BEST CHICKEN-BACON PANINI EVER

Best Chicken-Bacon Panini Ever image

Delicious seared chicken breasts, crisp smoky bacon, and gooey mozzarella cheese topped off with buttery Italian bread. This chicken panini is so good you won't want to eat anything else!

Provided by Jen Knight

Categories Main Dish Recipes Sandwich Recipes Panini Recipes

Time 2h50m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 16

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Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
1 medium lemon, juiced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried basil
1 sprig fresh rosemary, or to taste, chopped
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (16 ounce) package bacon
2 tablespoons mayonnaise, or to taste
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, or to taste
8 slices Italian bread
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 slices mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons salted butter, or as needed

Steps:

Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper for marinade together in a bowl and pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels.
Remove chicken from the marinade and shake off any excess. Discard the remaining marinade.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the hot skillet and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Flip over and continue to cook until golden brown, no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear, 5 to 7 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Slice chicken into 1/4-inch thick pieces or leave whole if desired.
Preheat an electric grill (such as George Foreman®) for medium heat.
Assemble panini by spreading mayonnaise and Dijon mustard on 1/2 of the bread slices. Layer each slice with equal amounts of tomato, onion, chicken, bacon, and mozzarella cheese and top with remaining bread. Butter the outsides of the sandwiches.
Cook on the preheated grill until bread is toasted and cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 760.7 calories, Carbohydrate 30.7 g, Cholesterol 141.4 mg, Fat 49.1 g, Fiber 3.2 g, Protein 48.9 g, SaturatedFat 15.4 g, Sodium 1595.5 mg, Sugar 2.7 g