Meat: Grilled Chicken and Broccoli pesto panini

By SharonE

Ingredients

• FOR THE PESTO
• Kosher salt
• 2 small heads broccoli, cut in florets (about 3 cups)
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• FOR THE SANDWICHES
• 8 slices rustic bread
• 4 chicken cutlets
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 or 2 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced and halved

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

MAKE THE PESTO: Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Use a strainer or a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked broccoli to the ice bath and let it cool, about 3 minutes. Drain the broccoli well, then transfer it to a food processor. Add the garlic, walnuts, honey, ½ teaspoon salt, the lemon zest, and lemon juice, and process until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually pour in the olive oil. Transfer the pesto to a small bowl and stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cover and set aside.

MAKE THE SANDWICHES: Preheat a stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the slices of bread until toasted and golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Season the chicken cutlets with the salt and red pepper flakes, and drizzle with the olive oil. Grill the cutlets until they are golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Squeeze the lemon juice over the cooked chicken while still on the grill, then transfer the chicken to a plate.

TO ASSEMBLE THE SANDWICHES, spread about 1 tablespoon of the pesto on each slice of grilled bread. Place 2 pieces of tomato on 4 of the slices. Top the tomatoes with a chicken cutlet and the remaining slice of bread. Cut each in half and serve.