Ingredients
Pesto Chicken Sandwich
1 cup [130 g] shredded roast chicken
2 Tbsp Nut-Free Basil Pesto (below) or prepared pesto
2 Tbsp chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
4 slices whole wheat sandwich bread
2 slices provolone cheese
¼ cup [55 g] roasted red bell pepper strips
Nut Free Basil Pesto
¼ cup [35 g] pepitas, toasted
1 medium garlic clove
¾ tsp kosher salt
2½ cups [50 g] firmly packed basil leaves
½ cup [120 ml] extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup [15 g] grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Steps
Pesto Chicken Sandwich
In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and pesto; set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together the sun-dried tomatoes and mayonnaise.
Spread the sun-dried tomato mayonnaise onto each slice of bread. Top the bottom bread slices with cheese, followed by the pesto chicken and bell pepper strips. Cover with the remaining bread slices, mayo-side down, to close each sandwich. Pack each sandwich in a Stasher bag, a hard-sided container, or reusable wrap.
Nut Free Basil Pesto
Place the pepitas, garlic, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the basil and olive oil and process until smooth. Add the Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest and pulse until combined.
Use immediately, or freeze in ice cube trays in 2 Tbsp increments for up to 2 months.
Variation: Customize your pesto by using different nuts in place of the pepitas, experimenting with other soft-stemmed herbs or greens, such as arugula or watercress, to replace some or all of the basil, and swapping in another hard cheese, like Pecorino Romano, for the Parmesan.
