Chicken Meatball Patty Sandwiches

This recipe was inspired by Jeff Mauro, the Sandwich King's Fried Meatball Sandwich. I, like Jeff, think that traditional meatball sub sandwiches provide inconsistent bites. I also wanted to try a more lean version while keeping bold meatball flavors.

Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan
1 egg
2 cups spinach
4 cloves garlic
1 large ball of fresh mozzarella
1 large loaf ciabatta bread
1 cup tomato sauce

Saute spinach with garlic and olive oil, set aside. Combine chicken, bread crumbs, parmesan,  egg in a bowl and combine. Create 4 equal sized patties

Brown each patty in a saute pan, 4 minutes per side. Place patties in oven safe dish with tomato sauce in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Slice ciabatta bread to match the number of patties, and then slice each piece in half. Spread spinach on bottom half of each sandwich. Distribute mozzarella slices evenly among top pieces. Place on baking tray in oven for 5 minutes.

Remove tray from oven, place chicken patties on each spinach covered half. Set oven to broil, place tray back in the oven until cheese bubbles.

Assemble sandwiches, cut diagonally. Enjoy!