Print

Pressed Sandwich with Pesto & Chicken

Slices of party sized pressed sandwich with pesto and chicken.
Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

This cold pressed sandwich is loaded with pesto, chicken, mozzarella, red peppers, and arugula. Perfect for picnics and parties!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 16–ounce loaf of crusty French bread (22 inches long)
  • 1 cup pesto (store-bought or homemade)
  • 1 pound grilled chicken breast, sliced
  • 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
  • 1 cup sliced roasted red peppers, drained
  • 4 cups baby arugula, washed and dried

Instructions

  1. Assemble the sandwich. Slice the loaf of bread in half horizontally. Spread pesto on the inside of the top and bottom halves. Layer the chicken on the bottom half. Layer the sliced mozzarella on top of the chicken. Next, add the roasted red peppers. Last, add the arugula. Place the top half of the bread on. It will be very tall!
  2. Wrap it in plastic wrap. You will need several long sheets of overlapping plastic wrap to make a piece big enough. Lay the pieces of plastic wrap out on your work surface. Overlap them to create an extra wide sheet. Carefully lay the sandwich on top. It helps to have an extra pair of hands for moving it. Roll the sandwich up tightly in plastic.
  3. Press the sandwich. Place the sandwich on an upside-down baking sheet. Then place another baking sheet on top. Place the cast iron or bricks* on top of the second baking sheet.
  4. Wait…Refrigerate the weighted sandwich for at least 4 hours. Or up to 24 hours. Keep it weighted down the entire time.
  5. Slice and serve. Keep the sandwich weighted down until close to serving time. Cut into 8 slices and serve. If you want to make them into an appetizer or slider size, cut each of the 8 slices in half to make 16 party sandwiches.

 

Notes

  • The order matters! Putting it together in the correct order will keep it from getting soggy.
  • Bricks or a cast iron pan work great as weights. I use regular paving bricks wrapped in aluminum foil.
  • If you remove the weights too long before serving, the bread will start to bounce back to its original shape.
  • Not up for grilling chicken? Use precooked chicken. Frozen grilled chicken strips, sliced deli chicken, and shredded rotisserie chicken all work.
  • Not into chicken? Use pre-sliced Italian deli meats instead.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://mandiofthemountains.com/pressed-sandwich/