This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sara Lee® Bread. The opinions and text are all mine.
This Easy Chicken Club Sandwich is a classic club meets chicken melt, and is transformed into a simple, 15 minute meal idea that is perfect for back to school dinners, or a fun back to school lunch.
This easy chicken club sandwich recipe features all the traditional ingredients of a club sandwich from the lettuce, bacon, tomato, and chicken, but takes it up a notch with a garlic parmesan herb butter, delicious bread and butter pickles, and the a bread with a rich, buttery taste, wonderful aroma and velvety texture.
As a food blogger, I sometimes forget the simple joy found in eating a really good sandwich. And this one qualifies as really good and then some. It is easy to make, is bursting with flavors that pair beautifully, and works great hot or cold! Making it ideal for a quick midweek meal at dinner time, or a pack ahead sandwich for your lunchbox.
How do you make a chicken club sandwich?
A classic club sandwich involves stacking chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato, lettuce and mayo, along with bread. But for this easy chicken club, I forgo the mayo, and instead add flavor and fun with a tasty, and easy to make garlic herb butter spread.
This butter mixture is then spread on Sara Lee® Butter Bread and the bread is toasted to a golden brown in a fry pan or on a griddle. Giving a crunchy, salty, flavorful exterior, and velvety soft interior. Delicious.
It is stacked with two kinds of cheese, chicken deli meat (so much easier than having to grill up chicken), bacon, and other fresh toppings you would expect like lettuce and tomato.
What is on a club sandwich?
This is not your typical club sandwich. It has most of the ingredients of a traditional club but with a few extras that really make it pop, and take it from ordinary to extraordinary. Let’s break it down:
- The Bread. For this tasty sandwich I use Sara Lee® Butter Bread!
This is one of the main considerations for making a great sandwich. Sara Lee Butter Bread adds the classic flavor combination of bread and butter to your family’s favorite sandwiches. It is richly flavorful, aromatic, has a soft texture, and really adds so much great flavor without adding junk like high fructose corn syrup, or artificial colors and flavors. And, it has 0 Grams of trans fat, is low fat and cholesterol free. - The Cheese. For this tasty club sandwich recipe I use two different types of cheeses to add variety and depth of flavor. A great Swiss, and a milder Colby jack give it just what it needs.
- The Chicken. You have a few options here, you can grill some chicken, buy a chicken patty you bake, roast a chicken, etc. Or, you can do what I did and get sliced deli chicken meat, which cuts down on the hassle, making it a quick option for a back to school meal.
- The Bacon. When I was first recipe testing this one I used a low cost bacon and it was yuck! So this is the kind of sandwich you want to splurge on the thick cut delicious bacon. It adds a hint of smokiness, and a little salty flavor. Delish.
- The Pickles. You could skip the pickles, or use dill, but if I were you I would trust my good taste, and take a leap of faith and go with the bread and butter pickles. They add just a hint of sweetness to balance out the savory and salty of this sandwich. And they also add a fun crunch. The texture it right on!
- Lettuce, tomato: You know, normal sandwich fixings.
- The butter spread! I am not a fan of gobs of mayo and mustard on my sandwich, I have always felt a little goes a long way, but this sandwich doesn’t need either, especially when you add in that yummy butter spread to the outside and crisp everything out. It adds flavor and crunch! Yum!
How do you stack a club sandwich?
The way you stack your club sandwich DOES matter. Now you might be wondering why…so I am just going to tell you.
First, the flavors layer together in just this way are to die for.
Second, it keeps your bread from getting soggy. Which is huge, especially if you are going to make your sandwich ahead of time. Another solution is to wait to add the pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce until just before eating. But who wants to do that.
The cheese on the bottom is another barrier to keep the bread from getting soggy.
Basically just trust me and stack in this order: Bread, cheese, chicken, bacon, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, bread!
I love these delicious club sandwiches for back to school, and often use them for quick dinners on busy nights with practices and activities. But they are also great in the lunchbox. And they can easily be customized to meet the different preferences of each family member.
Back to School Lunch Box Tips
- Don’t go overboard. It is a good idea to add variety and fun, and flavor. But if you are too ambitious you will burn out quickly. Find a few great staples, and let kids and family members get creative from there.
- Use variety. A good lunchbox offers plenty of variety. A tasty sandwich with lots of toppers that can be added or left off as desired is a good place to start.
- Choose food that tastes good: I love this sandwich because my kids love and so does the husband. This means I can make one thing for everyone, and it is how goodness should taste.
- Add personality with a fun lunchbox, cute lunchbox notes or jokes, and by allowing family members to customize their lunches to their likes.
Enjoy!
Easy Chicken Club Sandwich
Ingredients
Each Sandwich
- 2 slices Sara Lee® Butter Bread
- 1 Tbs Garlic Parmesan Butter mixture below
- 1 slice Colby jack cheese
- 1 slice swiss cheese
- 4 slices deli chicken breast
- 2 pieces crispy bacon
- 2 Bread and Butter sandwich pickles
- 3 slices tomato
- 1 piece green leaf lettuce
Garlic Parmesan Butter Mixture
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 2 Tbs parmesan cheese grated
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp fresh or dried basil chopped fine
- 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
Garlic Parmesan Butter
- In a small bowl, combine ball ingredients.
- Mix until thoroughly incorporated.
- Set aside
Sandwich assembly
- Spread one side of two slices of Butter Bread with the Garlic Parmesan Butter mixture
- In a medium sized fry pan, or on a griddle, heat to medium heat, and place on slice of Butter Bread, butter side down onto fry pan.
- Top with the two slices of cheese, and the sliced chicken deli meat. Then top with other piece of bread, butter side out.
- Cook for about 1 minute per side, until golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from heat, open sandwich, and layer on bacon, bread and butter sandwich pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce. Return top slice of bread.
- Cut in half and enjoy hot and fresh, or pack for lunch and serve later.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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