Pesto Sauce and Rotisserie Chicken Focaccia Sandwich (Freeze the Pesto Sauce for Future Recipes)

It's been so many years and I just found out recently that pesto sauce could be stored in the freezer. That's probably one of my biggest breakthroughs over the past few months. Eagerly to give it a try, I've decided to use freshly made pesto as a sandwich spread and freeze the rest for a quick fix pasta dinner. 

Pesto sauce and rotisserie chicken focaccia sandwich -

Ingredients (1 to 2 portions)?

Pesto sauce:

• 2 cups basil leaves
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Others:

• 1 big slice focaccia bread (or 2 smaller slices)
• 1 chicken breast (bone in, skin on)
• 2 lemon slices
• 3 tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes
• Some salt
• Some ground black pepper or peppercorn mix
• Some olive oil
• Some salad (as a side dish, optional)

How?

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking dish with foil.

Transfer the chicken breast to the baking dish, skin side up. Sprinkle some salt, pepper, and top with lemon slices. Drizzle some olive oil then bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes -

Once ready, remove from heat and wait till the chicken cools off. Remove the skin (I actually ate it right away), tear or shred the meat either by hand or a fork. I prefer to use my hands and tear the meat into strips. Extra chicken meat can be stored in the fridge or the freezer for later use.

Toast the focaccia in the oven. Cut in half if needed before putting on the spreads. 

Peel the garlic cloves and give them a few chops. Add in all the ingredients under "pesto sauce" except for the extra virgin olive oil to the food processor -

Drizzle some oil at a time and pulse till desired consistency. Give it a quick taste and see if more salt is needed.

Chop the sun dried tomatoes. Take one focaccia and spread some pesto sauce on the inner side and spread some sun dried tomatoes on the other -

Arrange some rotisserie chicken on one of the focaccia bread then fold both focaccia together to form a sandwich, slice in half if needed.

Serve with salad or chips.

Best thing about this recipe, almost all the components can be make-ahead and even stored in the freezer for later use. These ingredients come in handy especially when prepping quick-fix meal in a hurry. 


Other sandwich recipes:

• Relaxing morning: smoked salmon and soft scrambled eggs croissant sandwich
• Grilled rye bread sandwich with peanut butter, fig preserves, and Gouda
• Weekend brunch? Try rotisserie chicken with kiwi salsa ciabatta sandwich
• Open faced sandwich with mayonnaise shrimp and avocado
• Grilled cheese with homemade salsa
• Japanese style corn and ham sandwich
• Japanese egg salad sandwich topped with smoked salmon (tamago sando)
• Smoked ham sandwich with aioli and Parmigiano Reggiano
• Rotisserie chicken, strawberry, and ricotta croissant sandwich