16 Chicken Sandwich Ideas for Recipes Better than Fast Food

Pan-Fried Pretzel Chicken

To maximize the flavor of your next fried chicken sandwich, try using pre-seasoned breadcrumbs made from pretzels or crackers. Here, food-processed salty pretzel twists (talk about a brilliant way to clean out the broken pieces at the bottom of the bag) team up with flour, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Then in true pub food pairing fashion, we trade the typical egg dunk for more high-impact brown mustard to help that breading adhere to the chicken tenders.

Bacon-Cheddar Chipotle Chicken Panini

This bacon-ranch-chicken sandwich idea is a BLT's bigger and better cousin. In addition to the bacon, lettuce, and tomato, this 25-minute meal features a peppy chipotle ranch dressing, thin-sliced chicken breast, fresh spinach, and cheddar cheese. Use a grill pan or a panini press to toast the bread, melt the cheese, and combine the flavors in less than four minutes.

Make-Ahead Southern Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Green Grape Relish

One-up the typical condiments on this saucy pulled chicken sandwich by adding something your guests will really relish: a slew of green grapes, cucumber, jalapeños, mint, and honey. This slow cooker sandwich is brilliant for a hands-off dinner on a busy day.

One-Pan Chicken Flatbreads

If you like gyros, you'll love this skillet chicken sandwich idea with a creamy blend of chicken, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and feta cheese. They're dressed with a garlicky hummus and Greek yogurt mixture that coats each bite of the tender chicken. Enjoy it all tucked inside a fluffy flatbread or warm sandwich bun.

Copycat Chicken Sandwich

Skip the drive-through and make your favorite crispy chicken sandwich (and waffle fries) right at home. The secret to the spot-on copycat Chick-fil-A sandwich? Pickle brine.

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Zesty hot sauce, creamy blue cheese, and tender chicken meet in these buffalo chicken sandwiches. They're ideal for feeding a crowd since each batch makes 16 sliders in your slow cooker. Balance the spicy chicken with a slightly sweet Hawaiian roll, and enjoy them alongside fresh carrot and celery sticks to create a full pub fare experience.

Chicken Caesar Burger

Why choose? We love this chicken sandwich idea that combines salad and patty in this mash-up recipe. Start the Caesar patties by tossing chicken, onions, parsley, and Parmesan into the blender. Bottled Caesar dressing gives this crowd-pleasing chicken sandwich recipe double the deliciousness.

Grilled Ham and Chicken Sandwich

Upgrade your grilled cheese sandwich to a new gourmet level with this 15-minute grilled ham and chicken sandwich idea. The meat teams with apple and arugula for a homestyle sandwich you'll wish you'd thought of yourself. Keep it saucy with horseradish cream cheese and a shake of red wine vinegar.

Rotisserie Chicken Banh Mi

Banh mi sandwiches are one of our Asian cuisine takeout go-tos, and we love to recreate them at home. This is the best chicken sandwich when you're in the mood for something seemingly fancy but quick. It calls for a rotisserie chicken to speed things into a 30-minute meal. The Vietnamese pick tops the deli-roasted chicken with fresh carrots, sliced jalapeño peppers, and zingy Sriracha mayo.

Pulled Roast Chicken Sandwiches

Fulfill your cookout cravings with this saucy BBQ chicken sandwich idea. This skillet recipe mingles tomato sauce with molasses to create a sweet and savory homemade BBQ sauce that coats every bite. The best part? It all comes together into one irresistible sandwich filling in just seven minutes of cook time.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Salsa Tortas

Try a torta, Mexico's answer to the hoagie. This pressure cooker-friendly version is a super-easy way to prep a chicken breast sandwich, calling for just seven ingredients and 15 minutes of cook time. You're all set as long as you have a jar of salsa, some chicken breasts, and a few spices handy.

Tomatillo Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

If you're in the mood for a low-fuss, semi-homemade meal, these shredded chicken sandwiches are your solution. A deli chicken, garlicky tomatillo sauce, your favorite rolls, and a slow cooker are all you need to whip up these pulled chicken sandwiches. Top them with all your sandwich faves: red onion, sliced tomatoes, and crisp lettuce.

Corn Bread Donuts with Fried Chicken

Some like it hot. Including us, when it comes in the sweet heat of hot honey. This open-faced donut and chicken sandwich idea packs everything you love about a Nashville hot chicken sandwich and buttery corn bread into one 35-minute meal. While the semi-homemade baked donuts cook to fluffy perfection, batter and fry the chicken. Just before serving, drizzle each sandwich stack with a generous amount of hot honey.

Buy It: Mike's Hot Honey ($10, Target)

Grilled Chicken-Mole Sandwiches

Mole (a flavor-packed blend of smoky spices, dried chiles, and unsweetened chocolate) is an essential sauce in many Mexican dishes. Often used to coat chicken, here it's stuffed inside chicken breasts just before grilling to infuse them with flavor. Pair that with avocado mayo and juicy tomatoes for the ultimate fresh chicken sandwich recipe for summer.

Pesto Chicken Sandwiches

Summer tastes a lot like this chicken pesto sandwich. A simple ciabatta loaf is a blank canvas for the colorfully topped chicken. Before you throw on the vegetables, smear the bread with the so-easy pesto mayo.

Rosemary-Brie Chicken Burgers

This is the best chicken sandwich idea for fans of epic cheese boards. With dried cranberries, walnuts, and Brie, it'll give you a taste of your favorite snack and help clear out some leftovers. The tangy-sweet sandwich is perfect when you want to take your cookout up a notch.