Skip the takeout and make the best Grilled Chicken Sandwich recipe right at home. Made with a delicious marinade and amazing Honey BBQ sauce recipe, your family will fall in love with this chicken sandwich.
If you are on the hunt for more great grilling options this summer, let me introduce you to one of my favorites. This Grilled Chicken Sandwich fills all your drive through cravings, but is made at home and so much better.
One of the things I love most about this recipe is how quickly it comes together. The marinade for this grilled chicken sandwich is so quick and easy to whip up, making this a great weeknight meal.
I made this tonight on a Foreman grill, and they were delicious! The sauce was so good. Will definitely save this recipe to make again! 👌🏼
How to Make the Best Grilled Chicken Sandwich
This is just a brief overview of how to make this amazing recipe. For the full recipe with all of the measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Cut your chicken breasts into cutlets. This will help them grill faster and makes for a great thin chicken patty. See photos below for more on this.
- Marinate the chicken. Read more on this delicious marinade below.
- Make a sauce for your chicken sandwich. I highly recommend the one we have below, but I have a few other options listed.
- Grill the chicken. It will need three minutes on each side. Then put together you sandwiches.
Chicken Sandwich Marinade
The marinade for this chicken sandwich is simple and I bet you already have all the ingredients at home.
- Olive Oil: This provides flavor and helps the chicken grill up perfectly.
- Vinegar: I use white vinegar. It helps gently breakdown the meat to help the flavor of the marinade get in without adding too much flavor.
- Lemon Juice: This also helps break down the meat, but provides more flavor. I highly recommend using fresh lemon juice as opposed to bottled lemon juice
- Salt and Pepper
Marinating Chicken
Marinating chicken is a great way to give it tenderness and flavor, making it totally worth a few extra steps for this great grilled sandwich. Throw it together the night before and then when you get home from work, you will have dinner on the table in just a few minutes.
There is a common misconception out there that the longer you marinate something the better the flavor will be. You actually want to aim for 30 minutes to 24 hours. If you go longer than 24 hours, the meat will begin to break down too much, and you will have a gummy unpleasant texture.
Sauce for Grill Chicken Sandwich
When we make this recipe, we always make it with this delicious honey bbq sauce, otherwise known as my copy-cat Chick Fil A Sauce. It makes this recipe taste just like the Chick Fil A Grilled chicken Sandwich. The bonus is that this mayo based sauce comes together with just a handful of ingredients that you probably already have on hand. It is crazy good. I actually recommend making a double batch so you can dip fries in it!
If you would like to try something different, my BBQ sauce is a recipe with rave reviews. It would also be fantastic on these sandwiches. Finally, my garlic aioli is to die for. It’s amazing on any sandwiches and would work perfect here.
Chick Fil A Sauce Recipe
How to Cut Chicken into Cutlets
As mentioned above, with how big chicken breasts come these days, I like to just cut them in half width wise. Many one pound packages come with two breasts to a package. By cutting them in half you get four sandwiches.
As my husband said when I explained this to him, “Ooooooh, like you would slice a hamburger bun!”
- Select a long, sharp knife.
- Place your hand on top of the chicken breast.
- Very carefully, cut it in half width wise, cutting all the way through.
Grilling Chicken
One of my favorite things about this recipe is how quickly these chicken sandwiches grill up. Be sure to lightly grease your grill so that the grilled chicken breasts do not stick. Keep the flame on your grill low so that the chicken doesn’t over cook. However, the best bet is to monitor the chicken with an instant read thermometer that can be left in while it is on the grill. That way it can be removed from the grill the moment it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Don’t wait just until the summer and grilling season to make these fantastic sandwiches. We own an indoor grill pan and find them to be a great way to have some grilling recipes in the middle of winter.
Instant Read Thermometer
What to Serve With Chicken Sandwiches
- Corn Salad: This salad could be made the night before with the marinade, which would make it a very quick dinner.
- Cucumber Tomato Salad: This recipe is one of my summer favorites, and even my picky eaters love it.
- French Fries: Homemade fries are so easy to make in the oven and go perfectly with these. If it’s too hot to turn on your oven, try my air fryer potato wedges instead.
- Sweet Potato Fries: This is probably my favorite of the whole list. There is nothing better than sweet potato fries, and these turn out so crisp.
If you make this Grilled Chicken Sandwich or any of my other recipes, please come back and tell me what you think!
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 pound skinless chicken breasts sliced in half (453.6 grams)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (59.1 ml or 113 grams)
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Honey BBQ Sauce
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise you can use light mayonnaise (52 grams)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Whisk all the ingredients for the marinade together and pour into a reusable container.1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Cut the chicken breasts width wise, making thin fillets. (Learn how to to cut a chicken breast into cutlets in the post.) Add the chicken to the container with the marinade and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 24 hours.1 pound skinless chicken breasts
- Whisk together the ingredients for the honey bbq sauce.1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Lightly grease your grill and grill the chicken breasts for 3 minutes on each side over low heat or until the register 165 degrees Fahrenheit internally.
- Serve on brioche buns, top the chicken with the Honey BBQ Sauce and your other favorite toppings. I recommend lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and red onions.
Notes
Sharon says
Would you recommend broiling the chicken breast rather than grilling?
Nope. I would recommend grilling it.
Carl Pirro says
Lisa, am making this for supper tonight. Thanks.
Sandra says
Lisa, I don’t have apple cider vinegar. Can I substitute white vinegar in the sauce?
Barbara Karr says
You aren’t complaining about the size of chicken breasts!!!!!! Todays prices for groceriees are sky rocketing. The chicken breasts we are getting are a beautiful bonus.
Definitely not complaining :) Just stating how big they seem to come.
Martha says
Thanks for the slicing lesson. Do you have any tips for removing the tendon? I usually end up losing more meat than I should when trying to strip it. I’m thinking that having a good, sharp filet knife would probably make it easier.
I don’t! I saw a video on Facebook of someone using a fork and just pulling it out through the fork prongs. It was an epic fail. Sorry!
Lydia Nuno says
I made this tonight on a Foreman grill, and they were delicious! The sauce was so good. Will definitely save this recipe to make again! 👌🏼
So glad to hear that, Lydia! We love this recipe!
L says
I just made the sauce and made a wrap with pre-cooked chicken (mine was seasoned with Grill Mates Montreal Chicken previously).
Was very good and just perfect for today! Thanks for posting!
I’m so glad you liked it!