This Whipped Goats Cheese, Pesto, and Fried Chicken Sandwich is the ultimate Summer Sandwich. It's creamy, fresh, crunchy, and totally delicious. Whether you're packing for a picnic or you just want a tasty lunch-time sandwich, this is for you!
If you're a lover of sandwiches, then you must save my crunchy chicken romesco sandwich, marry me chopped salad sandwich, or onigirazu sushi sandwich. Or feel free to browse through 24 of my favorite sandwich recipes ever!
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Why you'll love this recipe
Made by someone you can trust: for those of you who are new here, my name's Emily and I'm an ex-chef, turned food content creator/recipe developer. I adore testing and creating new recipes and sharing them with you. I don't use AI, I take inspiration from magazines, travel, restaurants, books, friends, and turn my thoughts into dishes that I think you'll love and want to make over and over again. So, I hope you love this dish, if so, then check out more of my recipes to make in the future!
Balance of flavors and textures: we've got creaminess from the whipped goats cheese, sweetness from the honey, crunch and protein from the fried chicken, nuttiness from the homemade pesto, and freshness from the arugula (rocket) salad! SO good.
Great for picnics: this sandwich keeps really well for an hour or two because there aren't loads of moist ingredients.
Ingredients and substitutions
For the crispy chicken
- Chicken: I like using chicken breast here, sliced thin (or butterflied) so it cooks through evenly in the time it takes to get that crust properly golden.
- Flour: just for the first dredge, to help the egg stick. Plain flour is all you need.
- Egg: beaten, for that middle layer that gets the panko to cling on.
- Panko: this is non-negotiable for me. Regular breadcrumbs will work in a pinch, but panko is what gives you that shatteringly crisp, almost tempura-like crunch that makes this sandwich worth making. You could use golden breadcrumbs if you'd like!
For the basil almond pesto
- 100g almonds: I've swapped out the usual pine nuts for almonds here; they're cheaper, easier to find, and honestly give the pesto a lovely, slightly sweeter depth. If you want to go traditional, pine nuts or even walnuts work well too.
- 35g Parmesan: freshly grated if you can. Pecorino is a great substitute if you want something sharper and saltier.
- 2 garlic cloves (5g): I always go a little easy on the garlic in a pesto that's going into a sandwich, since it needs to sit alongside the goat's cheese and honey without overpowering everything.
- 30g basil: the star of the show. Use the freshest basil you can get your hands on for summer, it makes all the difference.
- Olive oil: a good extra-virgin olive oil here really matters, since it's doing a lot of the flavor work.
For the whipped goats cheese
- Goat's cheese: soft and spreadable, this is what makes the sandwich feel indulgent. If goat's cheese isn't your thing, a good burrata or fresh ricotta would still give you that same creamy, tangy contrast.
- Honey: just a drizzle, to balance the tang of the goat's cheese and the saltiness of the chicken. Any runny honey works, I like something floral rather than a heavy, dark honey here.
For the tomatoes
- Tomatoes: sliced. This is genuinely a sandwich where I'd say wait for proper summer tomatoes, a bland, out-of-season tomato will let the whole thing down.
- Salt, oregano, pepper: I season my tomato slices separately before building the sandwich; it makes a bigger difference than people expect. Dried oregano is fine, but if you've got fresh, even better.
For the bread
- Ciabatta: I love ciabatta for this because it's sturdy enough to hold all those layers without falling apart, but still has that lovely open, chewy crumb. A good sourdough or a soft baguette would both work as substitutes if ciabatta isn't available.
For the full ingredients list with measurements and instructions, scroll down this blog to the recipe card.
Step by step instructions with photos
Step 1: Coat your butterflied chicken breasts in flour, then egg, then panko breadcrumbs. Repeat so create a double coating, then set aside. Do the same for all your chicken breasts.
Step 2: Place a large skillet/pan on medium heat and add in a big drizzle of vegetable oil. Once hot, add in the coated chicken breasts and fry on each side for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove and drain on paper towel to remove any excess oil.
Step 3: While your chicken is cooking, place the almonds, parmesan and garlic in a food processor or blender and blend until coarse or smooth (depending on how you like your pesto). Then add in the basil, olive oil, salt, pepper and blend until your desired consistency. Taste and season accordingly.
Step 4: In a small bowl, combine the goats cheese, honey and a grind of black pepper. Whip using a hand whisk, fork, or electric whisk until light and fluffy.
Step 5: In another small bowl, combine your tomatoes and dried oregano, and season with salt and pepper. Stir and set aside.
Step 6: Once your fried chicken is cooked, it's time to assemble your sandwich! Get your ciabatta toasted slightly in the oven or the toaster (optional), then lay it down and spread your pesto on one side and whipped goats cheese on the other side. On the pesto side, place down the fried chicken, followed by arugula (rocket), tomato mixture, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Top the sandwich and wrap in parchment paper.
Step 7: Slice the sandwich in half to get that gorgeous cross section, and enjoy! I love serving it with a bit of mayonnaise on the side because I'm obsessed with mayonnaise, but it's great as is! Enjoy!
FAQs
It's the secret to that seriously crunchy exterior! Going flour, egg, panko, then repeating the whole process again gives you a much thicker, craggier crust that stays crispy even once it's tucked into the sandwich with the pesto and whipped goat's cheese.
I like to use small chopped tomatoes rather than sliced for this one; they mix so much better with the oregano, salt, and pepper, and you get little pops of tomato in every bite instead of one big slice that slides out. If you only have larger tomatoes on hand, just dice them down before tossing them in.
Yes, both hold up really well in the fridge for a couple of days in an airtight container. I'll often make them the night before so all that's left to do at lunchtime is fry the chicken and assemble.
Baby spinach or a simple mixed salad leaf will work fine if arugula (rocket) isn't available, you'll just lose a bit of that peppery bite arugula brings, which is part of what balances all the creamy, sweet elements in this sandwich.
It really is; that's actually one of my favorite things about it! Wrapping it tightly in parchment paper right after assembling helps it hold together and keeps everything in place, so it travels well without falling apart before you get to eat it.
I haven't tested a baked version of this specific recipe, so I can't give you exact timing, but if you've baked panko-coated chicken before, a hot oven around 400°F should get you close, just keep an eye on the crust.
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The Summer Sandwich
Ingredients
For the fried chicken
- 2 chicken breasts sliced nearly all the way through lengthways to open up into a butterflied cutlet
- flour
- panko breadcrumbs
- egg whisked
For the almond pesto
- 100 g almonds
- 35 g parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves 5g of garlic cloves
- 30 g basil
- 50 ml olive oil more or less depending on how runny you like your pesto
For the whipped honey goats cheese
- 125 g goats cheese skin removed (we just want the soft part of the goats cheese)
- ½ tablespoon honey
For the tomatoes
- 150 g baby tomatoes roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon oregano dried or fresh
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Other ingredients
- 2 ciabatta portions
- 2 balsamic glaze drizzles
- mayonnaise for serving if you'd like!
- 2 portions arugula / rocket optionally tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper
Instructions
- Coat your butterflied chicken breasts in flour, then egg, then panko breadcrumbs. Repeat to create a double coating, then set aside. Do the same for all your chicken breasts.
- Place a large skillet/pan on medium heat and add in a big drizzle of vegetable oil. Once hot, add in the coated chicken breasts and fry on each side for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove and drain on paper towel to remove any excess oil.
- While your chicken is cooking, place the almonds, parmesan and garlic in a food processor or blender and blend until coarse or smooth (depending on how you like your pesto). Then add in the basil, olive oil, salt, pepper and blend until your desired consistency. Taste and season accordingly.
- In a small bowl, combine the goats cheese, honey and a grind of black pepper. Whip using a hand whisk, fork, or electric whisk until light and fluffy.
- In another small bowl, combine your tomatoes, dried oregano, balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Stir and set aside.
- Once your fried chicken is cooked, it's time to assemble your sandwich! Get your ciabatta toasted slightly in the oven or the toaster (optional), then lay it down and spread your pesto on one side and whipped goats cheese on the other side. On the pesto side, place down the fried chicken, followed by arugula (rocket), tomato mixture, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Top the sandwich and wrap in parchment paper.
- Slice the sandwich in half to get that gorgeous cross section, and enjoy! I love serving it with a bit of mayonnaise on the side because I'm obsessed with mayonnaise, but it's great as is! Enjoy!
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