Pan Grilled Chicken Panini
Pan Grilled Chicken Panini with a slathering of artichoke pesto and thinly sliced servings of prosciutto and lettuce make an irresistible lunch or dinner. A perfect panini to pack for outdoor picnics but also equally fun for indoor picnics as well.
Servings 8 chicken Panini
Ingredients
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 6 to 8 ounces each)
- salt to your taste I use fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper to your taste
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- freshly squeezed lemon juice from a 1/2 lemon
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 8 ciabatta buns
- 8 slices of prosciutto
- 1/2 cup artichoke pesto
- Boston lettuce or any green lettuce of your choice
- 8 fried large sage leaves optional, recipe below
Instructions
- PREPARE THE CHICKEN
- Slice each chicken breast into 2 pieces widthwise across the grain.
- Rinse each chicken breast piece with cold water and place them between two pieces of plastic wrap. (Do not pat dry)
- Use a meat pounder to pound each piece of chicken to about a 1/4 each thick.
- Transfer the chicken breasts on a baking sheet placing them in a single layer.
- Season each slice of chicken with salt, pepper and chili flakes on both sides.
- Mix together the minced garlic and chopped sage then rub this over both sides of the chicken breasts.
- Drizzle the lemon juice and the oil on both sides of the chicken breasts while rubbing the meat to coat all over.
- Cover and refrigerate the chicken for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small frying pan heat about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil till hot and fry the sage leaves for about 5 seconds on each side. Take care not to brown them otherwise they will be bitter.
- Transfer the fried sage leaves to a tray lined with paper towels till ready to use.
- Reserve the oil to brush over the sliced buns and toast in the oven @ 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes.
- While the breads are toasting, remove the chicken from the fridge.
- Grease a ridged grill pan with oil and heat until hot.
- Arrange the chicken breasts on the hot grill pan, taking care not to crowd the pan and grill for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. (this will depend on the size and thickness of the chicken slices)
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a serving platter and repeat with the remaining slices.
- Drizzle the grilled chicken with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and start assembling the Panini.
- Spread the panini halves with the artichoke pesto and top with a layer of lettuce, prosciutto and grilled chicken.
- Place the top panini bun on and enjoy!