I love to roast a chicken on the weekends, and with just two of us (who eat solids) in the house, there are always a lot of leftovers. Fortunately, panini were tailor-made for leftovers. I pulled together this even-better-the-next-day sandwich with ingredients I had in my pantry - challah bread, roasted garlic aioli, pancetta, swiss cheese and tomatoes - but you can always substitute any of these with whatever you might have on hand.

1 serving

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices pancetta (or other bacon)
2 slices challah bread (alternatively, sliced french or sourdough)
Roasted garlic aioli (or mayonnaise)
Leftover roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken
2 slices tomato, 1/8″ thick, seeds removed
1 slice swiss cheese
Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat panini grill to medium-high heat (375 degrees).

Grill pancetta or bacon on the panini grill (lid open) until cooked thoroughly, turning frequently. Carefully clean excess grease off of grill.

Brush olive oil on one side of each piece of challah. Turn bread slices over, oiled sides down. Spread a thin layer of aioli or mayonnaise on one bread slice. Add pieces of leftover chicken (enough to cover the bread), pancetta, tomatoes and cheese. Place the other bread slice on top, oiled side up.

Grill for 4-5 minutes until golden grill marks appear and cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Panini Pairings (what are these?)

• Spinach Catalan - Kitchen Kathleen