Pesto Chicken Salad meets Grilled Cheese and lives happily ever after!
If you love grilled cheese sandwiches or French Onion Soup, then you’ll love our Pesto Chicken Salad Melt. We take the ooey gooeyness of cheese and layer it on an open-faced sandwich of epic proportions.
Everything in this sandwich is amped up for maximum flavor – all three layers.
Layer #1 -- First, we start with the foundation – bread. A piece of white bread will get the job done. But using the go big or go home philosophy, might we suggest something a little sturdier – like brioche, challah or even sourdough. (If you’re thinking, but what would I do with the leftover bread?, we have that problem solved for you with our Pecan French Toast Bake.). These breads are more flavorful, and they’re sturdy to hold what’s coming.
Chicken salad with a grilled cheese vibe? Perfect!
Layer #2 – Now the meat of the matter – chicken salad. But it’s not just any old chicken salad. This one’s a cacophony for your taste buds – with smoky grilled chicken, garden-fresh basil pesto, crunchy apples, the citrus tang of limes and toasted walnuts. Simple ingredients, but a perfect combination. It takes chicken salad from so-so to splendid.
Layer #3 – A thick slice of Swiss cheese. Swiss is slightly nutty to complement the walnuts in the chicken salad and melts really well. Thick of the bubbly melting cheese on a French Onion Soup. That’s what we’re going for here, but on top of a sandwich.
Now you’ve got the perfect cold, hot, crunchy, soft, gooey sandwich. These are easy to make for a crowd with big cookie sheets and cutting the sandwiches in quarters.
On this recipe, you can use canned chicken, chopped rotisseries chicken, roasted or even boiled chicken. I prefer it grilled for the most flavor.
I have an herb garden that produces plenty of basil, so I like to make my own pesto. It’s a no-cook recipe of olive oil, toasted walnuts, parmesan cheese, fresh garlic cloves, salt and pepper, whirled in a food processor with basil leaves. If you want an easier option, just get a good jar of pesto from the grocery store. Make sure to stir it because sometimes the oil rises to the top.
If you love hearty sandwiches like we do, then try our Better than a Sports Bar Reuben or our Top Notch Turkey Burger.
Pesto Chicken Salad Melt
Recipe Ingredients - Chicken Salad
Everything you'll need for this delicious recipe is below.
2 grilled boneless chicken breasts
3 grilled boneless chicken thighs
1 Honeycrisp apple cored and chopped
4 celery stalks chopped (big strings removed)
1 t Dijon
1 c toasted walnuts chopped
1-2 organic limes, depending on size (zest and juice)
3 T pesto (either homemade or store bought)
½ c mayo
½ c sour cream
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
Preparation Instructions
Zest the limes into a mixing bowl.
Chop up the apples and squeeze the lime juice over them in the bowl.
Add the other ingredients.
Season to taste with salt, pepper, onion salt.
Mix all together.
To make the sandwich melt:
Use 4 slices of sturdy brioche or sourdough bread
Spread mayonnaise on a slice of bread and then pile with chicken salad
Top each with 1 slice of Swiss (or cheddar) cheese on for each bread slice for an open-faced sandwich.
Broil in oven about 8-10 minutes until cheese browns in places and is bubbly.
Makes 2 servings.
Chips or French Fries make a great accompaniment.
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