Chicken Bacon Basil Panini

A simple, few ingredient, flavor packed panini sandwich. There is not a whole lot of effort put into this delicious sandwich, which is why you should make it. If you don't have French bread, use normal sandwich bread, or whatever you have laying around your house. And if you don't want to use bread at all and want to make it into a salad, instead of Miracle Whip, mix the basil with ranch dressing and a small amount of sour cream and drizzle on top!

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. light Miracle Whip
1 1/2 Tbs. fresh chopped basil
1 green onion, chopped
8 slices Oscar Mayer thin sliced Rotisserie Chicken
4 slices thick cut bacon
3 Tbs. reduced fat shredded Mozzarella cheese
Mini French loaf, divided in half width and lengthwise

In a small bowl, combine the Miracle Whip, basil and onion together and set aside. Line a microwavable plate with two sheets of paper towel. Line the four slices of bacon evenly spaced on the paper towel and top with two more sheets. Microwave for 3 minutes, let sit for at least one minute, and then remove the bacon from the paper towel (it stays perfectly straight and is super crispy).

Lay the slices of bread out and divide the dressing mix evenly on each slice. Top the bottom halves with four slices of deli chicken. Top with two slices of bacon on each, and follow by 1 1/2 Tbs. Mozzarella. Place the remaining bread on top. Heat a grill pan to medium heat. Place the sandwiches side by side on the grill pan and add a weight on top to press the sandwiches down. Cook on this side for three minutes, flip, and cook for another 2 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is fully melted. Let cool slightly before cutting in half and serving.