Chicken Parmesan Panini
An easy and delicious pack and go lunch everyone will love!
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
For the Chicken Parmesan
- 1 24-oz jar marinara sauce or your favorite tomato based pasta sauce
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded thin to about a ½ inch in thickness
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons water and seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 cup Italian seasoned panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 lb fresh mozzarella sliced
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
For the Panini
- 4 small loaves ciabatta or 8 slices of your favorite crusty bread
- Fresh mozzarella
- Basil pesto
- Extra tomato sauce as needed
Instructions
For the Chicken Parmesan
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Place each chicken breast into a large plastic zip top bag, one at a time, and pound the chicken with a mallet until it's about ½ inch thick throughout.
- Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each breast in the flour and tap off any excess flour, then dip in the egg mixture and let excess drip off, then dredge on both sides in the bread crumbs.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large cast iron pan and heat over high heat until almost smoking. Add 1 or 2 chicken breasts to the pan, however many will fit and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
- Once the chicken is cooked, carefully wipe out the excess oil and brown bits from the cast iron skillet and add ½ of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a large skillet. If the skillet doesn't fit all the chicken breasts, use a large baking dish instead.
- Add the pan fried breaded breasts on top of the sauce, and spoon the rest of the sauce over the chicken along with a few slices of the fresh mozzarella, salt and pepper, and equal amounts of the freshly grated parmesan. Transfer to the pre-heated oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside while you prep the panini
For the Panini
- Oil or butter the sides of the bread. On one piece of bread, add a small spoonful of pesto and on the other tomato sauce. Add the chicken parm cutlet on the tomato sauce piece of bread and then add extra cheese. Top with the other pesto slathered piece of bread and griddle until golden. Slice and serve.
Notes
These can be served immediately, or if you're taking them on a picnic, wrap them with aluminum foil and pack away.
Nutrition
Calories: 1077kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 72g | Fat: 62g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 319mg | Sodium: 1811mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1582IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 904mg | Iron: 3mg