Panini Happy® » Chicken

Grilled Duck Breast Club Panini

Kathy — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:51:38 +0000

If you overheard a triumphant yelp coming from my kitchen yesterday afternoon that was me, elated over the fact that I finally figured out how to grill duck breast on the panini maker with crispy skin!

It practically became a mission. I grilled duck breast after duck breast – skin side up, skin side down, high heat, low heat. Over and over again I got the same result – quickly cooked meat with a rubbery fat cap on top. The financial expense was starting to add up (duck breast isn’t cheap). Defeated, I was ready to put this idea aside and move on. I had one final duck breast left and I went for a Hail Mary pass – cooking the duck skin-side down with the grill open in hopes that this approach would give the duck a chance to render its fat without cooking the meat too fast.

After six or seven minutes I peered under the duck to find the result that had been eluding me thus far: browned, crispy skin! I flipped the duck breast, closed the lid, and the other side finished cooking several minutes later.

High fives all around!

After all of the effort that went into figuring out the technique to grill the duck just how I wanted, it only seemed fitting to use it in an extra special sandwich. My husband came up with the concept for Grilled Duck Breast Club Panini – slices of that succulent duck breast, layered with strips of smoky bacon, fresh tomatoes and arugula, and creamy Brie. It’s a decadent combination for sure, but I doubt you’ll have any trouble finding someone willing to split one of these with you.

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More from Panini Happy:

April is National Grilled Cheese Month! One of the best grilled cheese ideas I've come up with was Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Panini, inspired by the classic bold-flavored salad dressing.

~ The only thing better than grilled cheese and tomato soup is grilled cheese in your tomato soup. Check out my recipe for Grilled Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons.

~ Traveling to a new city soon? Browse Panini Happy’s Great American Sandwich Guide to find the best sandwiches across the country!

~ Ready to buy a panini press? Check out my Panini Press Buying Advice for the features to look for.

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© Panini Happy®, 2012. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Chicken, Brie, Fig & Arugula Panini

Kathy — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:50:47 +0000

It wasn’t quite the family bonding experience I usually look forward to. Ten days of the flu…our entire household. There is a very good reason they give shots for this (and, yes, we had ours) – it’s no fun at all if you get it. I can’t remember if I’d ever had the flu before this bout, but if I did I definitely didn’t have two little kids to take care of who were also harboring the flu (miraculously exhibiting 1000x more wall-bouncing energy than I could muster). We didn’t leave the house except for doctor visits, the fridge emptied and the laundry piled up. Although I can’t exactly say it was a “fun” time, at some level I did kind of enjoy being home and having my little family all together as we tried to rest up and get well.

I’m so glad to get back to blogging! I hope you’ll enjoy these Chicken, Brie, Fig and Arugula Panini as much as my husband and I did. You may recognize many of the fixins from the Panini Party - carved rotisserie chicken, sliced Brie, sweet fig jam and a handful of fresh peppery arugula grilled on a baguette. I used to never include delicate greens like arugula in my panini, out of concern that they’d wilt, but these days I’ve come around a bit on that. I love the flavor and the color that the leaves add, so you just might start to see a lot more arugula, baby spinach and watercress on Panini Happy!

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© Panini Happy®, 2012. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Chicken Sausage, Apple Butter and Fontina Panini with Caramelized Red Onions

Kathy — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:56:57 +0000

Raise your hand if you’re new to apple butter…am I the only one? I never heard of it until last year when I was preparing a recipe that called for it, but I’ve since learned that apple butter is pretty popular in some parts of the country (evidently not so much in California). Once I got past my surprise over it being a lot more like applesauce than actual butter I realized its bold, concentrated apple flavor would be a perfect panini condiment, especially in autumn.

For my Chicken Sausage, Apple Butter and Fontina Panini with Caramelized Red Onions, I matched the intense flavor of the apple butter with some equally bold smoky, nutty and sweet flavors. It’s a true sweet and savory mouthful – they were terrific. I grilled these sandwiches on ciabatta but any nice, crusty bread would be ideal.

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© Panini Happy®, 2011. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Pumpkin, Duck Confit & Feta Panini — Celebrating 100 Panini!

Kathy — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 04:56:53 +0000

I toyed with a bunch of different possible ways to celebrate the milestone of having created 100 different panini on Panini Happy. One thought was to grill 100 mini-panini and arrange them to spell out 1-0-0. Another was to stud a sandwich with edible diamonds (I read somewhere that the traditional gift for a 100th milestone is 10-carat diamonds?? Plus, I have these gorgeous sugar diamonds I’ve been aching to use). My husband suggested Hundred-Year Egg Panini, for a Chinese-inspired approach (I told him we didn’t have time to wait for that one…ha ha).

To hone my brainstorming, I reflected a little on what Panini Happy is really about…what it’s become over the past 99 recipes. As much as I’ve enjoyed recreating the “standards” on the blog – the Reuben, the French Dip, the Monte Cristo - I’ve had the most creative fun with some of my more original sandwiches. Among my favorites have been this summer’s Peach Caprese Panini, with fresh peaches, mozzarella and prosciutto and my Gingerbread Blondie S’mores Panini from the last holiday season, with marshmallow cream, dark chocolate and clementine zest. Now I can add to the list today’s Pumpkin, Duck Confit & Feta Panini – my 100th recipe!

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© Panini Happy®, 2010. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Garlic Chicken Panini

Kathy — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 05:27:27 +0000

Here it is – my final post in the Get Dinner on the Table series. Hopefully you’ve gleaned some helpful new ideas, tips and recipes to make weeknight meals a little easier. Let me add one last dinner idea to the mix: Garlic Chicken Panini.

Garlic Chicken is more like a nickname for this sandwich. It’s full name should really be Garlic & Herb-Brined Chicken Breast Panini with Roasted Red Peppers, Marinated Artichokes, Swiss Cheese and Basil Garlic Mayonnaise on a Baguette. Truly a mouthful! It’s inspired by a sandwich they serve at a local chain I like called Champagne French Bakery Café.

As you might imagine from that ingredient list, it’s an incredibly savory, flavorful combination. Don’t worry – the garlic in these panini isn’t at all overwhelming (you can still plan to kiss your loved ones). If you have leftover chicken on hand you can always incorporate that and forego the brining (although the brined chicken breast is pretty amazing). Add a green salad and dinner is served.

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© Panini Happy®, 2010. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Pulled BBQ Chicken Panini

Kathy — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:37:44 +0000

In the world of pop music, the remix is often better than the original. When it comes to the panini on this blog, the same holds true.

My tastes haven’t necessarily changed that much over the years, but the more I learn about food the more I find my philosophies about it are evolving. Take, for instance, the Barbecued Chicken Panini I made two years ago (cut me some slack on those old photos, I was still relatively new at this). I’d still eat and enjoy a barbecue sauce-marinated chicken breast with mozzarella, red onions and cilantro on crusty bread today. But you know what I’d love even more? Shredded chicken from a whole-roasted bird, simmered in homemade barbecue sauce with fresh mozzarella and caramelized onions on chili-oil drizzled Italian bread.

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© Panini Happy®, 2010. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Jerk Chicken Panini with Pineapple-Black Bean Salsa

Kathy — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:44:47 +0000

I heard about jerk chicken panini not once, but twice in the past month. The first mention was on Twitter, by Natasha from @thatssoyummy:

When I replied to her that it sounded fantastic she followed up to let me know it was, in fact, delicious. I had just made a mental note to try it soon when reader Olivier left this note on the Panini Happy Facebook Fan Page:

That clinched it – I was definitely grilling some jerk chicken panini. If you’re not familiar with jerk seasoning, it’s an incredibly flavorful (and spicy!) blend – most notably including allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers – native to Jamaica. I don’t know precisely how Tasha and Olivier made theirs but I was pretty pleased with how mine came out. I paired the spicy chicken with a sweet and fresh pineapple-black bean salsa and creamy Monterey Jack cheese. Talk about flavor!

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© Panini Happy®, 2010. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Chicken Cordon Bleu Panini

Kathy — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:28:53 +0000

I’m not sure what sparked my husband’s idea for Chicken Cordon Bleu-inspired panini this weekend but it was absolutely brilliant. Crispy panko-crusted chicken breast, layered with smoked ham, Swiss cheese and a sweet-and-tangy honey mustard sauce, grilled on French bread? Yes, please!

It sure has been a long time since I last had Chicken Cordon Bleu. It’s kind of one of those classics you don’t really see on restaurant menus too often anymore but a lot of people still make it at home. I have a scary hunch that my most recent one might have been a microwaved airplane version, smothered in a white sauce. Sadly, even that was kind of good. When that smoky flavor from the ham works its way into the chicken and the cheese gets all melty inside – well, the dish is almost always a winner in my book.

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© Panini Happy®, 2009. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Red Chile Chicken Panini

Kathy — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 06:05:30 +0000

I conjured up a vision of the panini and the flavors before I had even decided on the ingredients. Something with a little heat, but maybe an element to cool it down. Mild cheese, nothing too grandiose. A bright-flavored herb or vegetable that complements, but doesn’t distract from, the gentle spiciness. A good crunch on the bread. Colorful.

The reality from this vision? Red Chile Chicken Panini with Monterey Jack Cheese, avocado and red onions on sliced sourdough. Can’t you just tell by the look of this thing that it was tasty?

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© Panini Happy®, 2009. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Chipotle Chicken (No-Flip!) Quesadilla

Kathy — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 01:16:51 +0000

My husband tends to be more of an “appreciator” of food rather than a “creator”, but if there’s one thing he likes to make it’s quesadillas. And he’ll make them out of anything. Leftover hamburger in the fridge? It goes in a quesadilla. One more spoonful of peanut butter left in the jar? Peanut butter quesadilla coming right up (don’t worry, no cheese!). Hard-boiled egg? He slices it up with his little egg mandoline (bought from TV, I believe), mixes with an obscene amount of mayo, adds cheese and nukes it all in a tortilla. James Beard hasn’t come knocking on our door just yet over these, but you gotta give the guy points for creativity.

So when I had leftover shredded chipotle chicken from the delicious Slow-Cooker Chili Chicken Tacos recipe from Everyday Food I made the other day, I took a little inspiration from my better half and grilled up a quesadilla on my Breville. The best part about it, aside from the succulent chicken (which was even more flavorful the next day), was the fact that it only took 3 minutes to grill on the panini press and I didn’t have to undergo the perilous task of attempting to flip it! I originally intended just to eat half and save the rest, but wouldn’t you know – I took down the whole thing.

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© Panini Happy®, 2008. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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