Don’t let those commercials fool you! You can make restaurant-style sandwiches so much better at home, and it really does just take minutes to make!

The commercials on TV always make everything look sooooo good. don’t they? Tender, juicy, grilled filets of chicken, still steaming hot, ooey gooey melted cheese….crisp lettuce with droplets of dew….and ruby red slices of fresh tomato….all piled on a perfectly formed bun with a special sauce slathered inside…. *sigh*.

But…..that’s not what you get when you go there. You open the the greasy paper which is stuck to the molten fried cheese, and the first thing you think is….did I order the right sandwich?? Am I at the right place??

The chicken, if you can even find it, is dried out with faux grill marks printed on it. The lettuce looks days old, the part that I peel off the outside of the head and toss into the trash.

And the bacon? Uhm….exactly what part of the pig DID this come from?? And adding all that fake bacon flavor and “instant smoke”, does not make it resemble bacon.

The tomatoes are the worst. Paper thin, annihilated, pinkish-peach, mushy rings of goop.

And they’re HOT.

(How long has this been sitting there??) Yuck-O.

The “special sauce” most likely comes in a vat-sized plastic bucket that should have a hazmat warning due to all of the added chemicals.

And the whole sandwich looks like someone ran over it in the parking lot. Then backed up. And ran over it again.

I hope that I don’t sound cynical. But I have actually gotten a sandwich exactly as described above. That’s why I have a fear of mass-produced, cheap food that comes out of a 2 foot square window. I’ll pass. 😉

These chicken filets are thinly pounded, (or just butterfly one and separate it into two sandwiches), and only take about 3-4 minutes per side to panfry or grill. You can make the sauce and prep the rest while the chicken is cooking. And that’s all there is to it!

I always cook a whole pound of bacon in the oven as soon as I get it, and store it in the freezer for whenever I need a few slices, so there’s another big time saver there, too!

So don’t succumb to those enticing commercials that talk you into ordering. It’s not what you’ll get and you’ll be very disappointed. These chicken sandwiches actually take less time, because you don’t have to drive there, twice, (because you know they gave you someones else’s order and you have to go back), and just make your own, much healthier version at home!

You can vary the cheese and add pepper-jack, or use low-fat, or skip the cheese altogether. And you aren’t limited to greasy, half-burnt, double-fried, leftover french fries, either.

This sandwich is fine by itself, or serve it up with some homemade potato salad, cole slaw, or baked beans, or a nice cup of soup! Or even make your own homemade fries!

So I hope this helps out for a quick lunch or easy summertime supper that the whole family will enjoy. Or treat yourself and a friend one day soon for lunch. At home!  😉

Yield: 1 sandwich

Restaurant Fake-Out Grilled Chicken Sandwich BLT-Syle with Co-Jack & Special Sauce

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Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes

Total Time 16 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 small boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded to thinness desired
• garlic salt, pepper & paprika (dust each side as desired)
• 1 slice good co-jack cheese, I like Sargento's
• 2 slices lean quality crisp-cooked bacon, peppered
• crisp iceberg lettuce leaves
• 1-2 slices red ripe garden tomatoes
• 1 poppy seed onion bun

For Sauce:

• 1 Tbl. mayo
• 1/2 Tbl. spicy brown mustard
• 1/2 tsp. real honey, I personally like Sue Bee's Orange Blossom Honey

Instructions

If you don't already have any cooked bacon on hand, fry or bake that first, set aside in paper towels.

Pound chicken breast until it's the thinness that you'd like. Sprinkle each side with seasonings to taste.

Grill (or panfry) for about 3-4 minutes per side depending on thickness until juices run clear. Top with a slice of co-jack cheese,remove from heat, and cover with a lid or metal dome to let melt.

While chicken is resting and cheese is melting, mix sauce in small bowl.

Toast bun if desired and spread both insides with sauce, then top with lettuce, chicken breast, bacon, tomato slices, and place on top bun.

Serve hot.

*Goes nicely with homemade fries, baked beans, potato salad or cole slaw.