Pesto Chicken Sandwiches

By cmschnettler

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 large red, yellow, and/or green sweet pepper, cut into strips
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• 1 12 inch loaf ciabatta bread, cut in half horizontally
• Fresh basil leaves

Preparation

Step 1

In a small bowl combine Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Sprinkle mixture evenly over all sides of chicken; rub into chicken with your fingers. Place chicken in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker.
Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic. In a bowl combine tomatoes and vinegar; pour over chicken mixture in cooker.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Stir in zucchini and sweet pepper. Cover and cook on high-heat setting for 30 minutes more.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine mayonnaise and pesto. Spread pesto mixture evenly over cut sides of bread.
Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Using a slotted spoon, spoon vegetable mixture onto bread bottom. Discard cooking juices. Thinly slice chicken. Arrange chicken slices over vegetables. Add basil and bread top. Cut loaf into 6 or 8 serving-size portions.