Last Update: 1/22/2025

If you haven’t guessed, while this Chicken Parm Panini has deep roots in Italian flavors, it’s not a traditional Italian dish, and you will not find it on your culinary travels to Rome.

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In fact, even Chicken Parmigiana is more American-Italian than pure Italian. Chicken Parmigiana probably evolved from Eggplant Parmigiana, which is a traditional dish from Parma, in Italy’s foodie capital of Emilia-Romagna.

Chicken parm panini on a cutting board — Chicken Parm Panini

Chicken Parmigiana can be a very labor-intensive meal, but this Chicken Parm panini can be made in a snap!

So, what’s the secret to making a grilled chicken parmesan sandwich—aka a Chicken Parm Panini—in a matter a minutes? Using leftover chicken!

This is also one of the best panini sandwich recipes because it tastes like Chicken Parmigiana, but there's no frying! As a result, it’s much healthier!

So, not only is this panini delicious and on the healthy side, it’s also the easiest Chicken Parmesan sandwich recipe ever! You can make it even easier by using jarred marinara sauce—but don’t. My recipe for Marinara Sauce is incredibly delicious, yet quick and easy too! Make some of my marinara sauce and you’ll never go back to the jarred stuff.

Chicken Parm Panini Recipe

Servings: 2

Ingredients
2 sub rolls or 4 slices of bread
½ cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons parmesan, grated or shredded
1 cup chicken breast, cooked, shredded
½ cup marinara sauce
olive oil cooking spray

Instructions

1. Slice rolls lengthwise all the way through.

2. Combine the mozzarella and parmesan cheese together. Sprinkle ¼ of the cheese mixture on one side of each roll.

3. Toss chicken and marinara together. Divide in two and spread evenly over the cheese.

4. Sprinkle on remaining cheese.

5. Top with the remaining halves of your rolls, and spray with olive oil cooking spray.

6. Press the sandwich in a panini maker, or place it on a grill pan or even a frying pan.

7. If using a pan, heat the pan on medium high. When pan is heated, cook the sandwich top down for about 4 minutes. Spray the bottom with olive oil spray, flip the sandwich over, and cook another 4 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted.

Variations on Chicken Parm Panini

This is a wonderfully flavorful sandwich as is, but you can kick it up a notch with any of the following ingredients: sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted peppers, and or arugala.

Meal Prep for Chicken Parm Panini

1. The chicken for this recipe needs to be precooked. Any method of cooking will do.
2. If you cook this panini ahead, make sure it is completely cooled before putting it in a storage container or it will get soggy.

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If you like cheesy sandwiches, try our Croque Monsieur Light or Croque Madame Light! Want to know the difference? Read Croque Monsieur or Croque Madame!

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