Pesto Chicken Sandwich

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This easy Pesto Chicken Sandwich is going to be a lunchtime favourite. Ciabatta topped with rocket lettuce, a creamy pesto sauce, mozzarella and grilled chicken breast. Bursting with flavour, lunch never has to be boring again. A chicken pesto sandwich is also great for packing up and taking to work.

Two ciabatta rolls filled with chicken, pesto and lettuce.

We sometimes find ourselves in a bit of a sandwich rut. But move over ham and cheese sandwich, as this pesto chicken sandwich is the new favourite, and so easy to adapt too. You are going to want to put the creamy pesto sauce on everything too.

If you are looking for more ways to use pesto, why not try our quick Pesto Tortellini, simple Chicken Pesto Burgers, our easy Pesto Salmon or our delicious Pesto Chicken Pasta?

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Why you will love it
Ingredients needed
How to make pesto chicken sandwich - Step by step
Creamy pesto sauce
Variations
Extra tips
Frequently Asked Questions
More sandwich recipes
Recipe
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Why you will love it

Make lunch time more exciting - In a lunch time rut? This pesto sandwich is going to bring you right out of it.
A great way to use up leftover chicken - You can grill up a chicken breast for this, or you can use up leftovers from a roast chicken.
An incredible creamy pesto sauce - You are going to want to put this sauce on everything.
Easy to adapt - Like any sandwich, this is easy to adapt with your favourite sandwich fillings.

Ingredients needed

Bread - When it comes to sandwiches, there are so many bread choices. We used ciabatta rolls, but bagels also work well. You could use a couple of slices of your favourite loaf, like a sour dough or seeded bread. You could even mix thing up and stuff everything into a pita or wrap.
Chicken - We used a grilled chicken breast for this, however it is also a great way to use up leftover chicken from our Slow Cooked Chicken Breast, Best Roast Chicken or Slow Cooker Whole Chicken. Have an air fryer? Use our Air Fryer Chicken Breast.
Pesto - Homemade pesto is always best and we have given the recipe for one below. However, you can use a good quality store bought one if you want to save some time.
Yogurt and mayonnaise - This is what the pesto is mixed into to make a creamy sauce. We used a 0% fat Greek yoghurt and reduced fat mayo.
Lettuce - Sandwiches need some greens and we used rocket lettuce (arugula) because it adds a lovely peppery flavour. You could use romaine instead, which would add a nice crunch.
Cheese - We used slices of mozzarella, but you could use a smoked cheddar or even goats cheese.
Sun-dried tomatoes - These add a lovely burst of flavour to the sandwiches. You could swap them for fresh beef tomato slices instead.

A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.

How to make pesto chicken sandwich - Step by step

One: Mix the pesto with the Greek yogurt and mayo.

A small bowl of pesto, yogurt and mayonnaise mixed together.

Two: Spread it on the halved ciabattas.

Ciabatta bun in two halves, the bottom has a pesto sauce spread on it.

Three: Top with rocket (arugula) lettuce.

Four: Add the mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes.

Mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes added to the bun.

Five: Top with grilled chicken.

Creamy pesto sauce

You are going to want to put this sauce on everything. It's so simple to make, you will wonder why you haven't been making it forever. Just your favourite pesto, stirred into some yogurt and mayonnaise for a creamy and herb packed sauce that pairs beautifully with chicken.

You can use any pesto, even a red pesto if you like, but why not try making our Mixed Herb Pesto or Carrot Top Pesto? It's a great way to use up a few different leftovers herbs you might have hanging around your fridge.

A ciabatta bun with chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and pesto sliced in half next to a jar of pesto.

Variations

There are so many options when it comes to stacking this sandwich. We used sun-dried tomatoes, but you could swap them for olives. We used rocket lettuce for some greens and that delicious peppery taste, however you could use any salad greens.

Add some fresh tomato and cucumber or even some grilled peppers.

We used mozzarella in these sandwiches, however you can swap it out for your favourite cheese. A really strong cheddar works well, or some Swiss cheese. Basically, anything that melts well.

Extra tips

You can use a couple of slices of your favourite bread, a roll or a bagel, pita or wrap.
If you don't have any leftover grilled chicken, you can grill some fresh or shred up some leftover roast chicken.
You can use any pesto in the creamy sauce.
Swap the rocket for spinach or your favourite salad greens.
You can add fresh tomato and cucumber or some grilled peppers.
We used mozzarella, but you could use a strong cheddar or Swiss cheese instead.
You could put the sandwich in a panini press after you have made it.

Two ciabattas filled with chicken, lettuce and pesto. One is cut in half.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to store pesto chicken sandwiches?

These sandwiches are best made from fresh and eaten straight away. Any leftovers of the chicken and pesto sauce can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for 2 days.

What goes well with pesto chicken sandwiches?

These are pretty filling by themselves, but if you wanted to have some sides then we recommend our Greek Potatoes, Oven Baked Onion Rings, or No Mayo Coleslaw.

More sandwich recipes

If you’ve tried this pesto chicken sandwich recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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