BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are the perfect addition to any dinner table.  Garlicky buttered french bread is pan-fried to perfection and paired with the savory flavors of BBQ chicken and the oh so creamy, melted Havarti Cheese.  If you like these grilled cheese sandwiches, you have to try my cheeseburger sliders and my classic Chicken Salad Sandwiches too!

BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese
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BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

The inspiration behind this amazing grilled cheese sandwich came from my BBQ Chicken Sliders.  We decided that the garlic butter we used on the slider would make a great coating on sturdy white bread like sourdough.  Unlike the soft dinner roll used in the sliders, these grilled cheese sandwiches have an amazingly flavorful and crispy sandwich bread, which was a major hit with the kids. 

Easy BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese

BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese Recipe

Served alone, with a bag of potato chips, or with a side of fresh coleslaw, these BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are a sure-fire crowd-pleaser.  The primary ingredient in this dish is shredded chicken.  I like to make a big batch of the stuff ahead of time.  It is a great way to supplement your meal planning throughout the week. 

How to Make BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese

How to Make BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese

I love a good savory meal that doesn’t take much to pull together.  This is one of those meals.  With a few tips, you’ll be enjoying these at your own dinner table!!

Garlic Butter

The garlic butter is one of those tiny little touches that take this meal over the edge.  Simply add butter, garlic, and parsley to a small bowl and pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds (until the butter melts).  You can add different spices and make it your own at this stage.  Set it aside and let it cool just a bit.

Mix the Chicken

The shredded chicken gets mixed first with the paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and BBQ sauce of your choice.  Mix that all up and set it aside for now.

Soften the Onions

Slice the red onions as thin as you can get them and then cook them briefly in oil (to soften).  After a bit of trial and error, we found that like liked the thinner slices better than the thicker sliced onions.  If you choose to do thicker slices of onion, make sure to adjust the cooking time.  You may also need to add some additional oil to the pan.  Keep an eye on them and stir them around occasionally so they don’t stick to the pan.

Combine the Mixture

Add the chicken mixture to the pan and cook for another 2-3 minutes, just until everything is cooked through.

Prepare the Sandwiches

Lay 12 slices of bread on a work surface. Spread the melted butter mixture over each piece and then turn each piece over so that the buttered side is down. Then add 6 pieces of cheese on half of the bread slices, top each piece of cheese with an equal portion of the bbq chicken mixture. Add the remaining cheese over the top of the chicken and finally, top with the remaining 6 slices of bread (both the bottom and the top should have the buttered side exposed). Set the buttered sandwiches in a large non-stick skillet. Place over medium heat and cook until the bottoms of the sandwiches are browned.  Turn the sandwiches over, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the bottom is browned and the cheese is melted.

Delicious BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese

More Sandwiches

BBQ Grilled Cheese
5 from 21 votes

BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are the perfect addition to any dinner table.ย  Garlicky buttered french bread is pan-fried to perfection and paired with the savory flavors of BBQ chicken and the oh so creamy, melted Havarti Cheese.

Ingredients

BBQ Chicken

  • 2ย  tablespoonsย  olive oil
  • 1ย  smallย red onion, ย thinly sliced
  • 3ย  clovesย  garlic, ย minced
  • 2 ยฝย  cupsย  shredded roasted chicken
  • ยฝย  teaspoon paprika
  • 1ย  teaspoonย  Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce
  • 12ย  slices Havarti cheese

Garlic Butter Bread

  • ยผย  cupย  butter
  • 2ย  clovesย  garlic, minced
  • 2ย  teaspoonsย  parsley, minced
  • 12 slices sourdough bread or sturdy white bread

Instructions

BBQ Chicken

  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onions until soft, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the shredded chicken, smoked paprika, and Worcestershire sauce and bbq sauce. Stir to combine and cook until everything is heated through, about 2-3 minutes.

Garlic Butter Bread

  • Add butter, garlic, and minced parsley in a medium bowl. Microwave until melted.
  • Lay 12 slices ofย bread on work surface. Spread melted butter mixture over each piece.
  • Turn each piece over and 6 of the bread slices with 6 of the cheese slices and the bbq chicken mixture, dividing evenly. Add the remaining cheese over the top of the chicken and top with the remaining 6 slices of bread (both the bottom and the top should have the buttered side exposed).
  • Set buttered sandwiches in a large non-stick skillet. Place over medium heat and cook until the bottoms of the sandwiches are browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn sandwiches over, reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the bottom is browned and the cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes longer.

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Meet Amanda Rettke

Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion โ€“ With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

Reader Comments

  1. I saw this on your Homemade Recipes fb page and people were complaining about how it’s not grilled cheese. When I saw all the naysayers I knew I had to make it! I am a rebel like that. I am so glad I did. This is the best sandwich I have ever made. My wife loved it. My son loved it. My mailman would have loved it but we had eaten them all so he will never know. Keep on posting the recipes that you and your family enjoy, I know me and my family will enjoy them too.

  2. This recipe was as mouthwatering as the photo on Pinterest! Everyone at my house loved it! We will definitely make it again! Thank you for the great recipe.

  3. So delicious!! Would highly recommend making this! Just made it and my whole family loved it even my 9 and 12 year old. Followed recipe exactly!
    Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
    Tiffany

  4. We used good seed bread we needed to use up and lloyds bbq chicken with some pepper jack cheese. We thinly sliced some onions and softened like suggested and mixed them into the warmed up bbq chicken. We buttered and added the butter and garlic powder and toasted these bad boys up! Finished them off with a bit of parsley. So so so good! This completely elevated the bbq chicken sandwiches! Highly recommend!

  5. Made this tonight! THANK YOU! Decided to go with frozen Texas Toast to save time. Could not find a rotisserie chicken before work; so I pulled out some chicken breast and hubs cooked them on the Treager. Pressed them down to melt the cheese in the George Forman. Needless to sayโ€ฆWONDERFUL! My 5yr and 14yr ate them up. Going on our menu rotation for sure!

  6. Searching Pinterest for new dinner ideas because I am so bored with the same ole, dame ole. I saw this and showed it to my 14 yr old son and he said OH YESSS!!! Has to be amazing just from reading the ingredients. Will be on our menu for this week!!

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