This Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Bacon is better than anything you can get in a restaurant. It is loaded with fresh cooked bacon, melted pepper jack cheese, red onion, crisp romaine lettuce, crunchy dill pickles, and a BBQ/Garlic Aioli Sauce.
Servings: 4sandwiches
Ingredients
Chicken Seasoning - see notes
1/2tbspkosher salt
1/2tbspgarlic salt
1 tsponion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2tsp paprika
1/2tspblack pepper
1/4tsp white pepper
1/4cup canola oil or olive oilsee notes
Toppings for Sandwich - these are just suggestions
1red onion, sliced
1headromaine lettuce, rinsed and leaves pulled apart
8-10slicesbacon, cooked and cut in half (so it fits a burger/sandwich)
1tomato, sliced
Dill pickles
4slicespepper jack cheese, or cheese of your choice
4hamburger buns
1tbspbutter, to brush on the buns as they toast on the grill
BBQ/Garlic Aioli Sauce
1/2cupBBQ Sauce (of your choice)
1/4cupGarlic Aioli see notes
Instructions
Chicken
Cut your chicken breasts into 4 equal pieces so they are about the same size. (Pound them out if needed to they are close to the same thickness so they will cook evenly.
Mix your chicken seasonings together, do not add the oil yet. Sprinkle the seasonings lightly and evenly over the chicken pieces. Place in a zip top bag. Mix the oil in with the remaining seasoning and dump over the chicken in the bag. Mix all toghether to make sure the chicken is fully covered. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. (No longer than hour).
While the chicken is marinating, make your BBQ/Garlic Aioli sauce, cook your bacon and prepare the toppings.
Heat your grill to medium heat. Remove the chicken from the bag and shake of any excess oil and seasoning. Place the chicken on the grill for 5-8 minutes on the first side, until you see grill marks and the chicken is starting to turn white around the edges. Filp the chicken aand cook another 5 minutes on the other side. Start checking the temperature after you have flipped the chicken and it has cooked for 5 minutes. Your internal temperature needs to reach 165 degrees.
After you have flipped your chicken, place your buns on a your grill, face side down and let toast for a few minutes. Brush some butter on the tops and let toast to your preferred toastiness! Remove when they are done to your liking.
Once the chicken has reached the proper temperature, add the slices of pepper jack cheese to the chicken on the grill. Keep the chicken on the grill, turn off the heat and close the lid so the cheese can melt. When the cheese has melted, take the chicken off the grill and make your sandwich!
To make your sandwich, I spread the BBQ/Garlic Aioli sauce on my bun (top and bottom). I add 4 slices of bacon to my sandwich (or more), then add the onion, lettuce and pickles, in no particular order. (And add your tomato because I am sure I am the only weirdo that doesn't like tomato on a burger or sandwich!)
Enjoy!
Notes
You do not have to let your chicken marinate in the oil and seasonings if you prefer not to. The oil helps lock in flavor and carry the seasonings to all of the chicken and prevents the chicken from sticking on the grill. If you chose not to marinate in the oil, just season the chicken breasts with the seasonings and throw on the grill (you will need to oil/grease your grill with some oil or oil spray so your chicken doesn't stick).
You can use any BBQ sauce and don't have to mix it with the garlic aioli. You can use just BBQ sauce or just Garlic Aioli, or any sauce you prefer.
I cook 8 -10 pieces of bacon and cut them in half giving you 16-20 pieces which is 4-5 pieces of bacon for each sandwich. (More is always good in my book so cook more if you want more!) You can also place the cooked bacon on the cooked chicken on the grill, then top with the cheese so the cheese melts the bacon to the chicken.
You do not have to toast your bun. The Butcher Man never likes his toasted and it's just as delicious!
Toppings for this sandwich can be changed to your liking!