Hungry Girl's Chicken Chipotle Panini

Just popping out of hiding for a minute to share with you a yummy and not too fattening dinner we had last night.  It's a Hungry Girl Recipe Swap for Panera's Frontega Chicken Panini.  As far as I know there's no Panera around here, at least not it my nick of the woods, so I've never tried their sandwich.  But apparently one of theirs has 890 calories and 39 grams of fat.  Which of course means it's delicious, I'm sure.  But if you're recreating it yourself at home, why not whittle that down a bit, right?

I just adored this sandwich, even though it's a messy thing.  And it gave me the chance to use my new panini pan I got at Ikea.  I burned the first one...woops!  But my hubby ate it.  We had these with a little spicy tomato and veggie soup, and I was a happy little clam.  

Here's the recipe from Hungry Girl:

Ingredients:

Sauce

1 1/2 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise

1/2 tsp. adobo sauce (from canned chipotle peppers) or chipotle hot sauce (like the kind by Tabasco)

2 dashes onion powder 

2 dashes garlic powder 

Sandwich 

One 100-calorie flat sandwich bun (like Arnold Select/Oroweat Sandwich Thins)

2 oz. cooked skinless lean chicken breast, shredded or pulled into pieces

1 tbsp. roughly chopped fresh basil

2 thin slices red onion

2 slices plum tomato

1 stick light string cheese, shredded or pulled into pieces

Directions: 

In a medium bowl, combine ingredients for the sauce and mix well. Set aside.

Split bun in half and lay the halves flat, split sides up. Evenly spread half of the sauce onto the bun halves, leaving half of the sauce in the bowl. Set aside.

To the bowl with the remaining sauce, add chicken and toss to coat. Set aside.

Evenly top one bun half with basil, onion, tomato, saucy chicken, and cheese. Place the other half on top, sauce side down.

Bring a grill pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Place sandwich in the pan. Using a spatula, press down gently but firmly to seal the sandwich. Grill until hot and lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side, flipping carefully and pressing down with the spatula to seal.

Nutrition info:  Calories: 256, Fat: 5, Fiber:  5.5   

I also wanted to mention a fun giveaway win I received not too long ago from Recipes of a Cheapskate.  

I admit, I love the Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper, a lot.  And that foam hand just makes me smile.  Thanks Krystal!