My Ultimate Chicken and Pesto Sandwich

I often cook several chicken breasts in pesto and then cool them and refrigerate for use in salads and sandwiches. Of course pesto is most commonly made with basil, but there are so many varieties available today - from mellow red pepper and walnut to refreshing mint pesto - that the flavour possibilities are endless. Of course you can always make your own with fresh herbs as well. I simply mix my pesto with a bit more olive oil (to make it easier to spread and to mellow the flavours a bit) and then spread it on top of chicken breasts before cooking them for about half an hour or until no pink remains inside.

You can use any roasted vegetables in this sandwich - even the ones you get in jars - however I almost always keep roasted veggies on hand in the fridge. They are unbelievably easy to prepare and keep for three or four days in the fridge. Click here to find out more.

I like to use a mild cheese like Swiss, Monterey Jack or Gruyere in this recipe, partly because it melts well and also because you don’t need anything to compete with the flavour of the pesto and the veggies, but please yourself. Any cheese that you like is absolutely fine.

You can make this sandwich as a panini and cook it in a panini press, or make it in baguettes or crispy rolls, wrap in foil and cook in the oven.

If you have made the chicken and roasted veggies up ahead of time, these sandwiches are really quick and easy to prepare. They are great for game day or game night for that matter and would be a great addition to any Super Bowl Sunday menu.

To make two sandwiches you need:

2 panini rolls, pieces of baguette or other crispy rolls

1 chicken breast cooked in pesto, sliced

about ½ cup of roasted vegetables

2 to 4 slices of cheese

It’s strictly an assembly job from here. Slice the rolls in half and place half the chicken, half the roasted vegetables and half the cheese on each sandwich. I don’t use butter because there is oil in the roasted vegetables.

Put the top on the sandwich and either cook in a panini press until done or wrap in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet and cook at about 350℉ or about 170℃ for 15 to 20 minutes until the sandwich is warm and the cheese is melted.

The 21st Century Housewife's© Easy "Green" Pasta with Pancetta

I’ll be posting some festive recipes soon, but for the moment I’m concentrating on easy, delicious recipes that make life less stressful at this busy time of year. This recipe is just right for one of those evenings after a long day, or after an exhausting session of Christmas shopping. It is so easy, and perfect for using up the lovely autumn vegetables we are getting now. Leeks and courgette (zucchini) are plentiful and they taste delicious. I like to use cubed pancetta (Italian bacon) in this recipe, but if you want to keep this recipe vegetarian, just use an extra tablespoon of olive oil and leave out the meat. It really is so quick to put together - okay, there is a little light chopping involved, but that can be quite therapeutic after a rough day!

You can use any pasta shapes you like for this, although penne is a good one to use as it is budget-friendly. By all means use whole wheat pasta if you want to ramp up the fibre and vitamin content; I did not have any the night I took the photograph so I used white pasta, but it makes no difference to the finished dish what sort you use. The recipe will serve 4 hungry people.

1 tablespoon olive oil (2 tablespoons if you are leaving out the pancetta)
70 grams of chopped pancetta (or bacon lardons)
(You can use 3 or 4 slices of streaky bacon, chopped, if you can’t find pancetta.)
3 leeks (white part only), washed and cut in thin slices
1 courgette (zucchini), washed and cut in fairly thin half moons
(Slice the stem and end off, then cut the courgette in half lengthwise, and then slice - this will give you half moons)
generous handful of frozen peas
250 grams pasta shapes
4 generous tablespoons ready-made basil pesto
2 tablespoons half fat (low fat) crème fraîche or sour cream

Prepare the vegetables and heat a medium size frying pan with a lid to medium heat. Add the pancetta or bacon (or heat 1 tablespoon oil in the pan if you are not using meat). Toss the pancetta (if using) around for a minute to allow some of the fat to release. Add the leeks and courgette (zucchini).



Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil over the vegetables and toss with the pancetta. Cook for about five minutes and then put the lid on and stir occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften and the pancetta is cooked.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large saucepan in plenty of boiling salted water, according to package directions.

Add the pesto and crème fraîche or sour cream to the vegetables and pancetta in the frying pan. Stir and heat through.



Drain the pasta and return to its pan. Add the vegetable and pancetta sauce to the pasta and toss to coat.

Serve with a nice glass of red wine - you deserve it :)