Chicken & Red Pepper Panini

Normally I only get to make lunch on weekends, since our office doesn’t have a microwave.  So today, I decided to try out The Pioneer Woman’s recipe for a chicken & roasted red pepper panini.  I had a long time to think about what I was going to make, too, since we are dog sitting Tinkerbell for Rustin & Elizabeth.  I woke up at 8:20am ON A SATURDAY to make sure that she wouldn’t potty in her crate, and so that she could get out before she started whining…..which is what she’s doing right now as I write this blog.  I’m sorry Tinkerbell!  I can’t pay attention to you every second of the day!

She’s a cutie though, so it kinda makes up for it.

Now, back to the panini.  Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 8 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
  
• 2 roasted red peppers in a jar (or you can roast them yourself by charring the outside of the pepper over an open flame or in the broiler)
  
• 3 tbsp prepared pesto (you can certainly make your own if you can find fresh basil at this time of year)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or enough to make the right consistency for the marinade/spread)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt & pepper
• 4 slices mozzarella or provolone cheese
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 slices bread

Start by putting the sun dried tomatoes into a food processor or blender.

Next, add the pesto.  I love pesto, especially on tortellini!  Yum.

Add lemon juice.  I used bottled lemon juice, but you could certainly squeeze fresh juice out of a lemon.  I just didn’t happen to have any on hand.

Season with salt and pepper.

Stream in olive oil.  If a tablespoon doesn’t seem like enough to create the correct consistency, feel free to add more.

Blend until thoroughly combined.

Pour half of the pesto mixture into a Ziploc bag with the chicken and smush it around so that the chicken is thoroughly covered.  Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

In a small bowl combine mayo….

…and the rest of the pesto mixture.

Stir until everything is combined.  Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Cook chicken over medium-high heat in a skillet or on the grill.

Once fully cooked, cut chicken into strips.

Spread mayo/pesto mixture on one side of each of the slices of bread.

Lay chicken on the mayo covered side of the bread.

Cut roasted peppers into strips and place over the chicken.

Lay cheese over peppers.

Place another piece of bread over the cheese and liberally butter the outer sides of each slice.

I didn’t have a panini grill, so I used my George Foreman grill, and it worked just fine.  You could also set this in a skillet with a heavy pan on top, flipping it over to cook both sides equally.

Slice in half diagonally and enjoy!