For lunch today, I made one of these grilled chicken sandwiches on my brand new, gifted panini maker. I recently realized that a panini maker is much like one of those Foreman grills that are supposed to make your food healthier by grilling it instead of frying it. I decided to test out the similarities by grilling a chicken breast for sandwiches.

©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

I sliced a raw chicken breast once lengthwise to thin it and then halved each of those halves again. The pieces came out pretty similar in thickness (about 1/4″ thick each) and that way they cooked effortlessly on the panini maker in under 5 minutes. This was a healthy, fast lunch that changed up the usual deli meat routine we have around these parts. Here’s my chicken panini sandwich:

Grilled Chicken Panini ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

Grilled Chicken Panini

By: Everyday Cooking Adventures, 2013
Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1 uncooked chicken breast, sliced lengthwise in half (cut into slightly smaller pieces as necessary)
• 4 slices bread
• 2 leaves lettuce or a few slices of arugula
• 1 tomato, sliced
• mayo or mustard
• 1 avocado
• 2 slices muenster or provolone cheese
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• small dab of butter or butter substitute

Directions
1. On a heated and lightly greased grillpan or panini maker, place the thinly sliced chicken breast quarters. Close the panini maker down all the way and cook until done about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place a slice of cheese, tomato and avocado each on two pieces of bread, and add arugula or lettuce and salt and pepper to taste to each sandwich. Lightly butter the outsides of all 4 bread slices just to prevent sticking on the panini maker.
3. Open panini maker, use fork to transfer chicken pieces to the inside of each sandwich, put the bread back on each top and place on panini maker. Close down the machine and let grill for about 2 minutes without moving it.
4. Remove the sandwiches using a fork or metal spatula and slice each sandwich in half. Carefully take off the sandwich bread tops and add mayo or mustard as desired. Put bread back on top and slice down the middle.