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Gone are the days of boring sandwiches and leftover dino nuggets for lunch! This chicken panini is here to revolutionize your mid-day meal!

A grilled chicken panini cut in half and plated with puffed chips and grapes.

Chicken Panini Recipe 

Here’s the deal – when this grilled chicken panini recipe is in your arsenal, there is absolutely no reason for you to eat the same boring lunch day after day. Super quick to make and infinitely better than your normal pb&j, once you eat my panini with chicken you’re going to wonder why you waited so long to give it a try. 

This panini is made on ciabatta bread (but you can definitely use whatever bread you fancy) and features the all-star lineup of chicken, bacon, tomato, your favorite cheese and a bomb honey mustard sauce. If you’re stuck in the rut of eating your kid’s leftover mac n’ cheese or dinosaur nuggets (no judgement), you need to give this chicken panini recipe a try.

A chicken panini in the process of being cooked.

Ingredients in Chicken Panini

  • Ciabatta roll
  • Diced, cooked chicken – This should come as no surprise, but I like to use rotisserie chicken! 
  • Sliced bacon, cooked – I’m all about time savers, so I use either Sam’s Club or Costco’s microwave bacon and love the result.
  • Tomato, sliced – Trust me on the tomato. Even my tomato hating husband loved it on this sandwich.
  • Sliced sharp cheddar cheese  – Use your favorite cheese – mine is sharp cheddar. 
  • Honey mustard dressing or Chick Fil A sauce – Okay, you could make a sauce for this. ORRR you can use Chick Fil A sauce. I always use Chick Fil A sauce. I buy it in the bottle at Walmart and it is 100000% worth it.
A chicken panini assembled prior to being grilled.

How to Make a Grilled Chicken Panini

  1. Cut your ciabatta roll in half. 
  2. Next, spread a generous layer of the dressing/sauce onto each side.
  3. Onto the bottom slice of the roll, place a few tomato slices, one cup of diced chicken, two slices of bacon and then a slice of cheddar cheese.
  4. Place the top of the roll onto the cheese.
  5. Heat up your panini press (or non-stick pan).
  6. Spread butter onto the hot plates of the panini press or onto your pan.
  7. Place one sandwich inside at a time, pressing until about half the thickness. Cook until heated through, the cheese is melted and the outside is golden brown.
  8. Cut In half and enjoy!
A grilled chicken panini cut in half with the open side facing up.

What other ingredients can I add to the panini?

You can get as creative as you’d like. Sometimes I like to also add thinly sliced red onions, avocado, and roasted red peppers.

Do I need a panini press to make this sandwich?

Nope! While it’s nice to have, it’s definitely not a necessity. You can also use a pan on your stove or even a George Forman if you have one.

A grilled chicken panini cut in half with both halves facing up. Across the top it says "honey bacon chicken panini" in text.

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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Panini

Gone are the days of boring sandwiches and leftover dino nuggets for lunch! This chicken panini is here to revolutionize your mid-day meal!
Prep Time: 9 minutes
Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients 

  • 2 ciabatta rolls
  • 2 cups diced, cooked chicken
  • 4 slices bacon, cooked
  • 1 tomato, sliced
  • 2 slices sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup honey mustard or Chick Fil A sauce

Instructions 

  • Cut your ciabatta roll in half and then spread a generous layer of the dressing/sauce onto each side.
  • Place a few tomato slices onto the bottom slice of the roll, top with one cup of diced chicken, two slices of bacon and then a slice of cheddar cheese.
  • Place the top of the roll onto the cheese.
  • Heat up your panini press (or non-stick pan).
  • Spread butter onto the hot plates of the panini press or onto your pan.
  • Place one sandwich inside at a time, pressing until about half the thickness. Cook until heated through, the cheese is melted and the outside is golden brown.
  • Cut In half and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 458mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 281IU | Calcium: 198mg | Iron: 0.04mg
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About Karli Bitner

This blog is a little glimpse into my kitchen, family & life. I hope you’ll giggle the days away with me and enjoy the craziness that goes on at my house. If you are Cookie obsessed like I am, check out my Sister Site, Cookies for Days.

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1 Comment

  1. 5 stars
    Lunch for my family today and they loved it. Thank you.❤️❤️