This grilled chicken chili sandwich is fully loaded and hits home on several fronts. To start, it’s a good sandwich, with lemon-kissed chicken breasts amped up with grilled chili, crispy bacon, and avocado. All piled into toasted soft rolls.

The recipe is like a well-worn favorite t-shirt that gets lost in your drawer for months and then feels so good when it resurfaces. I’ve had the recipe for 30 plus years, filed away in my old-school binder of recipes. I forget about the sandwich for years at a time, but then it comes to mind during grilling season and shines anew.

There’s also a nostalgia factor. Sometime around 1989, a beloved Great Uncle gifted me a huge collection of “Great American Recipes” with hundreds of recipe cards. “Grilled Chicken Sandwiches” was card twenty-something of the Barbecuing Poultry and Seafood Group. The worn, stained card recalls late Uncle Jack’s generous spirit and enthusiasm for shopping.

The green chilies may seem incidental, but they’re key to the sandwich, lending luxurious texture. Canned whole green chilies are sometimes hard to find in my neck of the woods. So I buy several when I find them. Roasted red peppers are a great substitute.

Mexican Bolillo rolls are my current choice for this sandwich since the crisp crust and shape are well suited to the fillings. Any soft sandwich roll or hamburger bun works well. I especially like slightly oversized sesame hamburger buns.

Over the years, I’ve pared down my recipe files and cookbook collection when they got unwieldy. But this one is a keeper! Thanks for stopping by More Please.

Grilled Chicken Chili Sandwich

This grilled chicken sandwich, adapted from a circa 1989 recipe card, is fully loaded. Lemon-kissed chicken breasts are paired with grilled chili, crispy bacon, and avocado, served on toasted soft rolls. The green chilies may seem incidental, but they provide luxurious texture. If canned mild whole green chilies are unavailable, roasted red peppers are a good substitute. Mexican Bolillo rolls work well since the crisp crust and shape are well suited to the fillings, though any sandwich roll or hamburger bun is a good option.

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Author Margie

Prep Time 20

Total Time 2 55

Servings 4 large sandwiches

Ingredients

Marinade

3 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp black pepper

Sandwich

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 1.5 pounds (see note)
4 slices bacon (see note)
4 large pieces whole canned mild green chiles (see note)
1 ripe avocado
4 sandwich rolls or hamburger buns
2 Tbsp softened butter optional

Instructions

Prepare marinade. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
Prepare chicken. Use smooth side of a meat mallet to pound each chicken breast into a uniform thickness of about ½ inch or thinner, working slowly and gently to minimize tearing. (See note.)
Put chicken in food storage container and pour in marinade. Flip chicken to thoroughly coat with marinade. Cover the container and refrigerate for an hour or two. Discard excess marinade when you're ready to grill.
Fry bacon until crisp.
Slice rolls horizontally in half.
Slice avocado.
Heat grill to about medium heat. Grill chicken 5-7 minutes per side or until thoroughly cooked. Remove cooked chicken from the grill.
Grill chilies briefly until they are hot and begin to char in spots. The chiles are a bit fragile and sometimes in small pieces. Place the chilies on the grill perpendicular to the bars of the grill grate or use a perforated bbq pan. Grill chilies on one side only or flip them being mindful that it can be difficult to keep the chiles intact with flipping.
Place rolls on the grill cut side down until lightly toasted. If desired, spread softened butter on cut side of toasted rolls.
Assemble sandwiches. I like to start by putting several avocado slices on bottom roll, then use a fork to smash it a bit, adding a light sprinkling of salt on top. Add grilled chicken, grilled chili, and bacon, finishing with top roll.

Notes

If the chicken breasts are very large, it’s possible to make 4 sandwiches from 2 breasts. In that case, start with 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, slice each one in half horizontally, yielding 4 pieces of chicken, pounding each piece as needed to even out thickness. Use the same amount of marinade specified in recipe.
Canned mild whole green chilies come in various sized cans. The 4-ounce cans contain enough for 1 or 2 sandwiches, and a 10-ounce contains enough for 4 sandwiches. However, in the last several years, I’ve had difficulty finding whole green chiles at my local grocery stores. The widely available canned diced chiles are not a good substitute because they are difficult to grill.
I’ve found that roasted red bell peppers are a great alternative. Start with 2 red bell peppers; roast, peel, and cut them into large strips before grilling as instructed in recipe. Or use 4 large pieces of jarred roasted red bell peppers.
I figure 1 slice bacon per sandwich but you may want to scale up for bacon lovers.
Mexican Bolillo rolls are my current go-to for this sandwich, but any soft sandwich roll works well. Hamburger buns are also a good option. I like to use sesame buns that are a bit oversized. If using standard hamburger buns, I might cut the chicken pieces cross-wise in half for a better fit and slightly smaller sandwich.
Go ahead and shake on some of your favorite hot sauce to spice things up when you’re assembling your sandwich.