Italian Chicken Panini

This Italian Chicken Panini recipe is packed full of flavor! Whether you are making yourself a snack or making them for the family, everyone is bound to love this chicken panini sandwich!

 

I love a good panini. Crusty bread that scrapes the roof of my mouth, gooey melted cheese and fresh vegetables. I like to make myself one on nights hubby isn’t home. He isn’t such a fan of “only” a sandwich as a meal- he likes bigger dinner ideas.

I look at has the perfect meal: well rounded in one compact sandwich. One of my favorites is the Italian Chicken Panini. Mozzarella cheese, roasted red peppers, red onion and garlicky pesto. It is pure heaven!

Why You’ll Love This Italian Chicken Panini

Soft bread, melty cheese and an herby pesto- what’s not to love!

• Make easy swaps – Don’t like the toppings I used in my recipe? Mix them up and use your own combination of ingredients!
• Fast dinner idea – These sandwiches are perfect for lunch because you can have them ready in minutes from start to finish!
• Kid friendly – Similar to a grilled cheese, these sandwiches are loved by both kids and adults alike.

Italian Chicken Panini Ingredients

The best part of paninis are how versatile they are. Top with whatever you’d like! 

• Chicken breast – This recipe is a great way to use up leftover chicken. If you don’t have the time to cook up chicken, you could use a rotisserie chicken or even a pre-cooked Tyson chicken breast. You could also use chicken cutlets. Whatever you use, make sure the chicken temp is right! And if you have leftovers, use it in Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers!
• Pesto – I like using my homemade pesto recipe, but you could very easily buy a jar of it at the grocery store. Basil pesto is my favorite.
• Italian bread – Make sure the bread slices are decently thick. They will be pressed, after all, so you don’t want them to be completely flat after coming out of the press.
• Red onion – I love the flavor that red onion adds to the sandwiches. You can use sweet onions if you’d like to though.
• Roasted red peppers – Make sure these are thinly sliced and drained. If they’re still wet, they might make your sandwich soggy.
• Mozzarella – I prefer to use fresh slices of mozzarella rather than the pre-shredded bagged version.

Variations

We like this Italian sandwich to be made exactly as the recipe is written, but there are plenty of ways you can make them your own.

• Type of bread – I like to use a crusty Italian bread, but you can certainly use regular white bread, focaccia, slices sourdough bread or your favorite bakery bread instead.
• Spreads – If you’re not a fan of pesto, you could substitute it with a tomato sauce like marinara sauce, even oven roasted tomatoes.
• Cheese – Instead of using a slice of mozzarella cheese, try using slices provolone cheese, parmesan cheese, fontina cheese or even a spread of creamy ricotta cheese instead.
• Vegetables – Feel free to mix up the veggies as you see fit. Tomato slices, red bell peppers, banana peppers or fresh baby spinach.
• Meat – Instead of using chicken strips, you could use deli meats instead. I would stick to some that have Italian flavors like genoa salami or pepperoni.
• Butter – Take the flavor up a notch by brushing melted butter on the side of bread that touches the grill pan. Even better if it’s garlic butter!

How to Make Italian Chicken Panini

You will be pleasantly surprised at how easy this italian panini recipe is to make.

1. Spread pesto. Slather both slices of bread with pesto, lots of pesto.
2. Add toppings. Top with chicken, onion, red peppers, slice of cheese, then second slice of bread.
3. Coat grill press with cooking spray. Heat panini press and coat with cooking spray.
4. Press sandwiches. Place sandwiches inside until golden brown. I do one at a time since my panini maker isn’t that large.
5. Remove and serve. When sandwich is heated though and the cheese is melted, remove and serve immediately.

Make it a Meal!

If this mouthwatering sandwich is not enough for you, I usually like to pair mine with a green salad with my homemade creamy Italian dressing.

Sandwiches also naturally pair with soups like our homemade tomato bisque , 15 bean soup or copycat panera broccoli cheddar soup. Or an easy pasta side like our famous pastina recipe or easy parmesan linguine recipe.

Storage and Freezing

How to Store Leftover Paninis

As you can make these sandwiches one at a time, there are rarely any leftovers. If there are, you can store each layer in an airtight container in the fridge.

Can I Freeze Italian Chicken Paninis?

I do not recommend freezing these chicken pesto panini sandwiches.

Frequently Asked Questions

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