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Instead of burgers, try grilling up these juicy chicken sandwiches as a healthier option. They go great with chips, fruits, salads - all your cookout favorites! And for a low carb option these fold right into a lettuce wrap beautifully.
I came up with this recipe nearly 20 years ago, and our family has been loving it ever since. The chicken is bursting with flavor and so juicy, thanks to the marinade. And the piece of chicken is the perfect size - thin enough to fit just right on a hamburger bun for the perfect bite. We think this is the best grilled chicken sandwich recipe! It's the one I always turn to again and again.
These sandwiches are one of those chicken recipes that are easy to forget is a fantastic option for dinner. Pair them up with nearly any kind of salad for a healthy meal. How about Sweet Chili Cucumber salad, Ham and Cheese Macaroni salad, or Low Carb Coleslaw?
Use Grilled Chicken for:
- Use leftover chicken for lunches. I have made SO many salads with chicken for our lunch boxes over the years! Here are some old favorites: Trader Joes Harvest Salad with grilled chicken, Thai chicken noodle salad, and chicken salad with poppyseed dressing, just to name a few.
- Other sandwiches like Chicken BLT with Pesto Cream Cheese, and this amazing chicken salad.
- Leftover grilled chicken makes a filling, high protein snack.
Ingredients
- Chicken - I use boneless chicken breast in this recipe.
- Chicken broth - homemade or canned
- Ketchup - I prefer to use low sugar ketchup, but any kind will work here
- Salt - this will help to tenderize the meat and make really juicy chicken!
- Apple cider vinegar - the acid in vinegar will break down the muscle fibers so you get really tender chicken.
- Liquid smoke - you can skip this, but I love the extra flavor it imparts to these chicken sandwiches. No matter how you cook it it's got that fresh off the grill, smoky flavor.
- Spices: Italian seasoning, pepper, and garlic powder - for excellent flavor 🙂
Best Chicken for Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
I prefer boneless skinless chicken breasts for a picture perfect sandwich. I do not pound mine flat with a mallet for sandwiches. I have a much simpler way to make thin, even chicken breasts that are perfect for sandwiches. Scroll down to see the photos of how to prep the chicken for the perfect sandwich.
You can also use chicken thighs. I really love chicken thighs in most recipes for their excellent flavor. They work alright for grilled chicken sandwiches, but they are a challenge to slice thin enough.
One type of chicken that I do NOT recommend for grilled chicken sandwiches is chicken tenderloin, or chicken tenders. These are the skinny cuts of meat that come from the underside of a chicken breast. The white string that runs through it is an actual tendon. Even though it’s edible, it is chewy and just not really fun to eat.
Best Gluten Free Buns for Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
The bread I used for the pictures in this post are Trader Joe's gluten free buns. They are my first choice for store bought gluten free buns because they’re soft and have a smooth texture. The bun holds up and doesn’t crumble in a burger or sandwich.
I also really like Udi’s hamburger buns. They have a nice, neutral flavor and hold up pretty well for burgers and chicken sandwiches. And they seem to be easier to find in stores.
Shaar makes some good ciabatta rolls that are gluten free, if you want to stay with an Italian flavor combo. The flavor is pretty good, and if you heat the bread first in the microwave you will end up with a soft ciabatta bun.
You just can’t beat fresh homemade bread for a sandwich though. And the good news is, you can make your own fresh bread! I’ve got a gluten free bread workshop over on Teachable where I can show you how.
How to Make this Sandwich Low Carb
Grilled chicken breasts make excellent lettuce wrap sandwiches! Just replace the bun with a large leaf of your favorite lettuce. We really love iceberg lettuce for the crunch, but leafy lettuces give you more coverage - they tend to have large leaves that wrap around the sandwich ingredients and keep it from turning into a mess.
You could also replace the bun with a low carb bun. Keep in mind that these low carb buns are rarely (if ever) gluten free though.
Calorie content for a lettuce wrap sandwich: You can find the nutrition info if you scroll down to the bottom of the recipe card, but here's the basics for one (lettuce wrapped) sandwich: Calories - 276, Fat - 14.2 grams, Protein - 31.8 grams.
How to Prep and Grill Chicken for Sandwiches
Step 1. Combine all marinade ingredients together and whisk to combine.
Step 2. Slice chicken in half horizontally with a very sharp knife.
Step 3. Place chicken in zip loc bag and pour marinade over.
Step 4. Squeeze and massage the bag to coat the chicken.
Step 5. After marinating, grill chicken until internal temp. reaches 165℉
Now Make the Sandwiches
It's easy to assemble the sandwiches: spread mayo on the bottom bun, add chicken, lettuce, tomato slices, and dill pickle slices as desired. Keep scrolling to 👀 other ideas for customizing your chicken sandwich. ⤵️
Make Perfect Grilled Chicken Indoors
I love my Lodge cast iron griddle! It’s super convenient - you just lay it over 2 burners on your stove top. It's flat, so it’s easy to store on a shelf or in a cupboard. It has 2 sides - the smooth side is what I use for pancakes. And the opposite side is perfect for grilling chicken when it’s too cold to heat up the outdoor grill. You can find it for under $50. Check it out!
My cast iron grill pan
Buy Now → 
Ultimate Grilled Chicken Sandwich Recipe |Gluten Free
Juicy, flavorful chicken, crisp lettuce, tangy tomato and pickles on a warm (gluten free) bun. I'll show you how to make chicken that's just the right size and thickness for a perfect sandwich! Fire up that grill (or grill pan) and let's go!
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 sandwiches 1x
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons ketchup ( I use low sugar ketchup)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke, optional
- ⅛ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine chicken broth, ketchup, salt, vinegar, liquid smoke, Italian seasoning, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk to combine.
- Lay one chicken breast on a cutting board or work surface. Place your hand firmly on top of the chicken to hold it still. Use a “claw grip” for safety, as shown in the pictures above. With a very sharp knife, slice through the chicken horizontally so you have two thin, long chicken breast pieces. Repeat this for the other chicken breasts until you have 6 thin pieces.
- Place chicken pieces in a ziploc bag, and add the marinade mixture.
- Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Squeeze and massage the bag to thoroughly coat the chicken with the marinade. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour, or up to 8 hours.
- Oil grate or grilling surface and heat to a temperature of medium high, or about 350 to 400℉. Cook chicken until browned on one side, turn. Reduce temperature if needed, and continue to cook until an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165℉.
- Assemble sandwiches: spread mayo on a warmed or toasted bun, add chicken, lettuce, slices of tomato, and dill pickle slices as desired.
Notes
Please note: the nutrition info is for a lettuce wrap chicken sandwich that includes mayo, lettuce, and tomato. Since hamburger buns vary in calorie content so much, you will need to factor in the calorie content and other nutrition info for a bun if you choose to use one.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: lunch
- Method: grill
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: pieces
- Calories: 276
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 676.2 mg
- Fat: 14.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.8 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 31.8 g
- Cholesterol: 105.7 mg
Make a Good Sandwich into the Best Chicken Sandwich
This recipe makes a delicious sandwich as is, but here are some ways you can make this a next level sandwich:
- replace the mayo with spicy mayo, or homemade mayo
- top the grilled chicken with barbecue sauce
- add a slice of cheese - I'm thinking some melty provolone cheese would be perfect!
- add some crisp bacon - regular or turkey bacon
- include a little dash of red pepper flakes (my spicy-loving family turned me on to this, and I'm really warming up to the idea!)
- or how about a dash of hot sauce?
- spread on some mustard - Dijon mustard, spicy brown mustard, or Cuban mustard (my favorite!)
- Replace the lettuce leaves with some zesty coleslaw. I absolutely love coleslaw on sandwiches! If you haven't tried it yet, you should!
Most recipes call for chicken to be marinated for at least an hour so the meat will tenderize and pick up the flavors of the marinade. You can safely marinate chicken breast for up to 24 hours, but don’t go longer than that or the meat might become chewy or mushy.
I don’t pound my chicken with a meat mallet like many other recipes recommend. For sandwiches I prefer to slice the chicken breast horizontally with a very sharp knife before putting it in the marinade. You can see how I do that in the photo above.
Chicken breast will stay moist and juicy as it cooks if you first marinate it in a solution that contains salt. And as it cooks, check it with a thermometer until it has an internal temperature of 165℉.
One way to tell if chicken breast is done is by cutting into it. If the meat is white (not pink), and the juices run clear, then the chicken is ready. But the best way is to insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Once the temperature reads 165℉ it will be done.
Yes you can, and it will turn out as tender and juicy as if you grilled it. The only thing it will be missing is the grill marks. Check the temperature more frequently using a meat thermometer because it may get done faster in an air fryer.
russ
Yum! This is better than Chic Fil-a I love me some chicken sandwich. Especially in January and February