Tender, juicy grilled chicken thighs topped with creamy, gooey, melted fresh mozzarella, fragrant pesto, and flavourful sun dried tomato spread on a toasted ciabatta bun screams warm weather. Grilled Chicken Melt with Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Spread is an ideal recipe for entertaining in warmer months by virtue of both its beauty and ease of preparation.
Ingredients
6bonelessskinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
salt and pepper
6ciabatta rollshalved as for sandwiches
extra virgin olive oil
6tablespoonsSun-Dried Tomato Spread
6tablespoonspesto. Homemade or store bought
6slicesfresh mozzarellaabout 6 ounces total
Instructions
Lay out the chicken thighs and sprinkle both sides generously with salt and pepper.
Heat grill to medium. When the grill is up to temperature, lay out the chicken thighs. Grill the thighs, turning a couple of times, for 10-12 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the thickest part reaches 165°F. Just before removing the chicken from the grill, lay out one slice of mozzarella over each chicken thigh. While that begins to melt, drizzle olive oil over the cut sides of the ciabatta rolls and lay them directly on the grill. When the cheese is hot all the way through, use a spatula to transfer the thighs and toasted rolls to a platter.
Spread 1 tablespoon of the Sun-Dried Tomato spread on the bottom, half of each roll, then 1 tablespoon of the pesto on the top half of each roll. Use a spatula to transfer one chicken thigh, melted cheese side up onto each roll's bottom half. Position the top half, pesto side down, on the chicken. If desired, slice the sandwich in half on the diagonal. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.