The Ultimate Grilled Chicken Sandwich
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A flavor-packed marinade and the best toppings make this the Ultimate Grilled Chicken Sandwich recipe. After marinating for a few hours, your chicken breasts will pick up loads of flavor. Serve on a toasted buns with your favorite toppings for a quick weeknight dinner.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Incredible family meal. All ages love it.
- Great recipe to serve to groups of people. Simply double or triple the recipe, grill or bake a large amount of chicken at once, and serve in a buffet style with the buns and all the toppings.
- It’s freezer friendly. Double or triple it for your future self. Here are more Chicken Freezer Meal Ideas.
- Simple Ingredients.
Ingredients Needed
Now it’s time for a store run. Here’s what you’ll need on hand to make this super flavorful grilled chicken sandwich.
Ingredient Notes:
- Bacon – Try our No Fail Way to Cook Bacon
- Whole wheat hamburger buns – Make your own Homemade Hamburger Buns.
- Optional toppings: BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato slices, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard
How to Make a Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Peruse this quick overview of how the recipe comes together. Specific directions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Make the Marinade
In a gallon-sized freezer bag, combine the oil, vinegar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, ginger, and paprika. Gently shake the bag to mix. Then set aside. Here are 7 more Amazing Chicken Marinades.
Slice the Chicken into Cutlets
Next, carefully cut the chicken breasts lengthwise through the center to create two thin halves out of each breast. To do this, place your hand firmly on top of the chicken and slice back and forth lengthwise using a sawing motion. Make sure to use a sharp knife! You can find one of our favorites here.
There are two reasons we cut the chicken like this: 1) more surface area for the marinade to reach (meaning more flavor infusion), and 2) the chicken will cook faster and more evenly. We do the same thing for our Honey Dijon Chicken Sandwiches.
Marinate (or Freeze) the Chicken
Place the 6 chicken cutlets in the bag with the marinade, seal the bag, and shake to ensure the breasts are coated. (Freezing instructions begin here.) Set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours to marinate.
Cook the Chicken
We prefer grilled chicken for this recipe, but you can also use our baking instructions in the recipe card below.
Preheat a grill over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade using tongs and add to grill. Discard remaining marinade. Grill for about 4-5 minutes per side or until done. (Chicken is done when juices run clear or the internal temperature is 165° F.)
Assemble the Sandwiches
On top of a bun, place 1 chicken breast, 1 slice cheese, some bacon, and optional toppings.
Make It a Freezer Meal Kit
Not only are these Grilled Chicken Sandwiches great for a group, but they also work as a make ahead freezer meal or a meal to take to a friend in need. I like to pack mine up as little kit and freeze it all together. That way I have everything I need on a busy night!
Freeze For Later: Follow steps 1-3 in the recipe (do not marinate in refrigerator though). Package the bacon and cheese slices separately in small freezer bags. To make a freezer meal kit, freeze the chicken in marinade alongside the bacon, cheese, and buns.
Prepare From Frozen: You’ll need the sandwich toppings on hand to complete this meal. Thaw the meal kit in the refrigerator using one of our safe thawing methods for chicken. Follow the recipe beginning with Step 4.
What to Serve with Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
Oh man, I have so many great ideas for you! Here are a few side dishes that would go well with this recipe…
Grilled Chicken Sandwich Toppings
If you serve as a sandwich, here are some toppings you’ll want to have on hand:
- Cooked bacon slices (here is how to bake bacon in the oven, FYI)
- Lettuce
- Tomato Slices
- Mayonnaise
- Honey Mustard Sauce
- Dijon Mustard
- BBQ Sauce (Use our homemade BBQ Sauce recipe)
- Cheddar cheese slices
- Whole Wheat Buns or Brioche Buns (or make your own Hamburger Buns)
Another idea is to serve this chicken on top of a salad. It would be delicious on a recipe like our Cobb Salad!
Want More Grilling Recipes?
We’ve rounded up our best grilling recipes just for you! Steak, burgers, peaches, side dishes, and more.
FAQs
Definitely! We have oven instructions listed below, but you could also use a panini press, grill pan, or even a saute pan. Just be sure to cook until it reaches 165°F internally or there is no more pink inside.
Gluten-Free Substitutions: Replace the buns with gluten-free buns or rolls. Or, omit the bun and serve over quinoa, rice, or couscous.
Dairy-Free Substitutions: Omit the cheese or use a dairy-free cheese. You can also add a little extra mayo/mustard to the bun to replace some of the richness from the cheese.
More Delicious Sandwich Recipes
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
The Ultimate Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
Create the ultimate grilled chicken sandwiches for any weeknight by prepping and freezing all the components ahead of time. This well-seasoned, versatile grilled chicken also works to top pasta or salads.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 6 slices cheddar cheese
- 1/2 pound bacon, cooked and broken in half (try our No Fail Way to Cook Bacon)
- 6 whole wheat hamburger buns (or make your own Homemade Hamburger Buns)
- Optional toppings: BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato slices, onion slices, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Make the Marinade: In a gallon-sized freezer bag, combine the oil, vinegar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, ginger and paprika. Gently shake the bag to mix. Then set aside.
- Slice the Chicken: (Note: This step is essential for even cooking.) Carefully cut the chicken breasts lengthwise through the center to create two thin halves out of each breast. If needed, pound down the thicker parts to create cutlets that are the same thickness. (See instructions about how to do this in the blog post above.)
- Marinate (or Freeze) the Chicken: Place the 6 chicken cutlets in the bag with the marinade, seal the bag, and shake to ensure the breasts are coated. (Freezing instructions begin here.) Set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours to marinate.
- Cook the Chicken: Preheat a grill over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade using tongs and add to grill. Discard remaining marinade. Grill for about 4-5 minutes per side or until done. (Chicken is done when juices run clear or the internal temperature is 165° F.)
- Assemble the Sandwiches: On top of a bun, place 1 chicken breast, 1 slice cheese, some bacon, and optional toppings.
Freeze For Later: Follow steps 1-3 (do not marinate in refrigerator). Package the bacon and cheese slices separately in small freezer bags (or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil). To make a freezer meal kit, freeze the chicken in marinade alongside the bacon, cheese, and buns.
Prepare From Frozen: You’ll need the optional toppings on hand to complete this meal. Thaw the meal kit in the refrigerator. Follow the recipe beginning with Step 4.
Notes/Tips
Where We Get Our Chicken: We get our meat from ButcherBox. The bacon is uncured, contains no sugar, and is absolutely delicious! The chicken is organic and curated from small, trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat and have used it for years ourselves.
Baking Instructions: You can bake the chicken cutlets in the oven, if you don’t want to grill it. Bake at 400°F on a rimmed sheet pan or in a casserole dish for about 15 minutes, or until it reaches 165°F internally or there is no more pink inside.
This is a keeper! Everyone who ate a sandwich loved it. I made a garlic aioli to put on the sandwich – delish! Thank you for the recipe!
Mmm… Garlic aioli sounds like a very yummy addition to this sandwich Natalie. Thanks so much for the review!
Had to jump on and tell you guys that I made these tonight (had put in freezer last week.) It was raining so I cooked them in a frying pan with a little oil. They were excellent. Better than Chickfila to me! I bought two of your cookbooks and looking forward to making more from them. I like that everything uses normal ingredients.
Thanks for the feedback on the chicken sandwiches, Jackie. Great idea to saute them. You could also bake them at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes if you want in the future. Sure hope you enjoy our cookbooks!
These are so flavorful! Can I marinate and throw this in the InstantPot then shred for sandwiches?
Glad you like them, too! Yes, you can marinate and cook in the IP, but I’d suggest discarding the marinade before you do. We tested it in the IP with the marinade and the chicken comes out too greasy. So I would suggest either a) adding 1 cup of chicken broth in there with them, or b) place the chicken on the rack and add 1 cup of water below it. Cook for 7 minutes (until they are done) with quick release.
Approved as the best ever from an 8 year old boy!
“Please make again, Mom!”
Yessss! The best kind of review ever. 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Jenika!
these are SO yummy!!!
I’ve made this so many times and it’s always delicious.
Our family has loved this recipe! I usually make it with 4-6 tenderloins and half the marinade recipe. I also found it too salty for our tastes and have reduced the salt to 1 tsp. I am curious because of the difference in size of chicken breasts, how many ounces of chicken breast meat would you suggest to marinate in this recipe?
This marinade actually makes a lot. I often double the meat in it, using about 3 pounds. Hope that helps!
This really was delicious and very simple, but I continue to have portion issues with boneless chicken breasts. The ones I buy at my local supermarkets are huge–close to 1 lb each (typically between .85-1.15 lbs), and this gave me approximately 8 oz portions for sandwiches that were both larger and thicker than your pictures–as directed, they would have needed more than 8 minutes to cook, and seriously exceeded the bun size for very generous sandwiches. Cooking larger pieces often requires lower heat so they don’t dry out. I usually consider 3-5 oz to be a single portion, and cut these breasts differently, into 3 portions, still at least 5 oz each–I cut the thin half off, pounded it a bit to be more uniform thickness for cooking, and sliced the remaining thick end in 2 cutlets lengthwise. Had anyone told me 20 years ago that a single breast could serve 3-4, I would have been shocked at such stinginess. The resulting pieces were still pretty thick, even after pounding a little. I wish that weight was part of any recipe for chicken breast when written. Since I purchased 3 boneless breasts, I had one whole marinated breast left over to slice on salads or chop for a casserole or enchiladas another day.
Thanks for the feedback, Janet. You’re right…chicken breasts can vary tremendously in size. It’s important to either slice in half lengthwise or pound them down to even thickness so they cook evenly and thoroughly. We will update the recipe to be clearer. Thank you!
Made these tonight…so flavorful! My husband, who never gets excited about chicken, even gave it two thumbs up!
Thanks for letting us know, Alane. Awesome! This one is a keeper in our fam, too.
Is 1 TB of salt correct?
Yes. Keep in mind that this is a marinade that you will discard. It really provides the perfect flavor, but feel free to cut back.
Loved this marinade! My daughter who doesn’t usually like meat much loved this! ?. I made it with chicken tenderloin pieces and also found it very salty, so will cut the salt in half next time. Thanks for a recipe we’ll re-use many times!
Great to hear!