These scrumptious and oh-so-easy Chicken Pesto Panini sandwiches are a perfect meal. Muffins make these panini even more fuss free and I adore how wonderfully they crisp up in a panini press (or indoor grill as I actually used).
This easy shredded chicken panini is perfect for lunch or a simple dinner.
Chicken Pesto Panini
Yes! So many delightful flavors of Italy packed into these little panini sandwiches. I used chopped rotisserie chicken and jarred pesto to keep the recipe super simple. If you happen to have leftover chicken and a penchant for making your own pesto sauce (something I reserve for when my summer basil crop is growing wildly), then by all means go for it.
Provolone cheese and fresh sliced tomato round out the Italian themed filling for our panini... YUM!
Why Use an English Muffin?
The special trick I've used here is using English Muffins rather than sliced bread to make the pressed sandwiches. They crisp up so well, yet remain tender inside. If you have even made English muffins from scratch yourself... these are more like that.
The panini is shown topped with fresh dill pickles, but my quick Pickled Cubanelle Peppers would also serve well with the sandwich.
These only take 10-12 minutes to make and are readily portable. Great for that teen running out the door to get to practice or an easy lunch for the whole family. Make a batch of these yummy panini and let your family loose on them!
How to Make Chicken Pesto Panini
Here is a quick guide to making these Chicken Pesto Panini with pictures to guide you along. There is also a printable recipe card and video below.
Here is everything you need to make four of the panini; chopped cooked chicken, jarred pesto, sliced tomato, Provolone cheese and English Muffins.
First preheat your panini maker.
Then mix together the chicken and pesto.
Assemble the sandwiches by layering the tomato, then pesto chicken, then Provolone inside the English muffins.
Grill until outside is crisp and cheese is melted (about 4-5 minutes).
Try serving these fun panini with a bowl of my copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup or Potato Leek Soup, a green salad with garlic ranch dressing , some pea salad, classic macaroni salad or an easy potato salad with mayo. Of course, homemade kettle chips , air fryer sweet potato fries or ranch pretzels on the side would be great as well.
Not in the mood for pesto today? Slices Yum Yum Chicken or Blackened Chicken breasts would also make delicious paninis!
More Sandwiches!
- Cajun Chicken Open Faced Sandwich
- New England Harvest Turkey Wrap
- Pesto Chicken Roasted Pepper and Swiss Sandwich
- Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Wrap
Chicken Pesto Panini
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken , rotisserie or leftovers
- 3 tablespoon pesto sauce . jarred
- 4 English Muffins
- 4 slices tomato
- 4 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your panini press to 425 degrees.
- Mix the chicken and pesto together.
- Open each English muffin. Lay a slice of tomato on bottom half, then scoop on some pesto chicken mixture and top with provolone before putting on the top of the English muffin.
- If your press in non-stick just pop the sandwiches in press down and grill for 5 minutes. If it is not non-stick, lightly butter each side of the sandwiches before grilling.
- Remove the panini to a cooling rack. Serve after about one minute of cooling.
Video
Nutrition
Brenda says
I made these for lunch and we all loved them. I used a hand press on a griddle since we don't have a panini maker. It worked great.