When I was a kid, my mom packed my lunch every single day. Occasionally, I would open my lunch box to see a note written on my napkin. “Hope you are having a good day,” “good luck on the test,” “I love you.” It always brightened my day and was usually exactly the encouragement, reminder or pick me up that I needed. She still does the same thing for my dad. How awesome is that?
So today in honor of the lunch note napkin, I am going to bring you a great lunch idea…the Honey Mustard Chicken and Bacon Panini. Making a sandwich into a panini just makes it seem so much fancier. We love panini’s around our house and make several different varieties.
These are a great lunch or quick dinner on a busy night. Serve with a fresh green salad to get your veggies!
- 4 slices bread of choice
- 2 slices smoked mozzarella cheese
- 4 slices bacon
- 2 pieces of Dijon chicken (See below)
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard or Honey mustard
- 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- For the chicken: Combine mustard, vinegar, and honey in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add spices and stir. Prepare chicken breasts and place in a large plastic storage bag. Pour marinade over the chicken, close bag and shake bag gently and squeeze to evenly coat chicken. Refrigerate one hour.
- Preheat grill, oil lightly and add chicken over medium heat. Cook 5-6 minutes and turn (if chicken sticks, give it another minute or so), cook about 5 minutes more until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil for about 10 minutes to allow juices to redistribute. Dice into bite size chunks.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Drain on a paper towel. Remove bacon grease and wipe out pan with a paper towel, return pan to stove and reduce heat to medium.
- Lightly butter one side of bread slices, spread mustard on non-buttered side of one piece of bread. Add one slice of cheese, 2 slices of bacon, cut in half, and half the chicken to each. Top with remaining slice of bread and place buttered side down in the skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes until golden brown and flip. Cook about another 3 minutes until cheese is melted and sandwich is golden brown.
November 16, 2011 at 2:31 pm
your sandwich looks so good!
May 16, 2012 at 11:02 am
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