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Copycat Panera Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt

Copycat Panera Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt

This Panera Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt is one of my favorites from Panera Bread! Pulled chicken, melty cheese, fresh avocado, cilantro, zesty sweet peppers and chipotle aioli on fresh baked focaccia.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Entree
Cuisine American
Servings 2 sandwiches
Calories 585 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Mix together chipotle pepper seasoning & mayonnaise
    1/2 tsp Chipotle Pepper seasoning, 3 tbsp Duke's mayonnaise
  • Slice focaccia into sandwich sized slices 
    4 slices focaccia bread
  • Reheat pulled chicken in microwave for 30-40 seconds
    1 cup pulled chicken
  • Preheat broiler on low
  • On bottom of sandwich, spread 1 tbsp chipotle mayo 
  • Top with cilantro, pulled chicken, sliced sweet peppers and one slice gouda
    4 slices smoked gouda, fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup bottled sweet peppers, 1 cup pulled chicken
  • On top half of but, spread 1 tbsp chipotle mayo and one slice gouda
    4 slices smoked gouda
  • Lay open faced on parchment paper covered cookie sheet
  • Broil on low for 5 min until cheese is bubbly and melted
  • Remove sandwich from oven
  • Place avocado slices on top of cheese and place halves together
    1 avocado

Notes

  • Focaccia bread - I couldn't find pre-baked focaccia at Kroger so I bought a can of the rollout dough. I baked it in just 6-7 minutes in my Instant Pot Omni Pro Air Fryer - it's got a bunch of different settings. I did bake but it was still quicker than the instructions. If you've got pre-made focaccia near you - you can use that!
  • Pulled chicken - Panera uses a smoked chicken but for this recipe - I just used a frozen pulled chicken I got at Kroger - you can use any cooked chicken - I make this Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot and it would be perfect for this!
  • Sliced sweet peppers - they use Peppadew peppers but I had a jar of Marinated Sweet Cherry Peppers and they worked just fine
  • Chipotle pepper seasoning - I like using the dry seasoning instead of the canned - then I'm not left with a can of pepper I won't use and you can control the spice level. Or - go the easy route - and use the Ortega Chipotle Sauce (it's really good and at most grocery stores)
  • Can I use the air fryer instead of the broiler?
    Yup – just heat open faced for 3-4 min – you’ll probably need toothpicks to hold the cheese down.
    For the peppers are they fresh or canned?
    They’re jarred and marinated in oil – you could use those fresh mini sweet peppers but they’ll be much crunchier.
    I don’t like cilantro – do I need to use it?
    Nope – just leave it out!
    **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwichCalories: 585kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 40.7gFat: 40.1gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 773mgPotassium: 607mgFiber: 7.6gSugar: 4.9gCalcium: 246mgIron: 1mg
Keyword air fryer, avocado, chicken, chipotle, copycat, panera, sandwich
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