Included are three recipes that are perfect for an afternoon lunch or light supper picnic. Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Smoked Mozzarella, Avocado and Basil Mayonnaise. The other recipe is the Watermelon and Nectarine Fruit Salad with Spicy Honey Lemon Dressing. It may look like a long list, but there are several food items here for you to make and enjoy.
In the notes is my recipe for the basil mayonnaise and a pesto. Use your favorite basil pesto recipe or follow mine, just omit the grated cheese and pinenuts.
The prep time varies for each food item. The grilled chicken takes about 20 minutes to cook not counting the overnight marinating and cooling. The sandwiches take about 10 minutes once everything is cooked and prepped.
The fruit salad takes about 15 - 20 minutes to make.
Depending on how large your bread slices are will determine the amount of chicken, mozzarella and avocado you need to cover your bread slice. I made my sandwiches with focaccia about 4 x 4 inches in size.
For the tapenade or dip, and dessert- click on recipe links in blog post.
Enjoy your picnic.
Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
Grilled Chicken - Prepare the day before
-
2
boneless skinless chicken breasts
1.5 lbs / 750 g
-
1/2
tsp
Kosher salt
-
1/2
tsp
of garlic powder
-
1/2
tsp
of onion powder
-
1/2
tsp
of sweet paprika
-
1/2 - 1
tsp
dried oregano
-
Lemon zest from half a lemon
-
1
TB
extra virgin olive oil
Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
-
8
slices
of good quality bread
-
About 1/2 cup
125 ml basil mayo
-
Grilled chicken sliced thin across the grain
-
About 4 oz
125 g of Smoked Mozzarella, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
-
1-2
avocados cut into thin slices
-
Arugula
Basil Mayonnaise
-
1-
part mayonnaise
-
1-
part basil sauce*
Watermelon, Nectarine and Basil Salad with Spicy Lemon Honey Dressing
-
1/4
Seedless watermelon
cut into big bite size chunks
-
3
ripe nectarines
sliced into thin wedges
-
Small handful of Fresh Mint leaves
-
Small handful of Fresh Basil leaves
-
About 2 TB fresh lemon juice
-
1/2
tsp
honey
-
1/8
tsp
ground chili pepper
To make the basil mayonnaise, I use a 1 - 1 ratio of mayonnaise to basil sauce. The basil sauce is essentially basil pesto without the cheese and pine nuts. Use your favorite pesto recipe without the grated cheese and pinenuts and mix together 3-4 TB of mayonnaise with 3-4 TB basil sauce until combined.
My general basil pesto recipe is 2 cups of basil leaves, 1 cup arugula or spinach leaves, 1 garlic clove - minced, 1 TB lemon juice, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil. In a food processor, process the basil, arugula, garlic, lemon juice, and salt until the basil and arugula are finely minced and combined. Use a thin rubber spatula to scrape everything off the sides of the bowl. With the motor running slowly add in the extra virgin olive oil. You might not use the whole amount. I do not want it too oily or runny so I stop adding the olive oil when I reach a smooth and slightly thick consistency. I do this because I store the pesto in a container with an additional layer of olive oil over the top of the pesto.
If you want traditional pesto, add 1/2 cup grated roman cheese and 1/4 cup pinenuts before you add the olive oil, and process until smooth. Then add the olive oil. Pesto is best used the same day it is made, but will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Use can freeze pesto without the nuts and cheese, for up to 3 months. Pour a layer of olive oil over the pesto before freezing.