Chicken and Goat Cheese Pan Bagnat
The following recipe and photography were provided by local blogger Carolyn Hodges of The Dinner Shift.
The pan bagnat sandwich is said to have originated in Nice, France.
You might think of the classic version as a “portable” nicoise salad, with fillings like tuna or anchovies, hard boiled eggs, crunchy raw vegetables and a vinaigrette served between hearty bread.
The key to a delicious pan bagnat is wrapping the sandwich tightly and pressing it under a heavy pan to allow the bread to soak up all of the flavors.
I’m swapping out the traditional ingredients for a few different Mediterranean favorites in this Chicken and Goat Cheese Pan Bagnat, including Divina Kalamata olive tapenade, Heinen’s crumbled goat cheese, Heinen’s roasted peppers, fresh basil and an arugula salad. The sandwich is assembled on Heinen’s fresh bakery ciabatta bread and uses shredded rotisserie chicken breast to cut down on prep time.
The sandwich only takes about 10 minutes to assemble, but be sure to allow an additional 20 minutes to press the sandwich to maximize flavor.
Chicken and Goat Cheese Pan Bagnat
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- ½ cup Divina organic Kalamata olive spread
- 1 loaf Heinen’s bakery ciabatta, sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 container Heinen’s crumbled goat cheese
- 1 jar Heinen’s roasted peppers, drained and patted dry
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast from Heinen’s rotisserie chicken
- 8-10 large basil leaves
- ½ large red onion, very thinly sliced into circles
- ½ container Heinen’s baby arugula
- 1 Tbsp. Heinen’s extra virgin olive oil
- ½ Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Spread the olive spread on one half of the ciabatta loaf. Top with crumbled goat cheese, roasted red peppers, chicken, basil leaves and red onion.
- In a bowl, toss together the arugula, olive oil and red wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt. Continue to toss with tongs or clean hands until the arugula begins to wilt. Add the arugula to the sandwich.
- If desired, hollow out part of the remaining ciabatta half. This is totally optional, but provides more space for stuffing the sandwich. Top the sandwich with the remaining ciabatta half and gently press down.
- Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Set a heavy pan or cast iron skillet on top of the sandwich to help the flavors meld.
- Unwrap the loaf and cut crosswise into 6 pieces.
