BBQ Chicken Sandwiches loaded with flavor and ready in 15 minutes or less—a quick lunch or easy dinner the whole family will love!
Fifteen-Minute BBQ Chicken Sandwich Recipe
Back-to-school season—whether it’s in person or online—can be hectic. The last thing you need is a tough dinner.
Enter: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches. They’re quick, but loaded with flavor. Toasted bread, creamy avocado, and sweet BBQ chicken—all in one. Easy to make, satisfying to eat, and perfect for dinner.
Let me know if you’d like this even shorter or if you’re using it for Instagram, a blog post, or something else!
OK, But Really… 15 Minutes?
I’ve made these sandwiches more times than I want to admit this week—they’re that fast. The secret? Hot rotisserie chicken!
- I love the chickens from Costco®—they’re packed with meat. For even quicker prep, I grab pre-shredded rotisserie chicken from the store.
- I always use a ripe avocado—it mashes fast and brings great flavor.
- Lettuce isn’t a must, but I usually toss on a handful of pre-washed salad greens for a little crunch. Just one more shortcut that keeps things easy.
So, here’s the step-by-step breakdown:
- Get the bread started in the toaster.
- Meanwhile, toss the shredded chicken with prepared (store-bought or homemade) BBQ sauce.
- In a separate bowl, mash the avocado. Add a quick squeeze of lime, a pinch of salt and pepper, plus just a touch of garlic powder (again, nothing fancy; these are FAST)
- Assemble. Bread — avocado — lettuce — saucy BBQ chicken — bread. And then devour!
Quick Tip
A ripe avocado adds an immense amount of creaminess in this BBQ Chicken Sandwich recipe. To make sure an avocado is ripe, press gently around the stem and if it gives, the avocado is ripe (the “give” should feel like pressing the tip of your nose).
Pair BBQ Chicken Sandwich Recipe with…
- Some fresh fruit! We love these with a side of watermelon chunks, pineapple, clementines, grapes, etc.
- Chips. Potato chips, Sun-chips®, Doritos®, etc. — whatever chips your family enjoys will work fine here.
- A quick garden salad (we can never get enough of this Olive Garden salad)
- Raw veggies (or roasted like this roasted broccoli, these roasted sweet potatoes, or these roasted carrots)
BBQ Chicken Sandwich Recipe Variations
- I love a good hearty wheat bread. My personal favorite is Dave’s Killer Bread. My kids also really like multigrain sandwich thins for their sandwiches.
- Occasionally I’ll add a drizzle of ranch dressing on top of the BBQ chicken. If you love BBQ chicken with ranch, you’ll love this! Or, if we have leftover cilantro-lime sauce from these shrimp tacos, that’s also a great addition.
- I’m a huge fan of Stubb’s® Original BBQ Sauce (not sponsored), but for a lower sugar option (for those days I’ve had three too many cinnamon roll cookies), G Hughes Smokehouse Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce® (original flavor) isn’t too bad!
More Easy And Quick Recipes
- Margherita Pizza on naan bread
- Chicken Ramen ready in 30 minutes or less
- Egg Wrap with pesto and spinach
- Ham and Cheese Hoagies using deli ham
- Rotisserie Chicken Tacos with Cheddar cheese
BBQ Chicken Sandwich Recipe
This BBQ Chicken Sandwich is packed with flavor and ready in 15 minutes—perfect for a quick lunch or easy dinner the whole family will love!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 slices hearty whole wheat bread I love Dave's killer thin sliced bread best
- 2-1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce Stubbs original, or similar high-quality BBQ sauce
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon roasted garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 3 handfuls mixed greens lettuce or chopped romaine lettuce
Instructions
- Toast bread to desired preference!
- Shred rotisserie chicken (or use pre-shredded rotisserie chicken) and measure 2-1/2 cups. Warm BBQ sauce in the microwave (covered) 30 seconds. Add BBQ sauce to chicken; start with 1/2 cup and add the additional 3 tablespoons as needed. Gently toss with tongs until chicken is coated to your liking. (If shredded chicken isn’t being pulled hot/fresh from the bones, I like to warm it 30 seconds to a minute in the microwave.)
- Halve avocado and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh into a medium bowl. Mash avocado with a fork, then add lime juice, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Mash again to combine.
- Generously spoon mashed avocado mixture (be generous here; it adds a delicious creaminess!) on one slice of toasted bread. Add a good-sized handful of mixed greens on the avocado and gently press. Scoop chicken on top and place the other slice of bread on top. Enjoy immediately!
Video
Recipe Notes
This recipe scales up or down easily, and total quantity really just depends how loaded you like the sandwich. I like a lot of avocado and BBQ chicken on each sandwich!
Storage: Store the BBQ chicken and guac in separate airtight containers in the fridge. The chicken will last up to 3 days, while the guac is best within 1 day. Toast fresh bread when ready to assemble again.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 742kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 63g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 189mg | Sodium: 1873mg | Potassium: 709mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 2702IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
