For my initial foray into panini-making, I thought I’d “play it safe” and try something Italian-inspired (these things were invented around Italian flavors, weren’t they?). I’d give this first sandwich a B+.
Chicken, Prosciutto & Asiago – Attempt #1
- Bread: Focaccia
- Condiment: Pesto
- Cheese: Asiago
- Meat: Chicken breast
- “Goodies”: Prosciutto, Roasted red bell peppers
THE INSPIRATION: One of my favorite Italian dishes is saltimbocca – chicken or veal pounded thin, topped with prosciutto and sage in a white wine sauce. For my saltimbocca panini, I kept the savory chicken and prosciutto combination but then I wanted to add something sweet to the mix – roasted red bell peppers came immediately to mind. All good panini have cheese that melts and holds everything together – I wanted fontina, but settled for asiago when I couldn’t find fontina in my grocery store. For a condiment, I went with a pesto spread for the zesty flavors of olive oil, garlic and basil.
THE PREPARATION: I started by brining my chicken breasts for about 45 minutes with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, dried oregano and dried basil. I left them “as is”, rather than pounding them, which, in hindsight, may have been a small mistake. Then I sauteed them in extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat for 7 mins on each side (covered) and set them aside. I julienned the roasted red bell peppers. That was it for prep (did I mention that much of the appeal of panini to me is the ease of preparation?).
THE CONSTRUCTION (from the bottom up): Focaccia, pesto, roasted red bell peppers, chicken breast, prosciutto, asiago, pesto, focaccia. Toasted on low for 7 minutes.
THE RESULTS: Not a bad sandwich for my first time out! The flavors were terrific – the saltiness from the prosciutto and asiago cheese melded well with the zestiness of the pesto and sweetness of the peppers. The chicken, while flavorful (and cooked to perfection, I might add :-)), was a little too thick for the panino overall. Visually, it dominated the sandwich and was a little unwieldy to eat as well. While I’d planned to use fontina rather than asiago, I ended up liking the “bite” of the asiago after all. I think it’s a keeper!
NOTES FOR NEXT TIME: I really wouldn’t change much about this panino – like I said, it wasn’t all that daring to begin with. I will definitely want to experiment with either pounding the chicken or slicing it lengthwise to bring down the height of the sandwich and balance things out a bit.
Panini Happy, online since 2008, is more than just a sandwich blog. Here, you'll find hundreds of my original 
