Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Grilled Veggie Chicken Sandwich on Focaccia

I had the most amazing chicken sandwich about six months ago surprisingly it was purchased at a specialty sandwich shop in the food court of a hospital of all places!

Sadly, it cost me an arm and leg but every bite of it had me wanting more and more so I replicated the recipe and added a twist to it using my Focaccia bread recipe in place of Ciabatta bun. I am a huge lover of our Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe which I used instead of Garlic Aioli the original sandwich came with.  I love their tangy rich flavour of those sun kissed tomatoes in my pesto sauce!

My family loves it!  The sandwich pieces disappear as quicker than I can get it on the table! Trust me at my house I cook big with four hungry men in my house; the sandwich starts on a 12 inch by 18 inch Focaccia bread loaf which has 6 portions with a filling 6 inch by 6 inch sandwiches and the only complaint I get is – “why didn’t you make more?” Well, truth be told it is a complex sandwich and it takes time. If I don’t have an Sun Dried Tomato Pesto in the fridge I have to whip up a new batch.  I have to make the Focaccia bread and although I use quick active yeast it still takes time, not to mention grilling or roasting vegetables, frying up the chicken.  Sandwiches like these aren’t born in a minute, they’re created with love and that takes time.  Typically we use red bell peppers in this sandwich but the day we made it we had to leave them out of the recipe; my mom was here and she has  a sensitivity to any kind of peppers, otherwise we would have used two large beautiful red peppers (cut into 1 to ½ inch strips) in the sandwich.

Our recipe calls for our Sun Dried Tomato Pesto, Focaccia bread, roasted or grilled veggies and pan fried or grilled chicken breasts and lots of delicious Provolone Cheese.

 If you are strapped for time you can use store bought ingredients, most grocery stores sell Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Fococcia bread. Weather permitting you can grill your veggies and chicken out on the grill which will speed this sandwich along and actually the outdoor grilling will add even more flavour to the sandwich.

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Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Grilled Veggie Chicken Sandwich on Focaccia
by April-22-2018
A mouth watering chicken sandwich loaded with roasted veggies will have them begging for more.
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs thinly sliced chicken breasts
  • salt
  • pepper
  • olive oil
  • a few pats of butter
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Italian Seasoning
  • 1 large large eggplant
  • 2 zucchini
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 1 large onion
  • 8 oz container sliced mushrooms
  • salt
  • pepper
  • Seasonings such as thyme, rosemary, Italian seasoning
  • Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
  • 6 to 9 slices Smoked Provolone Cheese
Instructions
Slice chicken breasts into ¼ inch thin pieces and season generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning and set aside for about 30 minutes so allow the seasonings to penetrate the chicken.In the mean time, slice the eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms into ¼ inch thick slices and if using red bell peppers slice them into 1 to ½ inch wide strips. Combine all the veggies into a bowl and season well with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning, drizzle with olive oil toss well coating all the veggies. If grilling, grill until softened or place veggies on a baking sheet and roast at 400F for about 30 minutes checking on them every 10 minutes or so and turning them for even cooking. Heat oil and butter over medium heat and fry chicken breasts until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear; thinly sliced should take no more than 8 to 10 minutes. You can check that the internal temperature is above 170F.Assembly:Split your Focaccia in half horizontally. Spread the Sun Dried Tomato Pesto on the Top layer of the Focaccia. Lay the chicken to cover the entire base of the Focaccia. Layer your roasted veggies until they are all used up.Top with Smoked Provolone Cheese.Pop the top of the Focaccia on top and press firmly.Place this beautiful sandwich in the oven and warm through at 350F for about 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Ivonne Tarantinorecipe, food, meal, sandwich, sundried tomato pesto sandwich, grilled veggies, chicken, sun dried tomato pesto grilled veggie chicken sandwich on focaccia, foodlover, foodieComment