Have you ever added fruit to your sandwich? This Balsamic Chicken Strawberry Panini strikes the perfect balance of flavors for a well-balanced lunch! This post was sponsored by California Strawberries. I was compensated for my time. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Hi Friends!
I have some exciting news to share today! I’ve been chosen as a 2014 California Strawberries Ambassador and I couldn’t be more excited. Strawberries have long been one of my favorite fruits and I’m so excited to spread the strawberry love over the next several months. As part of the program, each ambassador is assigned a month, which has a specific theme. March is my month!
The theme is: Just Add CA Strawberries for Nat’l Nutrition Month… and every day!
As an ambassador, it’s my job to encourage you to #JustAddStrawberries to boost nutrition every day! In case you’ve never thought about it, you can add strawberries to everything from salads and smoothies, to wraps, pizzas and sandwiches!
To prove this point, check out this delicious panini I created for you 🙂
Before we get to that recipe, let’s review a few quick facts about strawberries
- Research suggests that eating just 1 cup of strawberries a day may improve heart health, lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of some cancers and support brain function!
- One cup of strawberries provides 163 percent of your daily dose of vitamin C (more than a whole orange)!
- With family farmers growing 88 percent of the nation’s strawberries in California, odds are the strawberries you’re enjoying came fresh from the Golden State!
Pretty cool, right? Now, let’s talk about this panini! It’s pretty much the best combination of ingredients I can think of. It has:
- Strawberries- duh!
- Spinach- strawberry spinach salad is my jam…so I already knew they’d pair well together.
- Chicken- which is great on sandwiches- I added some balsamic vinegar for more flavor.
- Fresh mozzarella- a panini’s gotta have cheese, and fresh mozz is the best. Goat cheese would also be good!
- Avocado- i love adding strawberries to my guac, like this Sweet & Spicy Strawberry Peach Guacamole…they’re a match made in heaven
- Sourdough bread- because it’s soft, fluffy and delicious!
Added bonus- The Vitamin C in the strawberries will help you absorb the iron in the spinach!
So here’s the official recipe:
Balsamic Chicken & Strawberry Panini
A fresh twist on a classic panini that's packed with flavor and nutrients!
Ingredients
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
- 6 ounces cooked, sliced chicken
- 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup sliced California strawberries
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
- 1/4 cup mashed avocado
Instructions
- Directions:
- Spread butter on the outsides of the bread.
- Layer spinach onto two slices of bread (non-buttered side)
- Top with sliced chicken.
- Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
- Add strawberries and mozzarella.
- Spread avocado on non-buttered side of remaining slices of bread.
- Place on top of sandwiches, avocado side in.
- Place on panini press or grill pan and cook until the outsides are golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Writing out all the directions makes it sound more complicated to assemble than it really is.
Let’s chat: What’s your favorite way to enjoy strawberries?
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Wow this sandwich looks delicious and simple! Perfect for a delicious lunch. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Sweet and Salty in sandwich form? I wait for the day you post a recipe which doesn’t make my mouth salivate.
Just kidding what a terrible day to hope for… 😉
Ohhhhhhhhh, my face hit the screen. YUMMY. Sounds like a treat for this weekend!
I really like strawberries with balsamic. It is by far one of my favorite flavor combinations. Anytime a salad or pita pocket has it, 9/10 times I order it. Adding blue or feta cheese makes it 10 out of 10 LOL.
looks amazing! my favorite way to enjoy strawberries is with some yogurt and granola!
HUGE CONGRATS!!!!!
and chicken and strawberries? never ever thought of it!!
that panini reminds me of summer – WANT!!!
Yummy! Not exactly a novel idea, but I love adding them to my smoothies.
you never cease to amaze me. It must be the name. Lindsay. ;p
YUM! I LOVE strawberries! I actually have them a lot, when I can find them in stores, but I often try to stick to local ones when I can. They are one of my favorite fruits, and as you have shown…so versatile! I am very jealous you are an ambassador! That is awesome!
I love to enjoy strawberries with cereal in the morning to get my day started off right. I usually enjoy this immediately after my daily 9 mile run, and it is exactly what I am craving!
Yum! I really need to get back to making paninis.
I love strawberry season in Wisconsin. I buy freshly-picked strawberries from a local farmer. They are small and sweet and need to be gobbled up very quickly.
Holy yum! This looks awesome. I love strawberries with balsamic vinegar, so I can see how this would be super tasty!
I love the idea of adding strawberries to a panini! I never would have thought of that.
I think fruit and savory items are good! (when done right). This looks YUM!
Wow this recipe looks fantastic!!
I love strawberries! We live a few miles from some the largest strawberries fields in the country–my husband will often times stop at stands and bring home berries that were picked that day.
And this will be lunch today! I have all the ingredients on hand and can’t wait to try this out!
Strawberries have always been one of my favorite fruits! I’m right there with you on the strawberry spinach salad – so yummy! This panini definitely reminds me of that and sounds absolutely delicious.
This looks fantastic!! I’m so thrilled to be an ambassador with you this year!!! We hit the jackpot with strawberries!
I’m absolutely in love with this sandwich combination! I eat strawberries are the time, but generally during the warm weather months. Unfortunately, I can’t find ones that really look good around here right now, but once they’re in season, I buy them every week.
That panini looks fabulous! I have a feeling my children would love to see that in their lunchbox! YUM!
I’m excited to see you as an ambassador. Go team strawberries 😉
Looks delicious – I never would’ve thought to add strawberries to a panini!
I love Panini’s and this is such a fun and unexpected combo.
This looks delicious! I absolutely love strawberries and all of the food on that sandwich, so it all sounds amazing! Congratulations on being an ambassador!
What an awesome combination! Love it!
Oh this sounds so yummy! I’ve never though to put strawberries in my panini! Great idea! And congrats on the new gig 🙂
This looks SO good! Plus we have most of these items on hand at our house as staples. Can’t wait to try it out!! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
We LOVE this! Thanks so much for the gorgeous recipe & great post!
YUM!!!!!!!!!
YUM Strawberries are my favorite! I always used to say as kid that they were my favorite food. To be honest I never quite get past the eating them as soon as I open phase to actually create recipes with them lol. I love strawberry and rhubarb pie though 🙂
CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!! I love strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That recipe looks delish!!!!! Ready to eat now!
This looks delicious!
Congrats!! 🙂 That’s awesome news. I love strawberries and I actually like soaking them in aged balsamic. 🙂
I love strawberries- this looks like a great weekend lunch treat!
This looks delicious! I would never have thought of adding strawberries to a panini but sure it would taste delicious 🙂
I’ve never tried strawberries on a sandwich before but this one looks amazing!
I made almost the exact same sandwich for my husband once for a beach picnic. It was his favorite sandwich and he always talks about how delicious it was! I guess this post is a sign I finally need to recreate it for him!
I made this for dinner tonight and absolutely loved it. I’m hoping the second half of my avocado lasts so I can have it again tomorrow or Friday