Chicken And Broccoli Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe

Whoever invented the grilled cheese sandwich should have been awarded a medal for their services to mankind. Perhaps the best form of sandwich in existence due to it's crisp golden outsides and gooey molten innards, who can say no to a well-made grilled cheese? This chicken and broccoli pesto grilled cheese sandwich puts a spin on the classic, loading it up with extra goodies to make an ultimate comfort food and also a supremely satisfying meal option.

Crafted in the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye, this grilled cheese includes a homemade broccoli pesto, which is fresh, creamy, and vibrant, both in flavor and color. Chicken breasts are oven baked until perfectly cooked, juicy and tender, before being sliced and assembled into a sandwich along with the broccoli pesto and slices of Gruyère cheese. It is then pan fried to crispy golden perfection, with oozy melted Gruyère cheese working to bind the sandwich together as well as adding a wonderfully rich and nutty finish. This chicken and broccoli grilled cheese is what sandwich dreams are made of — it might take a little longer to cook up than your ordinary grilled cheese, but it is well worth the extra effort.

To begin this chicken and broccoli pesto grilled cheese sandwich recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. For the broccoli pesto you will want broccoli, fresh basil leaves, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, grated Parmesan, salt, and black pepper. To assemble the sandwich you will also want chicken breasts, olive oil, more salt and pepper, white bread, butter, and sliced Gruyère cheese.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Place chicken breasts into an oven-safe dish, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken in the oven to bake for 22 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the broccoli florets to a steamer set over medium heat.

Steam the broccoli for 2 minutes until just beginning to tenderize.

Remove from the steamer and set aside for 5 minutes to cool.

In a food processor add the broccoli, basil leaves, garlic clove, olive oil, pine nuts, Parmesan, and salt and pepper.

Blend for 20 to 30 seconds to form the broccoli pesto.

Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Butter one side of four slices of bread.

Place two of the slices of bread, buttered side facing downward, into a large pan.

Top each slice of bread with a tablespoon of the broccoli pesto.

Top the pesto with slices of chicken.

Add the slices of Gruyere on top of the chicken.

Finish off the sandwich by placing the remaining slices of bread, butter side outward, on top.

Heat the pan to a medium heat and gently toast the sandwich for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown underneath.

Use a spatula to carefully flip the sandwiches and toast the other side for a further 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the pan and serve immediately.

This chicken and broccoli pesto grilled cheese sandwich makes for a filling standalone meal, perfect for a warm and satisfying lunch option. If, however, you are hankering after something else to pair with your grilled cheese, the classic accompaniment of tomato soup works remarkably well with the chicken and pesto flavors of this recipe. Other delicious soup options that pair well with sandwiches include roasted butternut squash or pumpkin soup, the perfect fall accompaniment, chicken and vegetable soup, or if you want to make more of the broccoli flavors in the pesto, a broccoli cheese soup works surprisingly well.

If soup isn't really your thing, this grilled cheese can be accompanied with a simple side of pickles or olives, which provide a sharp contrast to the other flavors in the dish. A simple side salad also works well, adding freshness and lightness to contrast the heavier elements of the sandwich. For a warm yet similarly light and fresh side, some roasted vegetables like zucchini, tomatoes, and peppers works really well (and can also be incorporated into the sandwich if you are brave enough to try flipping it in the pan).

The unique, nutty and creamy flavor of Gruyère makes the ideal accompaniment to the chicken and broccoli pesto in this grilled cheese, but if you are unable to get your hands on this particular cheese from Switzerland, there are plenty of other options available to you. Mozzarella is always a wonderful option for grilled cheese, as well as being a classic accompaniment to pesto. Its mild flavor and wonderful capacity for melting into a delicious stringy goo makes it a worthy substitute. If you prefer more sharpness in your grilled cheese, cheddar is a classic choice that will similarly work well with the other flavors in this sandwich. However, if you fancy something a little more, well, fancy, swap in Brie for a punchier flavor and it's wonderfully gooey melting qualities.

To switch up this sandwich in other ways, try choosing different types of bread, such as sourdough or soda bread, or you could swap out the chicken for another protein like turkey. If you are vegetarian, slices of fried eggplant or grilled portabello mushrooms make excellent substitutions in this sandwich, or you can simply omit the chicken altogether and enjoy a broccoli pesto grilled cheese all on its own.