Pesto Chicken BLT Sandwich
I’m so excited to share this sandwich with you guys!
This Grilled Pesto Chicken BLT Sandwich with added Avocado is the perfect sandwich to serve up at your next outdoor outing or serve it up at home for a quick lunch or dinner.
Grilled chicken marinated with a homemade basil pesto, layered with avocado, bacon, tomato, arugula, and shredded parmesan All sandwiched between crusty and toasted French bread. This delicious play on a classic BLT sandwich is what every summer picnic or low-key lunch needs.
The Details:
Its starting to feel like summer (finally!) in Seattle so im busting out summer recipes until I can’t anymore. For me Sandwiches are a quentisential Summer dish. You can enjoy them on a picnic, a bbq, on a hot day when you don’t really feel like making anything crazy and they’re quick and should be easy to make so this Summer ill be making lots of sandwiches and I hope you guys are ok with that…:D
So lets get into the details about this particular sandwich— I love a good BLT and originally that’s exactly what I was going to make, but I didn’t have lettuce on hand so while looking through the fridge for other options, I saw the leftover pesto that I made just sitting in front of me along with one piece of leftover chicken breast from the night before….there’s the light bulb! Eventhough I didn’t have all the ingredients for a BLT, I had others and decided on a Pesto Grilled Chicken B(Argula)T with Avocado and shredded Parmesan.
The homemade pesto is used two different ways in this sandwich—so you definitely need it. It does require a few ingredients that you may or may not have on hand so to make it easier, buy your favorite ready made pesto OR if you decide you want to make my version I included the recipe for that as well. I have to admit the pesto was delicious, I added some parsley to it because I didn’t have enough basil on hand but it worked out perfectly. so SO GOOD
I used a chicken breast that I flattened as thin as possible (I hit it with my rolling pin) then used the pesto to marinate the chicken. You can use boneless chicken thighs as well or none at all. After letting the chicken marinade for a few minutes, I fired up the grill and fully cooked it until my desired temp.
After the chicken is done, the only other thing you need to cook is the bacon— I used the oven to cook the bacon, I find its the fastest, easiest and less messy way to cook it, you just place it on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and let it get crispy. It took about 8 minutes on 400.
After you’ve cooked the chicken and the bacon what’s left is slicing the tomatoes, the avocado and tossing the arugula in olive oil (just to coat it).
After that its time to assemble it!
To Assemble the Sandwich
Grill or Toast the French Bread, I used a La Brea whole loaf that I bought from my local grocer. You can also use ciabatta or any type of loaf you’d like, just make sure it can take all the layers and its crusty, the crunch is satisfying.
Layer 1: Bottom Part of the bread (toasted) and Pesto Spread
Layer 2: Cooked Bacon
Layer 3: Grilled Chicken
Layer 4:Tomatoes
Layer 5: Avocado Seasoned with black pepper and shredded parmesan
Layer 6: Arugula
Then spread more pesto on the top part of the sandwich and that’s it!
If you make this recipe , be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys and of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pesto Chicken BLT
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
- juice from 1lemon
- 3 garlic cloves
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 1/2- 3 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley (optional)
- 1/2 grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 -3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 French Bread or Ciabatta Loaf. halved lengthwise
- 1 Chicken breast, flattened
- 1 small avocado, sliced
- 1 firm tomato, sliced
- 1 cup arugula
- 2-3 slices of bacon
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Toast pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet (tossing once halfway through, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and let cool. Add basil leaves, parsley, pine nuts, lemon juice, cheese and garlic to the food processor and process until very finely minced. With the machine running slowly add in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper then add some of the pesto (just enough to marinate it. Let sit 10 minutes. Set your grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken until lightly charred and cooked through, turning halfway through cooking, about 10 minutes
- Place the Bacon on a parchment lined baking sheet and transfer to the oven on 400 for about 8 minutes, turning halfway. it make take more time, you know how crispy you like your bacon so go off that.
- Rub each half of the bread with olive oil. Grill or toast the bread, cut side down, for light grill marks appear. Toss the Arugula with olive oil ( just enough to coat it)
- Starting with the bottom piece of bread, spread the pesto, then layer on the bacon, and the chicken breast. Next, Layer on the tomatoes and avocados and season with pepper. Add the parmesan cheese and finally the Arugula. Spread pesto on the top half of the bread and gently push down on the sandwich. Cut into 2-3 pieces and Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
1758.97Fat (grams)
114.36Sat. Fat (grams)
20.65Carbs (grams)
126.75Fiber (grams)
12.49Net carbs
114.27Sugar (grams)
4.53Protein (grams)
64.78Sodium (milligrams)
2039.38Cholesterol (grams)
107.69
