We’re at the beginning of at least a couple of weeks of grilled sandwich content with this great chicken sandwich.
What is this sandwich?
This is grilled chicken—thigh or breast—and melty Swiss cheese sandwich with a slightly spicy avocado sauce. I added crushed-up potato chips and red onion to add a big texture to the final sandwich and the whole thing is bounded by my newest honey wheat sandwich bun recipe.
During the conceptual phase of planning for this sandwich, I thought about turning this into a “California-style” grilled chicken sandwich but then I didn’t feel like buying sprouts and I forgot to buy tomatoes then instead of being healthy I decided to turn the avocado into a dip and pair that with crushed up potato chips for a one, two punch of creamy, slightly spicy flavor and salty, textural crunch. I also thought about adding bacon to this one but decided against it for fear that it might disturb the balance, but feel free to run with that idea if you want to make this sandwich at your house.
This sandwich is spicy, creamy, and crunchy and since it’s grilled it’s a fantastic summer sandwich that doesn’t require heating up your kitchen (note: baking bread does require heating the house up, so do that in the morning when it’s cooler).
First, we need some tasty buns. This is my newest bun recipe and it’s a good one.
Honey wheat sandwich buns
This is the first time I’ve shared this bun recipe but I have baked it a few times at this point. It’s based on another of my white bread bun recipes. I swapped out sugar for extra honey and then I changed the flour portion to 50% all-purpose and 50% whole wheat.
That means this isn’t 100% whole wheat bread which means it’s much easier to work with and it basically reacts to proofing and rising much like any other all-purpose or bread flour-based bun recipe that you might have baked before.
Special ingredients?
This recipe does require a few extra ingredients that you might not have in your pantry—potato flour and dry milk powder. Potato flour absorbs more moisture than regular flour which means your bread will be more moist and it should have a longer shelf life. Dry milk powder adds flavor and richness to the final bread. Dry milk also helps bread to brown more and since it’s dehydrated, it is shelf stable and has a very long expiration date, unlike regular milk.
I can find both potato flour and dry milk in the baking section of the large grocery stores in my area. But you might have to go to a specialty store. They both have long shelf lives so you shouldn’t have to shop for them very often.
Weight in grams?
I recommend using a scale for this recipe, but I did measure out and list the ingredients in volumetric measures as well. For me, it’s easier to measure with a scale and you don’t have to wiggle around with tablespoons, teaspoons, and cup measurements. The scale I use and recommend is one that you’ll see in a ton of kitchens on YouTube because it’s fairly cheap and easy to find on Amazon. You can use any scale that measures in grams though.
I even bought this scale for my mom (so I can use it when I visit—don’t tell her this part).
Honey wheat sandwich buns
This bun introduces extra honey sweetness to a soft, but still chewy wheat bun. Squishy and flavorful, it's perfect for your next grilled chicken sandwich.
Get RecipeMayo marinated grilled chicken
Yes, I said mayo.
This is a way to easily create a marinade from just a few things you probably already have in your house. You can change the seasonings and add things like lemon juice for acidity or extra cayenne powder for spice. I kept things pretty simple in my version but you can use mine as a starting point and build upon it.
The base of this marinade is mayonnaise and that might shock some folks. But I didn’t invent this tactic and I definitely trust Kenji Lopez-Alt when it comes to cooking strategies. Kenji wrote a recipe with tips and reasoning for using mayonnaise for grilled chicken for the New York Times.
The points that Kenji made in the reasonings for his recipe is that mayonnaise in a marinade helps the seasonings to stick and spread evenly on the outside of the meat and it will also help the meat to brown. The resulting meat will not taste like mayonnaise so if you hate mayo on your sandwich, you won’t have to worry about that.
You might still be weirded out that a condiment like mayo is used so prominently in a marinade, but when you consider what the base elements of mayonnaise are, it’s not that weird. Mayo is made from oil, egg, and seasonings and I definitely don’t think egg or oil would be weird in a marinade or a dressing used to season chicken prior to being cooked on the grill.
You can grill this recipe on a charcoal grill, gas grill, or even on a grill pan in your kitchen. I tried it both on my gas grill and on my grill pan on my stovetop. Worked just fine both ways. I ate these sandwiches in multiple consecutive days and as you would expect, I did notice that the chicken grilled outdoors definitely had more of a grilled over-fire flavor.
Creamy avocado and jalapeno dip
This avocado and jalapeno dip is also a new Bounded by Buns recipe. I have an avocado jalapeno ranch sauce recipe but this one is a bit more flavorful and it’s more like a creamy dip and less like a dressing. I used this dip in 5 or 6 different grilled chicken sandwiches during the week, but honestly, I enjoyed it as a dip with chips just as much.
This is primarily a dip recipe, but I’ve learned very well over the past few years that dips make for fantastic sandwich components and this sandwich is no different.
I used a food processor to whip up this dip which makes everything easy to do. If you do not have a food processor I believe you could probably still make this dip, but it would take some effort to get a super creamy texture. You would need to finely chop the jalapeno and cilantro and then using a potato masher, get the avocado and everything else as smoothly mashed as you can.
Creamy avocado and jalapeno dip
This creamy avocado and jalapeno dip is great for your next snack night or friendly gathering. Enjoy with potato chips, tortilla chips, or spread it on a sandwich for a creamy, slightly spicy kick.
Get RecipeCrunchy chips
Since we’re using dip in the sandwich I added chips to the recipe to inject some extra texture. For this, I selected plain/original Ruffles potato chips.
There’s just something about plain Ruffles. I think it’s mostly nostalgia, but if you bring out a bag of Ruffles and some French onion dip, I will get really excited.
Chips and dip added to a sandwich just makes sense. It adds crunch and since both the dip and the chips are fully matched, they will work great together as a creamy and crunchy sandwich component.
Swiss cheese
Swiss cheese is a little nutty and just a tiny bit sweet. When it is sliced, you can encourage it to melt on top of a chicken sandwich or burger with enough trapped heat.
You can easily get melty cheese on a chicken sandwich or cheeseburger that you’re grilling outside by closing the grill lid for the last minute or two of the cooking process. When you’re using an indoor grill pan you can still get a little melty cheese simply from the hot heat of the meat and the closeness of the hot pan. But you can also place a metal bowl or create a tent from aluminum foil to trap heat over the top of the meat and cheese.
Lettuce and red onion
These two ingredients are optional in this sandwich, but both of them bring great texture to the final sandwich. The lettuce I used is leftover from last week’s recipe and it’s just shredded green leaf. You could use whole-leaf lettuce or even some simple iceberg.
I know that some people do not like the strong flavor that comes along with raw onions. I think a couple of slices in a sandwich really pops with flavor and texture but you can leave these out if you aren’t a fan. Or you could choose to pickle the red onions for an entirely different textural experience and a pop of tangy vinegar flavor. This would lessen the rawness of the onion flavor as well.
Sandwich build process
I tried the placement for the dip and chips on the top and on the bottom of the chicken and cheese and they definitely worked best on the bottom. Spread a layer of the creamy avocado and jalapeno dip on the bottom bun, top with slightly crushed chips, and then your chicken and cheese. This builds a solid base which leads to a sturdy sandwich construction.
The sandwich recipe
I made this sandwich a whole bunch of times. You’ll see when you scroll further down the page. It’s a good one and I will definitely be using these recipes and concepts again in the near future when I want a grilled chicken sandwich.
Grilled chicken and Swiss sandwich with a creamy avocado jalapeno dip
Here's a creamy, crunchy, slightly spicy take on a grilled chicken sandwich. It's packed with savory grilled chicken, melty Swiss cheese, and an avocado and jalapeno dip paired with crushed-up potato chips for a one, two punch of creamy, slightly spicy flavor and salty, textural crunch.
Ingredients:
Creamy avocado and jalapeno dip- 1 avocado, peeled and seed removed
- 2 jalapenos, roughly chopped with seeds and white ribs removed
- 3⁄4 cup cilantro leaves
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄3 cup water (optional)
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
- 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cilantro, chopped
- 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder (optional)
- 2 chicken thighs (or one large chicken breast cut into two sandwich sized pieces)
- 2 slices Swiss cheese (any sliced cheese will work)
- 2 sandwich buns
- 2 to 3 tablespoons creamy avocado and jalapeno dip (from above)
- 2 small handfuls lightly crushed potato chips
- 2 chicken pieces topped with cheese (from above)
- shredded lettuce
- red onion, thinly sliced
Directions:
Creamy avocado and jalapeno dip: add all dip ingredients except water to a food processor and blend until everything is smooth. You will probably have to scrape down the edges of the food processor bowl several times to get everything chopped properly.
If the dip seems too thick, add a little bit of the water and pulse the food processor again. Keep adding water a little bit at a time until the dip is the consistency that seems good to you. It needs to be creamy and spreadable.
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Chicken marinade: in a medium bowl add mayonnaise, paprika, garlic powder, cilantro, salt, ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine well.
Add your chicken pieces and make sure they are fully coated in marinade. Store in the fridge for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.
Chicken grilling: preheat a gas or charcoal grill for 10 minutes (or grill pan on your stovetop).
Pull the chicken out of the marinade and cook on grill grates for 4 to 5 minutes per side for thighs and 5 to 6 minutes per side for chicken breasts. If you have very large chicken breasts you might want to grill for 7 minutes. If you have a probe thermometer you should be looking for 165 degrees F (73 C). You should be able to pull the chicken off the grill 5 degrees less than your target temperature and it will carry over cook those extra degrees.
During the last minute of grilling time add your pieces of sliced cheese and close the lid on the grill to help the cheese melt.
Sandwich assembly: toast your sandwich buns if desired.
Spread a bit of the creamy avocado and jalapeno dip on the bottom bun and sprinkle on a handful of lightly crushed potato chips.
Top the dip and chips with the cheese-topped chicken. Then add lettuce and red onion.
Spread more dip on the top bun if desired and then complete the sandwich. Serve and enjoy.
Check back next week
I’ll probably still be grilling! I have a couple of sandwiches in the works, but if it’s what I think it’ll be, it’ll be a new grilled handheld with some big flavor.
