The flavors in this sandwich are SO FALL and SO GOOD. It can be made entirely from leftovers and served however you prefer. If you're not a sweet potato person, or don't have them on hand, substitute for pumpkin! The combination of chicken, pureed pumpkin or sweet potatoes pair expertly with our balsamic caramelized onions. Everything melts together with shredded cheese and creamy ricotta.
This is one of those recipes that I created to clean out some ingredients in the fridge. I always recommend you double my balsamic caramelized onion recipe to have extra on hand for meals or sandwiches like this. Sweet potatoes and chicken are two ingredients I'm almost always cooking so plan ahead and toss on an extra potato and chicken to make this later this week.
By having the ingredients prepped, assembling and cook time for the panini is only 10 minutes!
This sandwich can be made as a panini on sourdough or a quesadilla on tortillas.
For sourdough I prefer the San Franciscan Sourdough loaf at Whole Foods or the #TraderJoes sourdough. For tortillas I prefer the #Tumaros wraps or #SieteFoods tortillas.
Again you can make this entirely your own!
I served one of these with creamy broccoli cheddar soup and the other with a garden salad and creamy dressing. Tomato soup, fresh veggies, rice or quinoa salad are all sides that would all work perfectly with the quesadilla or the panini!
Chicken, Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Panini
4 servings | Cook time: 1 hour (cooking potatoes) or 30 minutes (leftover potatoes/ pumpkin)
Notes: an easy leftover recipe, use leftover potatoes and chicken to save time and revamp leftovers!
Ingredients:
1 cup sweet potato (~133g/1 small potato) or 1 cup pureed pumpkin (~244g)
14 oz chicken breast
4 servings balsamic caramelized onions (see below for recipe)
4 cups sautéed spinach, fresh & chopped or frozen, defrosted and excess water squeezed out
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
4 oz melting cheese (fontina, mozzarella, havarti, etc.), thinly sliced or shredded
8 slices sour dough bread (for quesadilla variation use 8 medium tortillas or 4 large)
Optional: 1 tbsp butter
Directions:
If using sweet potatoes (skip if using pumpkin): the quickest option is to make this panini when you have leftover sweet potatoes from the night before. If making fresh, recommend poking a few holes in the sweet potato with a fork and baking at 400F for 45-50 minutes, rotating every 20 minutes or so. Remove from oven, carefully peel off skin (it will be hot), and mash the skinless sweet potatoes.
Prepare the chicken: Prepare the chicken according to preference. Sear in a sauté pan or cast iron, bake for 20-25 minutes, or cook on poultry setting for 15 minutes in the instant pot. For all methods, season with salt and pepper.
For caramelized onions recipe check out our Turkey Fig Jam and Brie Sandwich at www.brainsandbalancerecipes.com or scroll below. For fresh spinach, sauté in a pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Salt and cook until wilted.
Assemble:
Spread potatoes or pumpkin on bottom slice of bread or tortilla. Top with caramelized onions and sautéed spinach. Arrange 1/2 of the melting cheese over onions. Shred or slice chicken thinly and cover cheese. Add remaining cheese over chicken. Spread ricotta on second slice of bread/tortilla and close the sandwich. Repeat for all sandwiches.
If using butter, smear half butter on 4 top slices of bread.
Spray skillet with nonstick spray and heat over medium. Add the sandwich and cook 3-4 minutes or until brown and crispy. Spray top bread with nonstick spray or remaining butter, flip and repeat on second side until the cheese is melted. Remove and slice in half.
Screenshot/Printer Friendly Version:
Chicken, Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Panini
Balsamic Caramelized Onions
Nutrition Facts are provided as a guideline only. Exact nutrition will depend on quantity, brand and ingredients used. Nutrition facts are shown for both varieties (sweet potato and pumpkin) on sourdough bread. Tortilla nutrition facts can greatly vary on brand and size so additional nutrition facts shown for filling (sweet potato and pumpkin version) with no bread/tortilla for easy customization. If using optional butter add 3g fat and 25 calories/serving.
