Creamy-rich. Lightly spicy. Sweet ‘n tangy barbecue-ey. Tender. Juicy. One of the shining stars of the entire summer of barbecuing, this easy, quick, grilled chicken sandwich sky-rocketed to the top of the list of 2019’s summer’s Best Sandwiches! Grilling season isn’t over yet, so be sure to make this one before it’s too late!
Okay, guys. This was one of the. best. grilled chicken sandwiches that I’ve made yet! No. Doubt. About it!
The sauce came out DIVINE. I’m so not kidding you, you truly MUST make this sauce!! Whether you use it for this sandwich, or wings, or drink it out of a glass (your business), it’s one of the BEST barbecue sauces that have come out of my kitchen, EVER!
So, one beautiful, sunny, Saturday afternoon, I set out to try to make a fantastic peanut butter barbecue sauce. Only using what I had on hand. And tried not to make it too sweet, too tart, or too hot (but with a little kick in the back), and absolutely had a blast!
Needless to say, after all that has been said already, I kinda shocked my own little self!! This sauce was the BOMB of all BOMBS. (I had to cover it and put it away, or I was just gonna grab a spoon and go to town on it!)
Yeah. It was THAT kind of good.
THIS. Was going to make for KILLER good sandwiches!!!
Once the sauce was made, I took out 4 medium-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied them, then pounded each one until they were pretty thin. Not overly thin, though. It’s too easy for them to turn out dry on the grill if you do that. Between a 1/4 and 1/3 inch thin, but no more.
I seasoned them with just salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika, sprayed them with a little butter-flavored cooking spray, and tossed them onto a medium-hot, pre-heated grill.
Just close the lid, and grill them for only a few minutes on each side. Then start slathering them with sauce, basting and turning, until they’re done!
And…..TAH DAH!!!
This chicken was smelling so stinkin’ good that we could hardly wait at this point! My patience completely left me! I was totally at the mercy of this chicken!!
Is that not one glorious dish of grilled chicken, or what?
Right?!
I added a bit more sauce, just on top, while they rested. Because, I mean. THAT. SAUCE.
The perfect bun for these was brioche. A rich, delicate bun that I slathered with butter and grilled until toasted on the insides!
Wanting to not let any condiments take away from what I KNEW was going to be an incredibly tasty chicken sandwich, I kept it simple with just lettuce, tomatoes from the garden, crisp-cooked and peppered bacon, and thinly sliced red onion.
Perfection right there. Yep.
I wondered about adding tomato, but don’t worry. It’s shocking how well tomato goes with any peanut butter-based sauce! It wouldn’t be the same, nor nearly as good, without it! Trust me on this!
They all have a flavor-part to play! And BOY did they all play together beautifully!!
Summer ain’t done yet!! So, before you winterize your grill and close down the patio for the season, make one last dish. THIS. That sauce alone is worth making this for!!
I swear to you, this is one sandwich that you won’t soon forget! End this grilling season with a bang, and make my Spicy Peanut Butter Barbecue and Bacon Chicken Sandwiches this weekend! One the entire family will love, and perfect for football season! ENJOY!!
Spicy Peanut Butter Barbecue and Bacon Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
For BBQ Sauce:
- 2 Tbl. Minerva Dairy Butter, do not sub margarine or low quality butter
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 Tbl. pureed chipotles in adobo sauce, 2 for *extra hot*
- 2 Tbl. Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbecue Sauce
- 1/2 cup creamy-style peanut butter, I used Peter Pan
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbl. light brown sugar, *3 if you prefer a sweeter sauce
- 2 Tbl. unsulphured molasses
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. regular black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne
- 1/3 cup unsweetened apple juice
Rest of Ingredients:
- 4 small to medium-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded 1/4 - 1/3 inch thick, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika to taste
- 4 hamburger buns
Toppings:
- chopped, shredded, or whole lettuce leaves
- thinly sliced tomato
- thinly sliced red onion
- crisp-cooked peppered bacon, optional
Instructions
For BBQ Sauce: Heat butter over low heat in saucepan, add shallots and sauté until tender and golden. Remove from heat. Add in rest of ingredients, stir well to combine, return to heat, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring. Set aside with lid tilted.
For Chicken: Butterfly, pound, and seasoning both sides of chicken breasts. Heat grill to medium. Spray tops of chicken with butter-flavored no-stick spray, and place filets onto grill sprayed side down. Care fully, lightly, spray tops. Close lid and grill until light golden brown and grill marks. Turn, coat with some sauce, close lid and grill again. (3 - 4 minutes each time.) Turn, and start slathering with sauce, turning and basting with lost of sauce until done, about another 2 - 4 minutes on each side, depending on thickness and how hot your grill is. When done inside, remove to plate and top each with a little more sauce of desired.
Butter insides of buns, and grill until toasted. Place chicken onto bottom buns, top with lettuce, tomato, bacon and onion. Place on tops and enjoy!!
