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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Chicken Paninis with Pineapple Black Bean Salsa

I have a major love for pineapple. If I'm not careful, I can eat an entire fruit in one day...and then suffer for the remainder of the day with "burnt" taste buds (does that happen to anyone else with pineapple?). Normally when I buy a pineapple, we just chop it up and eat it plain. This time, however, I decided to get a little creative with it, and these paninis were born.

If you don't have a panini press, don't immediately click away from this recipe. The mixture would be equally good eaten rolled up in a tortilla or stuffed into a pita pocket. You could also just scoop it up with tortilla chips! The salsa and chicken can be made ahead of time, making for an quick and easy meal...my favorite kind when the weather gets nice!

One Year Ago: Strawberry Banana Bread

Chicken Paninis with Black Bean Salsa
A Sweets Life original
*makes 4 paninis with extra salsa


Ingredients:
for the salsa-
-1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
-1 1/2-2 cups pineapple, diced
-1/4 cup red onion, diced
-1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
-juice from 1 lime
-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
-salt, to taste

for the chicken
-1 lb chicken breast, sliced and cooked (I cooked chicken in a skillet, seasoned with chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper)

-bread, for serving

Directions:
1. Prepare chicken breasts and set aside or refrigerate until serving.
2. In a large bowl, combine all salsa ingredients. Mix to combine and refrigerate if not using immediately.
3. Top 1 slice of bread with salsa and chicken, followed by another slice of bread. Cook in a panini press (or in a skillet, pressing down with a spatula) for a few minutes, until lightly browned. Repeat with remaining bread, chicken, and salsa (you will have salsa left over). Serve immediately.