A delicious Chicken Pesto Ciabatta made with juicy chicken cut into slices, a creamy pesto sauce, and slices of fresh mozzarella and tomato. An easy and quick dinner or lunch!
If you're looking for something delicious and easy to make for lunch or dinner then look no further.
This chicken pesto ciabatta is the ultimate indulgence filled with juicy and tender grilled chicken, the best homemade pesto cream and fresh tomato and mozzarella.
It's super simple to make and perfect for lunches, dinner or taking on picnics, see the step by step recipe below.
Ingredients - what you need
To make this ciabatta sandwich all you need is a ciabatta, homemade pesto, sour cream, spinach, tomato, and mozzarella. You can adapt it with any fillings you like! See the photo below that shows all the ingredients you need to make it.
How to make a Chicken Pesto Ciabatta - step by step
First cut the mozzarella and tomato into even slices (photo 1).
Cook the chicken on a griddle pan or skillet until completely cooked through (around 8 minutes each side) (photo 2).
Meanwhile mix the pesto and sour cream together, set aside (photo 3 & 4).
Warm the ciabatta in a pre-heated oven for 2-3 minutes then cut in half lengthwise. Spread some of the pesto cream on one half of the ciabatta then top with fresh spinach and slices of cooked chicken (photos 5 & 6).
Top with a little more pesto cream then slices of mozzarella and tomato then finally top with the other half of ciabatta (photos & & 8).
Top tips and recipe FAQs
- Chicken - Cook the chicken first and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes before cutting it into slices so it stays juicy, tender, and full of flavour. Make sure to season the chicken with salt before cooking.
- Pesto sauce - homemade pesto makes a huge difference compared to using store-bought jarred pesto. Check out our step by step guide on how to make basil pesto.
- Fillings - instead of spinach you could use arugula (rocket) or any salad leaves you like. You can also swap the tomato and mozzarella for any other cheese and vegetables you prefer.
Yes, you can cook the chicken and prepare the pesto cream in advance then all you need to do is assemble the ciabatta when you are ready to eat.
Leftover chicken and pesto will keep well in the fridge for 4-5 days.
More lunch ideas you might like
- La Piadina: Italian Flatbread
- Italian Farinata Chickpea Flatbread (La Cecina Toscana)
- Mozzarella In Carrozza Recipe (Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches)
- Insalata Russa – Easy Russian Salad
- Bruschetta al Pomodoro
- Italian Chicken Cutlets with Pesto and Spinach
If you’ve tried this Chicken Pesto Ciabatta or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
This post was first published on October 19th 2016 but has since been updated.
📖 Full Recipe
Chicken Pesto Ciabatta
Ingredients
Homemade pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil (30g)
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan (50g)
- ½ cup sour cream (60g)
- squeeze of lemon juice
- â…“ cup olive oil (80ml)
Chicken ciabtta
- 1 ciabatta
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 large handfuls baby spinach
- 2 large tomato sliced
- 1 ball fresh mozzarella sliced, (125g)
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°/F180°C. Warm the ciabatta in the oven for around 3 minutes, remove and set aside.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil then fry for around 8 minutes on each side on a hot griddle pan or skillet until cooked through and juicy. Set aside on a cutting board to rest.
- Next prepare the tomato and mozzarella by cutting into slices and mix the prepared pesto with sour cream until well combined. Cut the chicken into strips.
- Cut the ciabatta in half lengthwise then spread some of the pesto cream on the bottom half. Top with spianch then slices of chicken and drizzle over some more pesto cream.
- Top with mozzarella and tomato then the other half of ciabatta bread then cut into portion sizes, serve and enjoy.
To make the pesto
- Put all ingredients in a bowl and blitz to a smooth saucy consistency with an immersion blender. You can also use a food processor or mortar and pestle.
Notes
- Chicken - Cook the chicken first and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes before cutting it into slices so it stays juicy, tender, and full of flavour. Make sure to season the chicken with salt before cooking.
- Pesto sauce - homemade pesto makes a huge difference compared to using store-bought jarred pesto. Check out our step by step guide on how to make basil pesto.
- Fillings - instead of spinach you could use arugula (rocket) or any salad leaves you like. You can also swap the tomato and mozzarella for any other cheese and vegetables you prefer.
- Preparing and storing - you can prepare this in advance by cooking the chicken and making the pesto cream then assemble later. Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Angela
Mmm!! Love pesto! This looks amazing!
Andrea @ Cooking with Mamma C
I'll have this for lunch, please! I just want to dive into that sandwich! I love the idea of adding sour cream to your pesto here. It must give the chicken a nice tang. Beautiful!
Cindy Gordon
Wow, that looks so filling! I am a huge pesto fan and sandwich fan! Ciabatta is the best!
Inside the rustic kitchen
It definitely is a monster sandwich lol I love pesto too!!
John @PreppyKitchen
I love how hearty and filling this looks. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Inside the rustic kitchen
No problem John, thank you!
Debi at Life Currents
Wow this looks great! We had some pesto in the house last week, but it's all gone now. I think I need to make more to make this awesome looking sammie!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks Debi, homemade pesto never lasts long in the fridge!
Lisa | Garlic + Zest
Such a glorious sandwich! Just what I want for dinner with a glass of wine!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Aw thank you Lisa, it would be great with a glass of vino!