A flavor-packed BBQ Chicken Sandwich recipe that can be ready in 15 minutes or less –it’s the perfect fast lunch or simple dinner the whole family will love!
Fifteen-Minute BBQ Chicken Sandwich Recipe
Whether it’s in-person or distance learning this year, back-to-school time can be busy and overwhelming. And dinnertime should not complicate that even more! I have a few simple recipes — all that can be ready in about 10-15 minutes– that I’ll be sharing the next few days to help make that transition back into routines just a little bit easier.
Today we’re starting with a simple BBQ chicken sandwich recipe. While these sandwiches are crazy easy to make, they taste anything but plain. They’re packed with flavor and texture. From the toasted, crusty bread to the soft and smooth mashed avocado, to the sweet and tender chicken. These sandwiches also make for a nutritious and filling meal — definitely passable for dinner!
Quick Tip
The word barbecue, often simply abbreviated BBQ, has a long history. Most word nerds believe barbecue came to English from the Spanish barbacoa in the 18th century, with even earlier roots in Caribbean native culture. Those smoky, spicy flavor notes do feel kind of calypso, don’t they?
OK, but really… 15 minutes?
Seriously. We’ve had these sandwiches more times than I’m willing to admit this past week, and I promise they are QUICK. The secret here is using hot rotisserie chicken!
- We love the hot-and-ready rotisserie chickens at Costco®. They’re so good and have so much meat on them (enough to make a good number of sandwiches)! But, for the fastest possible prep time, I recommend buying rotisserie chicken meat that has already been pulled from the bones and shredded. It’s available at most grocery stores, and is just like having instant chicken! Grocers recognize a valuable service when they see it!
- Use a really ripe avocado. Not only for the best taste possible, but a ripe avocado (see quick tip below) also mashes super fast. If it’s not very ripe, it takes a bit more effort and time.
- Pick washed and packaged lettuce. While you don’t have to have lettuce on these sandwiches (we’ve eaten them without any lettuce and they’re still great), we usually add a small handful of mixed greens. Using packaged salad greens that have already been washed, dried, and chopped makes for another quick sandwich shortcut.
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 this 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
Like I mentioned, we’ve made these sandwiches frequently. Here are some of the different ways we’ve enjoyed them:
- We love a good hearty and nutritious wheat bread. My personal favorite is Dave’s Killer Bread (I like the thin sliced best). 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.
- We’re huge fans 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
Equipment
- Medium bowl
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 very 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
