The Best Barbecue Chicken Sandwich Ever!
/[Sponsored]
It's my birthday and my one year Instagram anniversary! To thank everyone for being a part of my Instagram and social media journey, I've partnered with #Saucin' Sauces on this sponsored post to make this AMAAAAZING chicken sandwich and to offer you a giveaway!
To enter the giveaway, 1. LIKE #Saucin's Instagram account and 2. COMMENT on the above chicken sandwich picture, tagging two friends and mentioning what you'd like to make with their sauce. You have until Thursday, 5/4/17 at 2:30pm to enter! One winner will be selected to win two of Saucin' Sauces' Original barbecue sauce, which is absolutely divine!
Now, this being my birthday, it is definitely a cheat day! I'm just sitting here stuffing my face with fried onions and dunking them in Saucin' every chance I get! I may be exaggerating a little, but it's not completely fiction either! Did I mention it's only 2pm as I'm writing this right now? Plenty of time to eat even more leftovers!
But if it's not your cheat day or your birthday, Saucin' is not only tasty, but it is also a pretty healthy sauce! This is because it has twenty less calories per serving than your average barbecue sauce and has real ingredients that you can recognize on the label! Pretty incredible in my dietitian opinion.
What I also love about Saucin' is that the sauce is versatile. You can put this delicious barbecue sauce on anything ranging from your breakfast eggs, to a chicken salad, to your favorite grilling protein. It's tangy, sweet, and has just a hint of spice that really helps to balance out the flavor.
Are you ready for the best chicken sandwich recipe ever yet?! I used a few great ideas to write this recipe from Serious Eats' article on how to make the best barbecue chicken sandwich. But I also decided to make some insanely delicious fried onion strings to top it all off with help from The Food Network. Everything else pretty much came to me on the fly!
Be sure to check out Saucin's website and order some of their delicious Original Sauce! They have free shipping too, which makes it a great deal.
The Best Barbecue Chicken Sandwich Ever!
Total Time: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes
Hands-On Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (~1.5 lbs)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (12 oz) bottle Saucin' Original Barbecue Sauce
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese slices
4 hamburger bun halves
1 small head iceberg lettuce
2 medium vine ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
Fried Onion Strings
2 large onions, sliced thinly
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp cayenne pepper
Canola oil, for frying
Directions
Soak two handfuls of oak chips (optional) in a bowl of water for at least 15 minutes and up to two hours. Drain.
Lay chicken flat onto a cutting board. Pound with a mallet or with the back of a heavy frying pan to reach an even 3/4-inch thickness. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and transfer to a medium platter.
Combine 1 tsp of kosher salt and ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle over chicken breasts evenly on each side. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels.
While the chicken brines, prepare fried onions placing them in a shallow baking dish and pouring buttermilk over the top. Press the onions down so they're submerged as much as possible and let them soak on the counter for 15 minutes and up to one hour.
In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, black pepper and cayenne, and set aside.
Pour enough canola oil to cover your pot or Dutch oven to a 3-inch depth. Heat to 375 degrees F, or until a pinch of flour sizzles when sprinkled over the pot.
Using tongs, remove a handful of onions from the buttermilk and immediately dunk into the flour mixture. Coat the onions in the flour mixture, and then tap them on the inside of the bowl to shake off the excess.
Plunge the onions in the hot oil. Break them up with a spoon and fry for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown. Remove them from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining onion slices. Keep warm.
Clean and oil the barbecue grate. Preheat your charcoal grill by piling and lighting enough coals on one side to produce a medium-high flame.
Wrap the drained oak chips loosely in aluminum foil, ensuring the ends are able to vent. Set oak chips over the coals, replacing the grate, and let sit for 7-10 minutes, until chips begin to smoke.
Add 1/2 cup Saucin’ to a small bowl. Reserve for grilling.
Grill chicken for about 3 minutes on one side, basting with reserved Saucin’, and covering between basting. Flip chicken over, and cover, basting with Saucin’ for 2 more minutes. Add cheese to each piece of chicken and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160F. Transfer chicken to a large plate and keep warm.
Note: If the chicken is cooked well on the outside, but doesn’t reach the proper temperature, transfer to the the cooler side of the grill and cover until cooked through.
Add the buns to the grill. Flip over and cook until toasted on the other side.
Top the bottom bun halves with about 1 tbsp Saucin, followed by the cheesy grilled chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, and fried onions. Drizzle with a little Saucin’ on the top and close with the remaining bun half. Serve immediately and enjoy!
If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my recipes for Beet Rueben Sandwich, Whole Wheat Croque-Madames, and Salmon Burger with Chipotle Mayonnaise and Caperberries!
