Fantastic Foodie Friday~ Chicken and Spinach Panini

This chicken and spinach panini is an excellent go-to dish for a quick and healthy lunch or dinner.  Packed with flavor, this sandwich is made even smarter by swapping butter-based cooking spray for Pam Organic Canola Oil Spray. The pure canola oil in this spray is full of healthy monounsaturated fats, allowing for the rich natural flavors of the sandwich to come through. This dish is perfect for satisfying both your appetite and health consciousness.

Ingredients
Pam Organic Canola Oil Spray

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided 

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

4 (4 oz) chicken cutlets

1/4 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 

1 (6 oz) package fresh baby spinach 

3/8 tsp salt, divided 

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

8 (1 oz) slices country-style Italian bread 

1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese 

Directions

Combine 2 tsp olive oil, rosemary, and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 4 tsp oil to pan. Add sun-dried tomato, red pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute or until garlic begins to brown. Add spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach barely wilts. Stir in 1/8 tsp salt; set aside.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1/4 tsp salt and black pepper. Cook chicken 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep pan on medium-high heat.

Top each of 4 bread slices with 1 tbsp cheese, 1 chicken cutlet, one quarter of spinach mixture, 1 additional tbsp cheese, and remaining 4 bread slices.

Recoat grill pan with Pam Organic Canola Oil Spray. Arrange 2 sandwiches in pan. Place a cast-iron or heavy skillet on top of sandwiches; press gently to flatten. Cook 4 minutes on each side (leave skillet on sandwiches while they cook). Repeat procedure with remaining 2 sandwiches. Cut each sandwich in half; serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Magazine.