Pesto Chicken Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions

Mmmmm, why go out to eat at a restaurant when we can have delicious meals like this at home?  This turned out amazing.  I got the recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, www.fortheloveofcooking.net.  I highly recommend checking out her blog if you have time.  Her recipes always turn out delicious!  This meal was amazing and quite easy to do.  We will definitely be making this one again.  We served it with a caprese salad on the side.  Yummy!

Pesto Chicken Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions

6 chicken breasts
1 c. basil pesto
2 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
pinch salt
tomatoes, sliced
sliced havarti cheese
sesame buns
mayonaise (optional)
extra basil pesto (optional)

Instructions:

Place chicken breasts in a large freezer bag and seal.  Pound with a kitchen mallet (or in my case because I don't have one, I use my rolling pin) until thin.  Add the pesto to your bag and marinate for 4-6 hours. 

In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onions and a little bit of salt and saute for about 15 minutes or until carmelized. 

Heat a grill to medium high heat. Remove chicken breasts from the bag and grill for about 4 minutes per side or until cooked through.  Add a slice of havarti to each chicken breast and continue cooking an additional 30 seconds until cheese starts to melt. 

Toast buns (spread a bit of olive oil or butter on the buns if you are planning on toasting them on the grill to prevent burning).  On each bun, place on chicken breast, some onions, and a slice of tomato.  If you like, also spread some mayonaise and extra pesto on the bun.  We used mayo but not pesto and it was delicious! 

Husband Rating: 9 out of 10

Food for Thought: This would be easy to have in the freezer ahead of time.  Simply pound the chicken and then add the pesto and freeze.  If you wanted to make this meal in the winter when the grill wasn't available, I would use a grilling pan on the stove or try baking the chicken as I am sure it would turn out delicious that way too.  It was definitely a delicious meal we plan to make again and often!