Chicken "Mozzarella" Sammies

I love sandwiches in many different forms, but I always end up eating them during lunch. Every once in a while I'll do sandwiches for dinner, as seen here. What I end up incorporating into dinner sandwiches, are types of food I'd prepare as an entree for dinner, in order to make them a little heartier than a basic ham and cheese sandwich.

The thing about chicken parmesan that gets to me is the name. I understand that parmesan cheese is typically sprinkled over the mozzarella once its baked, but the real cheese that gives the texture and taste is the mozzarella. I always prefer using the real mozzarella di bufala, the way it melts with the marinara sauce it creates a smoothe yet rich tasting coat to chicken. When paired with the toasted bread and the cool pesto, it makes a delicious sandwhich I would make anytime for a hearty dinner.

Basil Pesto Ingredients:

1 large bunch fresh basil, about 2 cups
2 cloves garlic
1 palm-full of toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup grated pecorino cheese

Combine the basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until its coarsely chopped, . Add the olive oil and the cheese, hold pulse for about 10-15 seconds to fully incorporate the olive oil, but make sure not to over process as we want some texture in the pesto, not too smooth. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Chicken Parm Ingredients:

2-3 Panini loaves
4-6 chicken breast cutlets
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
2 cups bread crumbs
Salt & Pepper
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 cup marinara sauce
 Sliced Mozzarella

If you can buy chicken breasts that are already flat, around 1/4 to 1/2" thick. Most times they are labeled as thin cutlets. Get 3 medium shallow bowls and place side by side. In the first add the flour, paprika and garlic powder, mix well. In the next one, add the milk, you can also use 2 beaten eggs, but I feel the milk is a little lighter. The third bowl gets the bread crumbs. (I normally start with about 1/2 the breadcrumbs, and refill as needed).  Lightly season each breast with salt and pepper on both sides, then lightly coat with the flour mixture. Then dredge into the milk, and lastly into the bread crumbs. Make sure to shake off any excess between steps.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Once all of the breasts are coated, cook over a thin layer of vegetable oil until golden in color, approximately 3-4 minutes on each side. Make sure not to over crowd the pan as the cutlets are cooking. Once all the chicken is cooked, place on a baking sheet. Put about 2 tbsp marinara sauce on each chicken and top with mozzarella slices. Feel free to use mozzarella deli slices or if you have on hand fresh mozzarella. Put in oven until the cheese melts.

For sandwich assembly, lather the bread with the basil pesto on both sides of the bread, add chicken. Then I toast the bread by cooking for a few minutes on a cast iron skillet on each side.You want to try to get the bread as flat as possible, so if you have a cooking brick, use that, otherwise, get your heaviest pan and place on top of the bread. Cook until golden and enjoy!