On a steamy summer day, one can close her eyes and imagine that instead of being in a small New England town she is on a tropical island. The air is hot and humid with the sun high overhead. To make the day end on this same tropical note, a meal with an island-like feel is required. However, it should be a simple meal so as not to produce any more heat on a day such as this.
I found the perfect meal for my imaginary tropics day in a panini. I started with the basic thought of using a jerk marinade. I decided to keep it simple yet worthy of an island, so some fresh produce was needed. Add a little cheese to hold it all together, and it was perfection. A simple side of fresh watermelon completed the meal as a sweet, light side dish.
- 1 pound uncooked chicken tenders
- 1 bottle jerk marinade
- 1 artisan boule, cut into 3/4 inch slices
- 1 tomato, thinly sliced
- 1 papaya, peeled and sliced with seeds removed
- shredded cheddar cheese
- butter
- Several hours before you plan to eat, place the chicken tenders in a resealable gallon bag.
- Add enough jerk marinade to cover and refrigerate.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and place a small amount of olive oil in the pan. Add marinated chicken to the pan, turning when brown, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Turn and cook the other side, making sure that the chicken is fully cooked, approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
- Heat a second nonstick frying pan over medium low heat. To assemble panini, take 1 piece of bread and place 3 chicken tenders on the bread.
- Top with tomato slices, papaya, and cheddar cheese. Place other slice of bread on top and coat topside with a thin layer of butter. Place panini in frying pan, butter side down. While the first side is cooking, place butter on the other side.
- Cook each side until golden brown and cheese is melted, about 2 minutes per side.
- Remove sandwich from skillet, cut in half, and serve.
- This recipe makes 4-5 panini.
I have had these paninis prepared by Michele… they are just amazing!
When my mom, Michele, made me a panini without the sauce I thought it was delicious just by smelling it. It was even better when I ate it!
My mom, Michele, made Jamaican Chicken Panini ,I didn’t want jerk sauce on mine. It had barbeque sauce and lettuce, but no papaya. It was served on toasted bread and was delicious. IT’S AWESOME.
This recipe sounds very nice, I will look into giving it a try. I am a chef.
This seems like a great recipe, I am going to give it to my wife I am sure she will like it. Thanks
[…] bread, you can cook two sandwiches at once. When using longer, panini-style bread, only one sandwich can be cooked. If you prefer to make a panini wrap, you can fit that into this pan quite nicely […]