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The Ultimate Grilled Chicken Sandwich

The ultimate grilled chicken sandwich with juicy 1/2-inch chicken breast, melty provolone, and a tangy special sauce on toasted brioche buns. Marinate for 30 minutes and grill until 165°F for bold flavor and clean grill marks.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinating 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Pounded to an even 1/2-inch thickness.
  • 3 tbsp olive oil For marinade.
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice For marinade.
  • 2 garlic cloves Minced; for marinade.
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning For marinade.
  • 0.5 tsp salt For marinade.
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper For marinade.
Assemble
  • 4 brioche burger buns Toasted.
  • 4 slices provolone or Swiss cheese One slice per sandwich; melt on chicken.
  • 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
  • 1 large tomato Sliced.
  • 0.5 red onion Thinly sliced.
Special Sauce
  • 0.33 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp lemon juice

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Marinate the chicken
  1. Pound the chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness, then place them in a shallow container for even cooking and flavor coverage.
  2. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper to make the marinade.
  3. Coat the chicken with the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Make the special sauce
  1. Whisk mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic powder, and lemon juice until smooth, then refrigerate while the chicken marinates.
Grill and melt the cheese
  1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat until hot.
  2. Grill the marinated chicken for 5-6 minutes per side, turning once, until grill marks appear and the thickest part reaches 165°F.
  3. Top each chicken breast with a provolone slice during the last minute and close the lid to melt the cheese.
Assemble the sandwiches
  1. Spread special sauce generously on both toasted bun halves.
  2. Build each sandwich with the bottom bun, lettuce, chicken with melted cheese, tomato, red onion, then the top bun.
  3. Serve immediately with fries or a salad while the chicken is hot.

Notes

For the juiciest bite, keep chicken thickness uniform at 1/2-inch so it hits 165°F at the same time. Refrigerate leftover sandwiches (sauce and components) up to 3 days; freeze the grilled chicken only up to 2 months, then thaw and rewarm. For a lighter option, swap mayonnaise for Greek yogurt in the special sauce while keeping the honey and Dijon.