I happen to love paninis because they are easy to make, and you can stuff them with just about anything! They can be savory or sweet and can even be made for breakfast! If you love a good BLT then you will love this chicken, bacon and spinach panini. It is loaded with flavor and gooey cheese. It is finished off with a nice creamy touch of herbed mayo. Hungry yet? Go grab your panini press or grill and let’s get cooking!
The Tools:
While you could certainly make a panini in a regular pan with some sort of weight on top, it is much easier to make in a panini press. The one I use has reversible plates, so it can not only make paninis, but also burgers, pancakes and more!
The Panini Base:
It all starts with bread. There are many options to choose from when it comes to the panini bread. You can use fresh bakery bread or pre-sliced bread. You just want to make sure that the bread is thick and sturdy enough that it won’t fall apart in the process. I used sourdough for this recipe, but have also used French and Italian breads before as well.
Panini Meats
For the chicken in this recipe, I chose thin sliced because it cooks quickly and is about the same thickness as the other components. Keeping everything about the same thickness helps the panini to press together evenly and makes it easier to eat too! Now let’s talk bacon. Just like the bread, there are many kinds of bacon to choose from. For the sake of keeping things simple and fast, pre-cooked bacon is the way to go here. It is just as yummy and can be cooking in the microwave out of your way!
The secret ingredient here is the herbed mayo. It acts as a glue to help the sandwich stick together and adds nice flavor.
Assembling the Panini:
Putting these together is pretty straightforward. Start by buttering the bread just like you would if you were making a grilled cheese.
Then flip the bread over and divide the herbed mayo between the slices. I like to put the mayo on both the top and bottom slices so that the flavor really comes through! It will also help to bind your chicken, bacon and spinach panini together.
After the mayo is on, simply layer the rest of the panini ingredients: chicken, tomato, spinach and bacon, followed by two slices of provolone cheese.
All that is left to do is pop it in the panini press and let the magic happen! They are done when the bread is browned and crispy and the cheese is gooey and melted. Serve them hot and enjoy! Happy cooking!
Want More Great Dinner Ideas?
Chicken, Bacon and Spinach Paninis
Equipment
- panini press
Ingredients
Panini
- 8-12 slices sourdough bread
- 1 lb thin sliced chicken breast
- 2 tomatoes sliced
- 1 package fresh spinach leaves
- 1 package pre-cooked bacon strips
- 8-12 slices provolone cheese
- butter for bread
- salt and pepper to taste
Herbed Mayo
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine ingredients for herbed mayonnaise and set aside.
- Butter outside of each slice of bread and set aside.
- Slice tomatoes thinly (to about the same thickness of chicken)
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a drizzle of oil in a medium pan over medium heat and cook chicken until browned and cooked through.1
- While chicken is cooking, preheat panini press to medium heat and cook bacon according to package directions.
- Remove chicken from pan.
- Begin assembling by spreading the inside of both bread slices with some of the herbed mayo.
- Next, layer the chicken, tomato, spinach, bacon and top with two slices of cheese.
- Place the top on the sandwich and carefully transfer to panini press, one to two sandwiches at a time depending on size of press.
- Press down slowly and firmly, then cook until the bread has browned and the cheese is melted. Carefully remove from the press and serve warm.
