Recipe: Pan-Seared Chicken Sandwiches with Pesto Mayo

I repinned the most delicious-sounding sandwich on Pinterest the other day: Pan-Seared Chicken Sandwiches with Pesto Mayo. You can find the original recipe at Mrs. Happy Homemaker but the recipe below contains the tweaks I made.

Pan-Seared Chicken Sandwiches with Pesto Mayo

Ingredients:

•1/2 cup olive oil
•1 tbsp red wine vinegar
•1 tsp Dijon mustard
•salt & pepper to taste
•1 tsp dried thyme
•2 large boneless, skinless thin-cut chicken breasts
•1/2 cup mayonnaise
•3 to 4 tbsp prepared pesto sauce
•2 medium tomatoes, cored & sliced
•1 head green leaf lettuce
•8 slices cooked bacon
•8 slices Swiss cheese
•4 soft croissants or other sandwich rolls (I used homemade onion sandwich rolls)

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, & thyme. Whisk until smooth. Pour into a resealable bag.

Place the chicken in the bag along with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise & pesto. Set aside.

Heat a pan on the stove on medium heat until really hot. Place the chicken (discard the marinade) in the pan & cook for a couple of minutes on each side until done & nicely browned. Place aside.

Heat a clean skillet or grill pan. Slice the rolls in half and butter each side. Place buttered side down on the grill pan to toast the bread.

Spread the pesto mayonnaise on each side of the bread. Place lettuce leaves on the bottom halves of the rolls. Place the chicken on top of the lettuce. Top with a slice of Swiss cheese, 2 slices of bacon & sliced tomatoes.

Quick tip: Bacon is very easy to do in the over. over a baking sheet with tin foil, place bacon slices on sheet without overlapping. Place in the over and then turn it on to 350. Keep an eye on them until done to your liking. You may need to flip once. Easy and not messy!

It was delicious! I had 5 thin-sliced chicken breasts, so I cooked all of them and used the extra chicken breast for lunch today:

I made a quick dressing using Dijon mustard, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and thyme. Whisk together and adjust to taste. Very similar flavors to the marinade used ont eh chicken. So good!