This Grilled Chicken Sandwich with pepper jack cheese is stacked high with crispy bacon, red onion, fresh sliced tomato, crisp romaine lettuce, crunchy dill pickles, and a BBQ/Garlic Aioli Sauce.
1large whole chicken breast - cut into 4 pieces *pound out the breasts for thinner, even pieces
Chicken Seasoning - see notes
1/2tbspkosher salt
1 1/2tsp paprika
1 tsponion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2tspblack pepper
1/4cup canola oil or olive oil*see 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)*see notes
1Fresh tomato, sliced
Dill pickles, sliced
4slicespepper jack cheese, or cheese of your choice*see notes
4hamburger buns
1tbspbutter, to brush on the buns as they toast on the grill *optional
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 so they are close to the same thickness so they will cook evenly. See blog post above for details on pounding them out if needed.
Measure and mix your chicken seasonings together. Add the oil to the seasonings and mix it together. Set aside.
Place your chicken pieces in a zip top bag. Pour the oil/seasoning mixture on the chicken in the zip top bag. Seal the bag and shake/squish the chicken in the bag to get the chicken evenly covered in the seasoning.
Heat your grill to medium heat. Place the chicken on the grill and grill for about 15 to 20 minutes. Flip the chicken half way through grilling. The chicken usually needs to cook about 8 minutes on each side. Start checking the temperature after you have flipped the chicken and it has cooked for 5 minutes. The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165℉ in the thickest piece of chicken.
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 to let the cheese melt.
If you are toasting your buns add them to the grill when you put the cheese on the chicken. The buns only need a minute or two on the grill. Brush some butter on the tops and let the buns toast to your preferred toastiness! Remove them when they are done to your liking.
While the chicken is grilling, make your BBQ/Garlic Aioli sauce, cook your bacon and prepare/slice the toppings.
To make your sandwich, spread the BBQ/Garlic Aioli sauce on the bun (top and bottom). Add the rest of the toppings.
Enjoy!
Notes
You can use canola oil, olive oil or vegetable oil to mix with the seasonings. If you are completely against using oil (this helps the chicken not stick to the grill and helps the seasonings cover the chicken evenly), you can just sprinkle the seasoning dry on the chicken. If you are not using oil with the seasonings make sure to grease/oil your grill so the chicken won’t stick to the grill.
You can use any BBQ sauce you prefer. You 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 do not have to toast your bun. Toppings for this sandwich can be changed to your liking!
Use any kind of cheese you like- cheddar, provolone, Monterey Jack or Colby jack.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.