Let’s talk about eff-me bread. It’s what I call Trader Joe’s focaccia bread. If you haven’t had Trader Joe’s focaccia bread, you need to try it. Bread makes a sandwich and the combination of everything in between makes a delicious meal, but this bread makes this Frontega chicken sandwich.
“Eff-me,” is the phrase that exits my mouth after taking a bite of this focaccia bread. Fatima made this sandwich two weeks ago and we’ve had this way too often since then. The sandwich is inspired by and a variation of Panera’s toasted Frontega chicken panini.
What’s different from Panera’s?
Panera has been part of our lives since before we were dating and still in our life today–have you tried our chipotle chicken panini? Panera is one of our favorite places to stop on our way back from our trips upstate.
Our version of the sandwich uses a pan seared chicken. We’re light on the toppings: tomato, mozzarella cheese, red onion, and arugula. Chipotle mayo is slathered on both insides of the bread, and the ‘eff-me’ bread brings it all together. Trader Joe’s foccaccia is flavored with roasted tomato and parmesan, while Panera’s is black pepper flavored.
Making the Frontega Chicken Sandwich
The first things you should do is make the chicken and the chipotle mayo. Our chicken is pan seared. Once the chicken is done, everything goes under your oven’s broiler. You’ll spread a generous amount of chipotle mayo on both sides of your sandwich. One side will get sliced tomato. The other side is layered (in this order) with chicken, onion, and fresh mozzarella cheese. Broil until the cheese melts, remove from the oven, top with arugula, and top with the tomato layered slice of bread. Yes, it’s that easy.
Copycat Frontega Chicken Sandwich
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 sandwiches 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts (1.5lbs)
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- Focaccia loaf, roasted tomato and parmesan (preferably from Trader Joe’s)
Chipotle Mayo
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 chipotle in adobo, chopped and saucy
- 1/4 tsp adobo sauce
Toppings
- Sliced tomato
- Sliced red onions
- Sliced, fresh mozzarella
- Arugula
Instructions
Chipotle Mayo
- Combine mayo, chipotle pepper, and a little of the sauce in a bowl. Set aside. Add more mayo or adobo sauce as desired.
- Set aside.
Preparing the chicken
- Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a skillet or pan and preheat on medium-high heat.
- Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder. A lot of the flavor will come through the focaccia if it’s seasoned, so do not be afraid to under season the chicken.
- Pan sear the chicken until each side has a nice golden exterior and the middle is cooked through. About 5-8 minutes on each side depending on the size of your chicken.
- Once done, remove heat and cover for 5 minutes. Set aside.
Prepping the bread
- Turn your oven on broil, high.
- Cut focaccia bread into equal portions. We are able to squeeze 3-4 hearty portions out of one loaf, or about 6-8 slider-sized sandwiches when we’ve hosted friends.
- Slice each part of the loaf in half to create two sides of the sandwich.
- Place slices on a baking sheet, with the inside facing up.
- Place in the oven to lightly toast–and I mean LIGHTLY. Keep an eye and the minute you start to see the slightest golden, remove.
Assembling ONE sandwich (repeat for all)
- Spread chipotle mayo on both toasted sides.
- Add sliced tomatoes to one of the slices, set aside.
- With the non-tomato slice, layer: chicken, then red onion, then 2 slices of fresh mozzarella (or enough to cover the chicken).
- Place back into the oven and toast until the mozzarella is fully melted.
- Remove from the oven.
- Drop some arugula on top of the melted mozzarella, and top with the tomato slice of bread to complete the sandwich.
- Repeat with remaining slices and enjoy!
