I love to roast a chicken on the weekends, and with just two of us (who eat solids) in the house, there are always a lot of leftovers. Fortunately, panini were tailor-made for leftovers. I pulled together this even-better-the-next-day sandwich with ingredients I had in my pantry - challah bread, roasted garlic aioli, pancetta, swiss cheese and tomatoes - but you can always substitute any of these with whatever you might have on hand.

1 serving

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices pancetta (or other bacon)
2 slices challah bread (alternatively, sliced french or sourdough)
Roasted garlic aioli (or mayonnaise)
Leftover roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken
2 slices tomato, 1/8" thick, seeds removed
1 slice swiss cheese
Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat panini grill to medium-high heat (375 degrees).

Grill pancetta or bacon on the panini grill (lid open) until cooked thoroughly, turning frequently. Carefully clean excess grease off of grill.

Brush olive oil on one side of each piece of challah. Turn bread slices over, oiled sides down. Spread a thin layer of aioli or mayonnaise on one bread slice. Add pieces of leftover chicken (enough to cover the bread), pancetta, tomatoes and cheese. Place the other bread slice on top, oiled side up.

Grill for 4-5 minutes until golden grill marks appear and cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Panini Pairings (what are these?)

• Spinach Catalan - Kitchen Kathleen

> More Chicken Panini Recipes
> More Bacon Panini Recipes

This recipe was created and copyrighted by Panini Happy to appear exclusively at http://paninihappyrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/03/chicken-pancetta-swiss-panini-recipe.html

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices pancetta (or 2 slices thick-cut bacon)
4 slices sourdough bread, sliced 1/2" thick
4 slices avocado, 1/8" thick
2 slices goat cheese, 1/4" thick (or 2 slices swiss cheese)
2 slices tomato, 1/8" thick, seeds removed
Baby spinach
Cilantro
Mayonnaise
Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat panini grill to medium-high heat (375 degrees).

Grill pancetta on the panini grill (lid open) until cooked thoroughly, turning frequently. Carefully clean excess grease off of grill.

While pancetta is grilling, cut 4"-diameter circles out of bread (tip: use a wide-mouthed glass as a guide to trace with a small knife).*

Brush olive oil on one side of each piece of bread. Turn bread slices over, oiled side down. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on two bread slices. To each of these bread slices, add 2 slices of pancetta, 1 slice of tomato, 2 slices of avocado and 1 slice of goat cheese. Top each sandwich with the remaining bread slices, oiled side up.

Grill sandwiches 4-5 minutes until golden grill marks appear. Remove from grill and insert baby spinach and cilantro as a bottom layer (tip: turn the sandwich upside down and remove the bottom piece of bread). Enjoy!

* Extra bread can be used to make eggs-in-a-hole or cubed and toasted for croutons.

Panini Pairings (what are these?)

• Fresh Summer Salad - Elle's New England Kitchen

> More Bacon Panini Recipes

This recipe was created and copyrighted by Panini Happy to appear exclusively at http://paninihappyrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/03/california-blt-mini-panini-recipe.html

INGREDIENTS:

1 large avocado, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons light sour cream
6 large slices sourdough bread, divided crosswise
1 mango, sliced into 1/4" flat pieces
8 slices fully-cooked bacon, divided crosswise
4 slices swiss cheese
4 slices cheddar cheese
12 slices turkey breast
8 1/8" slices tomato, seeds removed
Olive oil or olive oil cooking spray
party toothpicks (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat panini grill on low heat (250 degrees). Drizzle or spray olive oil on both sides of center bread slices (the slices you'll use in the middle of your panini) and grill for 7 minutes until crispy and golden.

To prepare avocado spread: While center bread slices are grilling, puree avocado, garlic powder, salt, lime juice, cilantro and sour cream in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.

To assemble the panini: Drizzle or spray olive oil on the outside of the bottom slice of bread. Spread a thin layer of avocado spread on inside of the bread. Layer the following ingredients: bacon, mango, swiss cheese, grilled center bread, avocado spread, turkey, tomato, swiss cheese, top bread. Drizzle or spray olive oil on the outside of the top slice of bread. Grill 10 minutes or until outside bread is crispy and golden and cheeses are melted.

Optional: Insert party toothpicks and cut sandwich in half with a straight-edged knife.

FYI: This recipe was created as an entry into the Eat to the Beat! blogging event on elly says opa!. The musical inspiration? 50 Cent's "In Da Club", of course! :-)

Have a great panini idea? I'm taking suggestions! Find out how your idea can be featured on Panini Happy.

> More Bacon Panini Recipes
> More Sweet and Savory Panini Recipes

This recipe was created and copyrighted by Panini Happy to appear exclusively at http://paninihappyrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/03/turkey-mango-double-decker-club-panini.html