Tuscan Chicken Crostini

It is hard to believe that we have been back stateside for a week already!  I am so eager to share with all of you the amazing recipes and flavors of Italy that we experienced while traveling over there, I will be publishing the recipes over the next month on the blog.  These Tuscan Chicken Crostini are the perfect light and simple recipe to begin with.

Tuscan food is generally simple in nature with subtle yet elegant flavors.  Fresh herbs and olive oil are a staple in many sauces and marinades.  That inspired me to develop these Tuscan Chicken crostini, a light and protein packed meal that represent the flavors of Tuscany.

Unfortunately for us southern Europe was in a 30 year heatwave while we were there.  We thought we were escaping the heat of Phoenix and instead it appeared that we brought it with us.  So nights were warm and we definitely enjoyed dining al fresco to catch any breeze we could.  Plus you could not beat the view, the villa we rented overlooked several vineyards which made the sunsets breathtaking.

One night for dinner I decided to make my recipe for Greek Lemon Chicken Kebabs with Tzatziki because it is a simple recipe that you grill so you do not have to turn the kitchen into a sauna by using the oven.  The chicken went over well with my family but let’s just say we overbought chicken so we had an abundance of grilled chicken left over.  With the amount of leftover marinated chicken sitting in the kitchen ideas started popping into my head on how to use it.  That is the fun creative part of cooking that I just love, throwing ingredients together to see if it will yield something delicious or not so much.

We decided to make a wide variety of crostini, some topped with the chicken, some with fresh tomatoes and some with zucchini for lunch that day and it was fantastic!  I love the abundance of fresh organic ingredients in Italy.  It is hard to explain but the flavors are intensified and more vibrant, simply amazing.

The Lemon Olive Oil sauce was absolutely divine brushed on fresh ciabatta bread and lightly grilled.  Top it all off with some shaved Parmigiano cheese and you have a super simple but protein packed meal.

Pair these delicious Tuscan Chicken Crostini with my Zucchini Carpaccio recipe and you have a well balanced simple meal for weeknight dinners or weekend lunches.

Buon Appetito!

Ingredients:

• 12 oz Rotisserie chicken meat shredded (or you can use leftover shredded grilled chicken as I did above)
• 1 loaf of Ciabatta bread sliced into ½ in thick slices
• 3 oz Parmigiano Reggiano (shaved)

Lemon Olive Oil Sauce Ingredients:

• ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Juice of half a Lemon
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs Fresh Italian Parsley, minced
• 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
• Corse Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a small bowl whisk together the Lemon Olive Oil Sauce ingredients and set aside.

Grill or toast Ciabatta slices.  If grilling I brushed a bit of the Lemon Olive oil sauce on each side to really infuse the flavor into the bread. To get those pretty grill marks I used my Cuisinart Griddler plus it makes fantastic paninis!

Place shredded chicken in a medium bowl and drizzle with the Lemon Olive Oil Sauce until lightly covered.  If chicken is cold heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to one minute.

Top ciabatta slices with chicken mixture and drizzle a bit more Lemon Olive oil sauce on top of them.

Top with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

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