Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Pesto

Step 1

Marinate your chicken breasts by adding them to a large bowl, then drizzling over about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a couple of pinches of salt and black pepper, the Italian seasoning, lemon zest and juice, plus garlic, and toss to coat; marinate for 20 minutes, or even over night.

Step 2

Next, prepare your arugula-basil pesto: if blanching your basil leaves to lock in the vibrant color, bring a small/medium size pot of water to the boil, then turn off the heat; add the basil leaves and blanch them for just 5-10 seconds; drain and add the leaves to ice water to shock them, then drain and gently pat dry on paper towel.

Step 3

To the bowl of a food processor, add the pine nuts, grated parmesan cheese, garlic cloves, lemon zest and juice, the salt and pepper, plus 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and process for about 20 seconds until fairly smooth; add the basil leaves and the arugula, and continue to process, drizzling in the 1/2 cup of olive oil until smooth, about 30-45 seconds.

Step 4

Spoon the pesto into a jar or small bowl, cover with plastic, and place into fridge to hold.

Step 5

To grill the chicken, place your grill pan (you can also use an outdoor grill as well) over medium-high heat, and grill a couple of the chicken breast cutlets for about 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through and golden (grilling time is shorter since these are thinner cutlets); allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes.

Step 6

Preheat your broiler, and line a small baking sheet with foil; place the grilled chicken breasts onto the baking sheet, top each with 1 ounce of the grated smoked (or plain) mozzarella cheese, then place under the broiler for about 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted.

Step 7

To assemble the grilled chicken sandwiches, generously spread some of your pesto sauce onto both the bottom and top pieces of the bread, then place a cheesy grilled chicken breast onto the bottom piece of bread.

Step 8

Top the chicken with about 1 tablespoon of the julienned sun-dried tomatoes and a sprinkle of micro arugula greens or regular arugula greens; then, cover with the top piece of pesto-slathered bread, and serve.