What's For Dinner Wednesday: Grilled Chicken Pesto Sandwiches

Hey there, readers!

I'm coming at you from Boston today where I'm doing a little work and then spending a long weekend down in Rhode Island with my parents and sisters soaking up as much of autumn in New England as I can. I will be missing Alex, but I just love it here at this time of year!

In the meantime, I'm sharing a fun Italian-inspired fall sandwich recipe with you.

These grilled chicken pesto sandwiches were one of those brilliant and tasty accidents that occurred when I was trying to use up an array of random ingredients in my fridge/freezer before I took off on this trip. Don't you just love when a meal born out of convenience ends up being a total home run?

We piled grilled chicken breasts, broiled tomato slices with melty Italian cheese, and homemade pesto on top of toasted crusty bread. This sandwich is super easy to put together and makes for a really satisfying dinner. I made a simple grilled vegetable salad (recipe coming at you tomorrow) to go along with it and it was a perfect dinner for a laidback Indian Summer night. And if you're craving this in the winter, the recipe would be easy enough to adapt for an indoor grill pan instead of on an outdoor grill too.

This is a serious sandwich. It's piled high, cheesy, saucy, and messy. Alex ate his with a fork and knife. Alexis and I ate our sadwiches like true ladies: with pesto oil dripping down our hands.


Ingredients:

• 3 (4 to 6-oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 8-oz. loaf of French or ciabatta bread
• 1 large tomato, cut into 1/4-inch slices *I prefer a beefsteak tomato for this recipe
• 2 oz. Fontinella cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup prepared pesto, homemade or store bought
• Olive oil

Serves 3.

Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and grill 5-6 minutes on each side or until cooked through and the juices run clear. Remove from grill and slice each chicken breast in half. Set aside.

Preheat broiler. Carefully slice the loaf of bread through the middle to create a top and bottom. Slice it again from top to bottom to create 3 equally sized portions for sandwiches. Arrange all six slices cut side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle cut sides lightly with olive oil and broil until just golden, 3-4 minutes. Remove bread slices from pan.

Lightly coat the baking sheet with olive oil or cooking spray and arrange three tomato slices on the sheet. Drizzle each tomato slice with olive oil and top with grated cheese. Place under broiler and broil until cheese is golden and bubbly.

To assemble sandwiches: Spread a spoonful of pesto on each top and bottom slice of bread. Arrange two chicken halves on each bottom slice of bread and top with a warm tomato slice. Top with the corresponding slice of bread and serve.