Pesto Chicken Sandwich

Name: Pesto Chicken Sandwich
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 Ciabattas; 200 g Chicken breast (grilled and sliced); 2 tbsp Pesto; 2 tbsp 0% Greek yogurt; 2 tbsp Mayonnaise; 30 g Rocket (arugula); 0.5 ball mozzarella (thinly sliced); 4 Sun-dried tomatoes

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This easy Pesto Chicken Sandwich is going to be a lunch time favourite. Ciabatta topped with rocket lettuce, a creamy pesto sauce, mozzarella and grilled chicken breast. Bursting with flavour, lunch time never has to be boring again.

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.

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Why should you try it?
What you will need
Step by step
What bread to use
Creamy pesto sauce
What chicken to use
Extra toppings
Frequently Asked Questions
Extra tips
More sandwiches
Recipe
Feedback

Why should you try it?

Make lunch time more exciting
A great way to use up leftover chicken
An incredible creamy pesto sauce
Easy to adapt

What you will need

Bread - When it comes to sandwiches, there are so many bread choices. We used ciabatta rolls, however you can use your favourite bread. Bagels also work well.
Chicken - We used a grilled chicken breast for this, however it is also a great way to use up leftover chicken from our Best Roast Chicken or Slow Cooker Whole Chicken.
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.
Yoghurt and mayonnaise- This is what the pesto is mixed in to 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.

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.

Four ciabatta bun halves, two have a pesto sauce spread on them.

Three: Top with rocket (arugula) lettuce.

Ciabatta buns topped with pesto sauce and arugula.

Four: Add the mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes.

Ciabatta buns topped with arugula, mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes.

Five: Top with grilled chicken.

Ciabatta buns topped with arugula, cheese, tomatoes and chicken.

What bread to use

Just like any sandwich, the options are almost endless when it comes to what bread to use. We used a ciabatta roll, because we love the chewy texture of it. However, 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 use a toasted bagel or stuff everything in to a pita or wrap.

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 in to 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. 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.

What chicken to use

This is a great opportunity to use up leftover chicken. If we have grilled up some chicken breast for a salad or previous sandwich, then we use the leftovers in this. You could just grill it fresh if you didn't have any leftover.

This is also a great sandwich to make to use up leftover chicken from a roast. Just shred it up and and mix it with the creamy pesto sauce.

Extra toppings

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.

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.

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.

More sandwiches

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
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