Name: Grilled Chicken and Brie Panini
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ½ c. savoury peach compote (check out how to make this); 4 ciabatta rolls, cut in half lengthwise; 1 c. fresh arugula; 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and sliced thin; 4 oz. Brie, rind removed and sliced; Potato chips, to serve (optional)

There’s nothing wrong with a simple sandwich. But sometimes you want something a little different. In steps the panini, a warm sandwich made with different types of bread and any number of delicious fillings. In this case, your sandwich is a Grilled Chicken and Brie Panini – with a hidden secret ingredient!

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What’s the best bread for a panini?

There actually is a type of bread in the UK that comes labelled as a panini. It looks a lot like a ciabatta roll, rectangular in shape and normally has dark lines across it. Personally, it isn’t one of my favourites as the outer can go really tough when you cook it.

types of bread for panini sandwiches — Left – panini, right – ciabatta

But the great thing about paninis is there are plenty of options when it comes to the bread you use. Plus what goes in the sandwich can help you choose the best bread. For example:

Dry fillings – thinner, more delicate bread
Wet fillings – stronger, tougher bread like ciabatta
Bread flavour – does it work with the ingredients such as using a rye bread for a Reuben sandwich or do the ingredients fight with the fillings you plan to use?

So there’s lots of scope for the best bread for a panini. However a few candidates step forward as the most popular:

Dry ingredients: Multigrain bread, flatbread, pita bread, thick or thin sourdough bread, lighter pressure brioche buns, rye bread, challah, thin sliced artisan bread
Wet ingredients: baguette, ciabatta, focaccia, thick cut sourdough bread, thick cut artisan bread, hard bread rolls

What’s a panini press?

A lot of panini recipes, like this one, cook the sandwich in the grill pan. This works great but you do need to watch it!

If you want something that’s a little simpler than a skillet or grill pan, a great option is to buy a small grill that can create those panini lines and cook the sandwich but also do a range of different things.

There are several makes out there that makes great grills to double as a panini press including the one below from the George Foreman range. It is cost effective, has removable plates for ease of cleaning and is quick to heat up.

George Foreman 4-Serving Removable Plate Grill and Panini Press, Black

What you need to make chicken and brie panini

½ c. savoury peach compote (check out how to make this)
4 ciabatta rolls, cut in half lengthwise
1 c. fresh arugula
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and sliced thin
4 oz. Brie, rind removed and sliced
Potato chips, to serve (optional)

Kitchen equipment

Large grill pan or cast iron skillet (or countertop grill)
Spatula

How to make the recipe

STEP 1: Cut the ciabatta rolls in half lengthwise and spread the peach compote on the open sides.

STEP 2: Top half of the rolls with arugula, chicken breast and sliced brie then add the other half to make the sandwich.

STEP 3: Heat a large grill pan or cast iron skillet on medium heat and add the sandwiches. Press down gently with a spatula to help them cook.

STEP 4: Heat until toasted, usually 4-5 minutes then carefully turn the sandwich and repeat for another 3-4 minutes.

STEP 5: Remove from the heat and serve with potato chips (crisps) or a side salad.

Recipe tips

If you don’t like peach (I’m not a huge fan of the flavour) then there are loads of other ideas on what you can add to the sandwich to enhance its flavour. One idea is to make a cranberry chutney and add this into the mix – this would also work well if you use sliced turkey instead of chicken. Another idea is to use a little sliced apple or even a spoonful of apple sauce.

You can cook the chicken first if you want to use fresh chicken, but the easiest option is to use rotisserie chicken or off the bone breast from the deli counter. Leftover chicken from a roast dinner would also work well – as long as there’s no gravy on it!

If you aren’t a fan of arugula, you could leave it out or swap it for a few leaves of fresh basil to add a little extra flavour.

Yield: 4 sandwiches