One Fine Panini

I received a free cooking magazine in the mail the other day called Cuisine at home. I am always looking for new recipes to try, so I flipped through it a bit. I have to admit, it has some interesting articles about technique and several recipes I plan to try. I might even subscribe.

Anyway, I made one of the recipes in the issue for the family tonight for dinner and it was a big hit.

Southwestern Chicken Panini

Ingredients:

2 cups cilantro leaves
4 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno
1/2 lime, juiced
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup mayo
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobe
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Thickly sliced sourdough bread
Butter
Pepperjack cheese
Sauteed boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half

Preparation:

Puree cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, salt, lime juice and olive oil in a food processor or blender until it becomes a pesto-like paste. Set aside. Combine mayo, sugar and minced chipotle and set aside. Butter one side of each slice of bread. Slather one of the other sides with the chipotle mayo and one of the other sides with the cilantro pesto. Top with chicken and slices of the pepperjack cheese. We used our George Foreman grill to make the cool panini lines, but a skillet works just as well.

PS – We made this meal kid-friendly by making a version with cheddar cheese and chicken, minus the pesto and mayo. It was like a grilled cheese with chicken and the kids gobbled it up.