Summer is the perfect time to fire up the bbq and make juicy grilled chicken sandwiches!
Marinated chicken breasts are grilled to tender perfection and topped with a quick homemade honey mustard sauce and our favorite garden-fresh toppings. This sandwich is a favorite all year long!
Perfect to Make Ahead
Honestly, the best chicken sandwich is one that’s simple to make, tender, juicy, and topped with fresh goodies!
It’s great to prepare ahead of time and toss on the grill for guests (or at the beach). Prep the chicken and add to the marinade in a tightly sealed container and take it along or stash it in the fridge until dinner time.
Add crisp bacon, or make it spicy with your favorite sauce toppings! It’s nearly impossible to mess this one up! We love the lightly toasted sesame bun, and the marinade is to die for, with its delicious combo of zesty and sweet!
Ingredients & Variations
CHICKEN
Stick with chicken breasts or use boneless/skinless chicken thighs, for a super juicy chicken sandwich.
BUNS
This recipe calls for a toasted sesame bun, but feel free to sub it out with any of your favorites like buttery brioche! Or whip up some homemade garlic bread or even jalapeno cheddar bread, and serve it up sandwich-style!
SAUCE
We love the way honey mustard sauce perfectly complements, but the marinade is so versatile that any sauce will pair well with it. Try sriracha, BBQ, homemade mayo, or whatever strikes your fancy!
How to Make a Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Prepping chicken for the grill has never been easier and results in a sandwich that’s going to taste restaurant-worthy! Here’s the basic overview:
- Marinate Chicken
Combine marinade ingredients(per recipe below). Pound chicken to an even thickness and marinate. - Grill
When ready to cook, preheat the grill then grill the chicken 5-6 minutes per side and toast the buns (I do this right on the grill too). - Add toppings and serve!
These taste amazing alongside grilled potato packets or grilled vegetables, and a crunchy salad! Add some corn on the cob for a feast fit for a king!
Tips for Success
- Use a meat mallet and cutting board to pound the chicken to 1/2 inch thickness. The secret to perfectly grilled chicken is even meat, so try to make sure that the entire breast is the same thickness. No meat mallet? No problem, just use the rounded side of a heavy metal spoon!
- When making grilled chicken, be sure not to overcook.
- For baking the chicken rather than grilling, go ahead and use the broiler in the oven. Put chicken 4″ from the heat and broil 5-7 minutes per side (or until it reaches 165°F).
- Marinate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Any longer than that and the meat won’t have the same consistency after cooking since the marinade will start to “cook” the meat.
BBQ Side Dishes
- Fresh Corn Salad – no cooking required
- Grilled Brussels Sprouts – only 4 ingredients
- Potato Salad – 5 star recipe
- Balsamic Grilled Vegetables – a colorful side dish
- Classic Coleslaw Recipe
- Grilled Pineapple – side dish or dessert
Did you make these Grilled Chicken Sandwiches? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts 4 small
- 4 sesame seed buns
- ¼ cup honey mustard sauce* or mayonnaise
- lettuce, tomatoes, onions optional
Marinade
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt & pepper each
Instructions
- Pound chicken breasts to ½" thickness.
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl or freezer bag. Add chicken and toss well to combine. Marinade for 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours).
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Place chicken on the grill for 5-6 minutes per side until no pink remains and chicken reaches 165°F.
- While chicken is grilling, brush buns with olive oil and place face down on the grill. Lightly toast.
- Spread each bun with honey mustard and add lettuce, tomatoes and onions if desired. Top with chicken and serve.
Notes
Do not overcook the chicken, it is pounded to cook evenly and only needs about 10-12 minutes total.
Chicken breasts can be replaced with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Homemade Honey Mustard: Combine ⅓ cup mayonnaise, 1 ½ tablespoons yellow mustard, 1 ½ tablespoons honey & ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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can you do this on the a ninja grill? been craving a juicy grilled chicken sandwich
I haven’t tried it but that should work just fine! If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Hi! I don’t comment on recipes I try that often (even from Spend w/ Pennies :) ), but this marinade is great! The apple cider vinegar intrigued me, I love that ingredient, I would use it for chicken anytime, not just a chicken sandwich. It was moist, good flavour and easy. I used maple syrup instead of brown sugar just because it’s spring when I tried it here and tis the season. Wonderful. Well done and thank you!
Cindy
Thank you so much for the kind words Cindy! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
These are fantastic. kids prefer this to burgers now. I double the recipe and use the leftover chicken in lunch salads all week. Thanks
This was a delicious quick and easy recipe. I like to follow recipes as written the first time before manipulating flavors, however, I was out of cider vinegar and used a dry white wine. I served this with asparagus fries, broccoli slaw and grilled peppers. OMG! All loved the sandwiches from the 8 year old to the 80 year old. BRAVO!
Sounds like a delicious meal Trice! I am so glad you enjoyed it
I was looking for an easy and quick chicken sandwich that didn’t skimp on the delish factor and this did NOT disappoint!! Seriously so, so good!! I marinated the chicken for about 2.5-3 — it was so juicy and flavorful. Oh, and I also added cheese. Now my husband is saying we can have this at least 2 times a month.
So glad you loved it Shelby!
Could I use an air fryer instead of grilling?
Hi Darla, we have never tried this recipe in the air fryer but we have a delicious air fryer chicken breast recipe that you could follow and use in the sandwich! You will have to let us know how it turns out.
Hi can I marinade it in the freezer and cook it within 1 month?
Hi Noems, I haven’t personally tried that but it should turn out well! Let us know how it goes!
SO GOOD. Honey mustard was perfect and chicken amazing.
Hi! Wanting to use this recipe – is there a swap I could use for brown sugar? Thank you!
Hi Julie, you could try replacing the brown sugar with coconut sugar. Or you could try using maple syrup or even honey – if using these you will want to use about ⅔ tablespoon instead of a full tablespoon. We would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Hi Holly – I’m making your Chicken Piccata tonight and I came across your grilled chicken sandwich recipe. Looks delicious! How do you think it would turn out using an indoor grill pan? We really don’t grill outside but I’m dying to try the grilled chicken sandwich! Love all your recipes!!
Thank you!
Barb Cattie
Hi Barb, I have never tried this recipe on an indoor grill pan but I think it should work well. We would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Restaurant quality, do yourself a favor and stop here and make this recipe. As the king of chicken sandwiches I can not recommend this enough. Grill to perfection and this is my new favorite.
Thank you Jake!!
Girl! You ALWAYS have the most delicious recipes, i have made countless of them. The marinade makes adds the perfect touch of flavor. <3
I would love a recipe book If you have one?
Hi Jessica, thanks for the love ❤️ We have these EBook recipe books but no physical recipe book.
Incredible. Fast, easy, standard stuff. I used Costco breasts which included one from a robin and one from a turkey in the same pack so cooking was a bit of an issue. Marinated about an hour. I use a thousand plus degree IR burner on my bbq so I zapped ’em about 80 seconds on a side and put them on the top rack away from lower heat, used instant thermometer to find about 155. That is so helpful when one is dealing with different thicknesses and weights. All came out perfectly, some thick, some thin, all super tender and juicy. Mustard sauce was super, wife demands it for a stock item. Just toasted the kirkland sandwich rolls on the bb1, added tomato and lettuce and total mouth watering perfection. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Thanks Holly
So happy you loved this recipe!
I tried out this recipe last night – Great unique marinade. I didn’t think too highly of the ingredients but I’m glad i opened up to a new recipe. Expanded more flavors i don’t originally use. I did double up the recipe (for 8 Boneless skinless fillets) and added a half a tablespoon more of Brown Sugar, Salt, Pepper and Garlic Salt. Made teriyaki chicken sandwiches with these and added my Teriyaki mix + grilled. YUM. Thank you for this new recipe for me and my family.
You’re welcome! I just love hearing that you tried something new, and LOVE it Naye!
These were SO GOOD! The honey mustard sauce was an awesome addition. We also added pepper Jack cheese and avocado. A great change for when you’re looking for something different from burgers. Will definitely be making these again soon.
Hi Holly!
This is the 4th time in past few months that I have made this recipe and it is awesome! The marinade is perfect, but your honey mustard sauce really takes it over the top. Keep doing what your doing girl…it is amazing!
Thank you!
Love this recipe! My family enjoys eating these sandwiches. Definitely one of my go to dinners!
The Marinade works great for both sandwiches and kabobs. Thanks!