitting the bread entirely and serving the sliced pesto chicken, mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach wrapped up in large, sturdy lettuce leaves or radicchio cups. For a heartier option, try making pesto chicken stuffed zucchini boats by hollowing out zucchini lengths and stuffing them with the pesto chicken mixture before topping with mozzarella and baking until heated through.