Grilled chicken sandwiches need very few ingredients when each of the ingredients brings its own delicious flavor to the dish. In this recipe, creamy mascarpone cheese and sweet, caramelized oven-dried tomatoes are all you need to turn ordinary sandwiches into a flavor-filled casual dinner.
Mascarpone Cheese
Mascarpone cheese is made with double or triple cream and has a silkier texture than regular cream cheese. Its flavor is both rich and delicate, allowing it to complement other ingredients without overpowering them. It's also very spreadable, making it the perfect "condiment" for sandwiches—in place of mayonnaise, butter or mustard.
Mascarpone is typically sold in small containers in Italian markets and in supermarkets with international cheese sections. (Note that the pronunciation is "mas-car-pone," not "mar-sca-pone," as it's commonly mispronounced.)
Oven-Dried Tomatoes
The dried tomatoes in this recipe are homemade, dried in the oven. You can substitute "sun-dried" tomatoes sold in jars or packages, but making your own is very easy and the taste is much richer.
Make the tomatoes a day or two ahead and store in a closed container in the refrigerator. Use the leftovers in salads, pasta dishes, meatloaf or stuffed peppers.
Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Pancetta and Mascarpone
Store any leftover oven-dried tomatoes in the refrigerator for later use.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
For the Oven-Dried Tomatoes:
- 2 large Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/10-inch slices
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Sea salt
For the Sandwiches:
- 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (or 1 large chicken breast, cut in half crosswise)
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil, for brushing
- 4 very thin slices of pancetta
- 3 tablespoons mascarpone
- 2 large onion buns, toasted
- 8 to10 slices oven-dried tomatoes
Directions:
For the Oven-Dried Tomatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.
- Lay the tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake for about 1 hour, or until tomatoes begin to crinkle and caramelize. (Check every 5 minutes or so if they're not quite done.)
For the Sandwiches:
- Gently pound the chicken breasts with the smooth side of a meat mallet to about 1/4- to 1/3-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and brush with olive oil.
- Grill the pancetta slices until the edges begin to crisp, about 1 minute per side. Remove to a layer of paper towels.
- Brush the grill pan with a little more oil and grill the chicken breasts until tender and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and let rest 3 minutes.
- Divide the mascarpone and spread on the tops and bottoms of the toasted buns.
- Lay the chicken breasts on the bottoms of the buns. Top each with 2 slices of pancetta and 4 to 5 slices of oven-dried tomatoes. Place the tops on the sandwiches and cut in half before serving.
Pamela Steed Hill - Pamela Steed Hill is an editor, freelance writer, and home cook. She has published over 250 food articles and recipes online.
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