Easy chicken pesto sandwiches that make lunch a million times more interesting. This simple lunch makes meal prep easy for the entire week. 

Chicken pesto sandwiches are my favorite. At least they are after having the most amazing one at a bakery I stumbled upon while I was in Boston.

Every since that sandwich, I’ve been making my own chicken and pesto sandwiches several times a week. They are the beeeeest! This sandwich is almost exactly like the one I had in Boston except they used arugula in their sandwiches – here we are using kale because I ran out of arugula and didn’t feel like going back to the store.

It’s so simple to make and put together, but it really comes together to make a sandwich that is so much fun to eat. If you really want to get a little extra, I recommend using sundried tomatoes or roasted red peppers in it. Seriously, so good.

Feel free to grab that arugula though because that lemon pepper flavor really goes well here!

When it comes to regular ol’ eating, I am definitely one for simple foods that are really well done. This is sandwich definitely fits the bill.

The pesto really makes this sandwich something special. What is great is that pesto is so easy to make. It only takes a handful of ingredients and  few minutes to make enough to last you all week if you wanted to make these chicken and pesto sandwiches daily if you wanted.

And if you need a break, pesto is easily stored in the refrigerator for a week, or in the freezer for a month.

Originally, I wanted to wait until my purple basil grew in before sharing these chicken pesto sandwiches with you because I thought that would be a fun color for a sandwich, but it hasn’t been growing at all and now it is dying, so I decided to go with my regular sweet basil.

If you’ve ever grown purple basil before, I need your tips because I’ve been trying to grow it all summer with no success! Seriously, my green thumb isn’t so green.

Because I can get a little extra sometimes, I also made my own bread for these sandwiches.

Before you roll your eyes, I am not telling you that you need to make your own bread to make your chicken pesto sandwich amazing. I mean, come on. If baking wasn’t my job, there is no way I would be doing that. Just use come nice ciabatta, hoagie roll, or even a nice baguette. 

But if you do make your own bread, I am obsessed with my ciabatta. It’s addictive. There have been times I made some, ate it all, then made another batch. All in one day. I am shameless.

Anyway, this sandwich has to go on your to-make list for lunch cause well, it’s just too good and too easy to not try.

And this pesto – it’s everything.

Need more lunch ideas? Try:

• Thai Tuna Power Bowl
• Lamb Gyros
• Roasted Pumpkin Flatbread

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Chicken and Pesto Sandwiches

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Simple and easy chicken pesto sandwiches

Prep Time 8 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 18 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large chicken breast
• salt
• pepper
• Italian seasoning
• 1 loaf ciabatta
• 2/3 cups pesto (see below for recipe)
• 1/2 small red onion, cut in slices
• 1 cup massaged kale (or arugula)
• 1 tomato, cut in slices

Instructions

1. Heat a grill pan on medium high heat and brush with extra virgin olive oil.
2. Butterfly the chicken breast, then cut in quarters. Season well with salt, pepper, and some Italian seasoning.
3. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side on the grill, or until the chicken has nice grill marks and is cooked through.
4. Cut a loaf of ciabatta into fours, then cut each quarter open. Spread an even amount of pesto on each piece of bread.
5. Place a piece of chicken on each of the bottom pieces of bread, then top with the red onion, kale, and tomato, sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper as needed.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 587Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 944mgCarbohydrates: 63gFiber: 5gSugar: 8gProtein: 25g

Yield: 1 cup

Pesto

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Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed basil 
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts 
• 1 clove garlic 
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 
• salt 
• pepper 

Instructions

1. Add the basil to a food processor and pulse until chopped well.
2. Add in the pine nuts and garlic and pulse again until chopped and completely combined.
3. Add in the cheese and process until the cheese is completely combined.
4. Drizzle in the oil, plus salt and pepper and process until it becomes a thick paste. 
5. Refrigerate up to a week in an airtight container. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1 tablespoon
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 54Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 65mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g