If you’ve ever visited Panera and have tried their Frontega Chicken Panini, you’ll be glad to know that you can make the delicious sandwich at home. With simple, tasty ingredients, you’ll have the most flavorful panini ready to eat in no time.
Panera Frontega Chicken
If you’re looking for the perfect meal to make for lunch or dinner, try this easy Frontega Chicken Panini recipe. Made with cooked, sliced chicken breast on bread with tomato, mozzarella cheese, red onion, and a few other must-have ingredients, this sandwich will keep you full and satisfied for hours on end.
Why You’ll Love this Toasted Frontega Chicken:
- It tastes amazing: Whether it’s the chipotle peppers in the adobo sauce, the mozzarella cheese, or the fresh basil leaves, the ingredients used to make this panini makes it taste so amazing.
- It’s easy: You can make this panini with ease using a few simple ingredients. Don’t worry about spending too much time in the kitchen making a meal when you have this recipe.
- You can customize it: Feel free to customize the meal to your liking, adding more ingredients or taking some away based on your preferences.
Trademark Note: In the spirit of transparency, I want to note that this is a copycat recipe for an existing product. Panera Bread is a proprietary brand that I want to acknowledge and give credit to.
Enjoy the taste of this fresh panini with mozzarella, chicken, basil, and chipotle peppers. It has the perfect kick!
How to Make a Frontega Chicken Panini
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Combine your mayo with chipotle peppers in a food processor, pulsing for several minutes.
- Spread your mayo on the focaccia bread.
- Add your chicken followed by the cheese, tomato, red onion, and basil.
- Grease your panini press, add the top of the bread to the sandwich, and place it on the press, cooking for a minimum of four minutes.
This panini is a copycat recipe for the popular Toasted Frontega Chicken sandwich at Panera Bread. It includes chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes, red onions, basil, and chipotle mayonnaise on focaccia bread.
A hearty Italian bread will stand up best to the high heat. I recommend focaccia, but you could also use ciabatta.
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are commonly found in the Mexican or international aisle of grocery stores. If your local grocery store does not carry them, make your own replacement by mixing 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, a pinch of garlic powder, and a pinch of salt together. Use this mixture in place of the 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
Absolutely! If you don’t have a panini press, set a nonstick frying pan or a cast iron skillet over medium heat and press down on the panini with a spatula, flipping once to evenly toast both sides.
The Frontega Chicken Panini is an incredible dish surely worth serving for lunch or dinner. It’s full of flavor and has the perfect hint of spice from the chipotle peppers that you’ll add to it.
Storage Instructions
Although I recommend enjoying your Frontega chicken paninis the day they are made, store leftover paninis in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Lightly toast or bake in a 350°F oven for 5-8 minutes to reheat.
Panini Variations
Feel free to change up these sandwiches to meet your family’s tastes. Try these swaps:
- Turkey: Use cooked turkey breasts in place of the chicken.
- Pesto: For a less spicy option, use store-bought or homemade pesto in place of the chipotle mayo.
- Cheese: Swap the mozzarella for your favorite melting cheese, such as goat cheese, cheddar, or Monterey jack.
Less Mess Panini Tip
Wrap your assembled paninis in parchment paper before pressing to keep messy ingredient spills from sticking to your panini press.
If you’re looking for a quick meal to make with some basic ingredients, give this Frontega chicken panini recipe a try. If you love Panera’s version of the dish, you can expect to thoroughly enjoy this one too!
If you’ve made this recipe, please be sure to let us know by leaving a star rating or a comment below. Enjoy!
Frontega Chicken Panini Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from 1 can
- 1 loaf focaccia bread cut into quarters and sliced in half horizontally
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and sliced
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese sliced
- 1 tomato sliced
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 10 fresh basil leaves chopped
Equipment
- Panini Press Optional
Instructions
- Add the mayonnaise and chipotle peppers to the bowl of a food processor. Add in 1-2 teaspoons of the adobo sauce from the can. Pulse until smooth.½ cup mayonnaise, 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Spread the desired amount of chipotle mayo onto the tops and bottoms of the focaccia.1 loaf focaccia bread
- Layer on sliced chicken, mozzarella cheese, sliced tomato, red onion, and fresh basil.2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, 1 tomato, ½ red onion, 10 fresh basil leaves
- Lightly grease a panini press with olive oil, butter, or nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Press each sandwich for 4-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bread is crispy. Serve immediately.
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