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BBQ Bacon Cheddar Chicken Sandwiches

Sometimes, simple is all you need. These 30 minute BBQ Bacon Cheddar Chicken Sandwiches get so much flavor from just a few ingredients, making them the perfect choice for a quick weeknight dinner.

This week’s BBQ Bacon Cheddar Chicken Sandwiches recipe was inspired by a special buy pack of everything bagel brioche buns from ALDI, which I impulse bought this week. I’ve also been trying to use up some of the clearance and sale meat from my freezer, so pulled out both bacon and chicken last night to set off the lovely soft brioche.

bbq bacon cheddar chicken sandwich on a plate with grapes

That all paid off, making for a most juicy and flavorful sandwich indeed. (I also used honey BBQ sauce here for the kids’ benefit, but might go with something a little richer and smokier for a more adult palate.) Just seven ingredients + 30 minutes ’til dinner, and this all cooks up in one pan on the stove top so that you don’t have to run the oven on a hot summer’s night.

BBQ Bacon Cheddar Chicken Sandwiches

bbq bacon chicken sandwiches ingredients

Ingredients

6 pieces of bacon
1.25-1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into four pieces
Garlic salt, to taste
Smoked paprika, to taste
4 slices cheddar cheese
Barbecue sauce, to taste
4 brioche buns

Directions

drain the bacon on paper towels

Cook up the bacon over medium-high heat in a large skillet to desired crispness (about eight minutes), then remove to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Reserve the bacon grease in the pan.

season the chicken on both sides

Meanwhile, trim and cut the chicken into four equal pieces. Season generously to taste with garlic salt and smoked paprika.

cooked chicken in the pan

After removing the cooked bacon from the pan, reduce heat under the skillet to medium. Add the four chicken pieces and cook them in the bacon grease until no pink remains. (This will take about 7-9 minutes per side, depending on thickness.)

While the chicken is cooking, break each slice of cooked bacon in half to make 12 smaller pieces, and spread BBQ sauce onto each brioche bun.

When the chicken has cooked through, top each piece of chicken with three of the half pieces of bacon, then a slice of cheddar cheese. Leave them in the hot pan for about a minute, just until the cheddar starts to melt.

inside the bbq bacon cheddar chicken sandwich

Assemble your BBQ bacon cheddar chicken sandwiches, and enjoy!

Note: Chicken sandwiches are also great with sauteed onions and/or mushrooms, if you’d like to jazz them up even further. If you like, you could also pound the chicken pieces flatter so that they cook through faster — but I wanted a nice thick chicken sandwich, so just cut mine into pieces. Next time, I might lightly toast the buns.

That’s a satisfying sandwich

barbecue chicken sandwiches topped with bacon and cheddar cheese

Juicy chicken sandwiches with barbecue sauce, bacon, and cheddar, all nestled into a soft brioche bun… how could you go wrong, really? I just paired ours with fruit last night, which made for a simple yet filling summer dinner. Be sure to go generously in on the seasonings, in order to add flavor to the thick piece of chicken, and to remove the chicken from the pan when just cooked through in order to keep it juicy.

More chicken sandwich ideas?

If this one doesn’t grab you, there are so many different ways to take a chicken sandwich. Try, for instance:

Variety is the spice of chicken!

BBQ Bacon Cheddar Chicken Sandwiches, printable recipe

BBQ Bacon Cheddar Chicken Sandwiches

Sometimes, simple is all you need. These 30 minute BBQ Bacon Cheddar Chicken Sandwiches get so much flavor from just a few ingredients, making them the perfect choice for a quick weeknight dinner.
Course dinner
Cuisine sandwiches
Keyword 30 minute meals, boneless skinless chicken breast, chicken, chicken sandwiches, sandwiches, weeknight dinner
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 6 pieces of bacon
  • 1.25-1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cut into four pieces
  • Garlic salt to taste
  • Smoked paprika to taste
  • 4 slices cheddar cheese
  • Barbecue sauce to taste
  • 4 brioche buns

Instructions

  • Cook up the bacon over medium-high heat in a large skillet to desired crispness (about eight minutes), then remove to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Reserve the bacon grease in the pan.
  • Meanwhile, trim and cut the chicken into four equal pieces. Season generously to taste with garlic salt and smoked paprika.
  • After removing the cooked bacon from the pan, reduce heat under the skillet to medium. Add the four chicken pieces and cook them in the bacon grease until no pink remains. (This will take about 7-9 minutes per side, depending on thickness.)
  • While the chicken is cooking, break each slice of cooked bacon in half to make 12 smaller pieces, and spread BBQ sauce onto each brioche bun.
  • When the chicken has cooked through, top each piece of chicken with three of the half pieces of bacon, then a slice of cheddar cheese. Leave them in the hot pan for about a minute, just until the cheddar starts to melt.
  • Assemble your BBQ bacon cheddar chicken sandwiches, and enjoy!

Notes

Note: Chicken sandwiches are also great with sauteed onions and/or mushrooms, if you’d like to jazz them up even further. If you like, you could also pound the chicken pieces flatter so that they cook through faster — but I wanted a nice thick chicken sandwich, so just cut mine into pieces. Next time, I might lightly toast the buns.

Recipes in the real world

weekly ALDI meal plans from Mashup Mom -- six complete dinners for four, $60 out the door! MashupMom.com, every Wednesday.

Be sure not to miss the free ALDI meal plans, which show you how to use these easy family recipes to meal plan affordably and realistically for your family. Or, find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search!

Recipe Rating




Donna

Sunday 2nd of July 2023

Rachel, what's the dish pictured underneath the picture of the cheese tortellini? it doesn't have a name but sure looks delish! thanks