Pesto Chicken Sammies

The other night I had a hankering for a pesto and mozzarella type of sandwich, even though every time I’ve eaten one I’ve been unsatisfied. They’re usually bland and dry and disappointing. But still, the flavors of some herby pesto with good mozzarella and balsamic glaze were calling me.

A really good sandwich with a side of chips is a perfect summer dinner. Especially when all you have to do after a long, hot day is assemble the sandwich, and not spend hours making everything that goes inside it. This night, I used leftover roasted chicken. All I had to do was roast some peppers (which I did early in the day ahead of time) and toss some greens in a little olive oil. Simple.

The key to a good sandwich is seasoning every layer. If you’re adding greens, dressing them with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper will make a huge difference. Any other veggies you use should also be salted on their own or as you build your sandwich. The roasted peppers I used in this were salted very well and drizzled with olive oil.

You can take this idea and completely make it your own – adding different veggies or using cold cuts instead of roasted chicken. As I was eating this for dinner I pictured a prosciutto and cheddar version, with some strawberry jam perhaps? Experimenting with different flavors and doing what sounds good to you is really the best way to go – if you have good crusty bread and are seasoning every layer, it will be good.

Pesto Chicken Sammies
• 1 large soft ciabatta loaf cut into portions or individual rolls
• Cooked chicken, about 1 small breast per sandwich
• 4 slices mozzarella per sandwich
• Roasted peppers
• Arugula, tossed in olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper
• Balsamic glaze
• Pesto, about 2 tbsps per sandwich (1 tbsp for each bread piece)

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Cut your bread lengthwise so you have two flat square/rectangle pieces for the top and bottom of the sandwich. Place both pieces on the sheet pan and smear with pesto.

3. On the bottom bread piece, add the mozzarella and then the chicken. Bake in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges of the bread start toasting.

4. When they come out of the oven, top the chicken with the roasted peppers and then the arugula.

5. Drizzle with at least 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze, although more is better, and finish with the top bread piece. Serve with a side of chips and an ice cold beverage.