Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich
A Taste of My Southwest Side of Chicago Heritage
This Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich is reminiscent of a Southwest Side of Chicago staple I grew up with. It’s tender, marinated chicken with herbs and spices, grilled or seared to perfection.
Seated on top of a toasted sesame seed bun and all dressed up with some delicious, yet simple toppings, this sandwich is a real treat and very easy to make.
My Sandwich Past
I grew up on the Southwest side of Chicago in a neighborhood called Midway, or Garfield Ridge, where we had a hot dog stand on every corner.
This is a Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich that you could, and still can, get at every single one of these places. It was, and still is, one of my favorite things to order.
The topping combination is my own personal preference. I think it is the perfect combo of flavors.
I love the addition of celery salt, as it reminds of the Chicago Style Hot Dogs they also sell at these stands.
My other favorite food to get from these stands is Italian Beef. I have come close to making a really great Italian Beef at home in my crockpot.
Basically I love all classic Chicago fast food!
Where In Chicago?
My number one favorite place throughout the Southwest Side of Chicago is Nicky’s . There are various Nicky’s throughout the city of Chicago and I am not even sure if they are all owned by the same person.
All I know is the one on 58th and Kedzie has been a long time favorite, as well as the one on Archer Ave. and Austin Ave.
The Secret Chicken Marinade
Some of you will look at this marinade and think “wow Tipsy has really lost it!”
I can assure you that this marinade is SO good. In fact, I use a very similar one for my Famous Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad.
The majority of people LOVE it.
The Sprite or 7 Up helps infuse the chicken with great flavor. It also adds a caramelization to the chicken that I love.
Finally, it is that perfect savory sweet combination.
Celery Seed and Celery Salt
These are two spices that I always have on hand in my pantry. The celery seed adds a fresh flavor to recipes that really takes it up a notch.
I love the celery salt flavors as well, especially with grilled chicken. I think it adds an earthy, salty flavor that will make this chicken over-the-top delicious.
Tomato Texture
More often than not, I am disappointed in a fresh tomato so I learned to not even risk it anymore. Unless I grow it at home, I am not ordering the tomato whole.
This is why I discovered the ketchup and mayo combo that I love so much on this sandwich. It has the flavors of the tomato along with the creamy mayo and it is perfection.
The Bun Is Boss
For me, it is all in the bun. I MUST have a buttered and toasted, sesame seed bun.
Now I am very picky and like to have the bun toasted on the inside, but NOT the lid. Therefore I toast my bun on the skillet, instead of a toaster, so that the bun stays soft on the top.
This is also how they do it at the stands where I get these sandwiches, so I do it this way at home as well.
Lettuce & Onion
This is going to sound even weirder than the Sprite in this recipe, but I love to shave the onion with the lettuce.
I cut a hunk of white onion and use a potato peeler to peel very thin slices of onion into the lettuce. When I season it and toss it, all the flavors of the onion juices cover the lettuce as well.
Trust me and try this.
Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich Recipe
If you have a grilled chicken sandwich craving I bet you this will hit the spot. It's a perfectly filling delicious nostalgic meal.
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 half size chicken breasts
- 1 cup of Zesty Italian Dressing
- 1 cup of Sprite or 7 up
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon of celery seed
- 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 cup of dill pickle juice
- 4 to 6 sesame seeds buns
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 cups of shredded lettuce
- 1/2 cup of very thinly sliced white onion
- Mayonnaise
- Ketchup
- Dill Pickles
- Black Pepper
- Celery Salt
Instructions
- Add your chicken to a bowl that can be covered or a ziploc bag.
- In a bowl whisk the zesty Italian with the Sprite or 7up, oregano, celery seed, chili powder, paprika and pickle juice. Whisk until really well combined and pour over the chicken. My chicken is usually about 1.5 inches thick so I let it marinate for about 8 hours. If the chicken pieces are thinner, you need to lessen the time or the chicken will start to cure and get hard in the mixture.
- After the chicken has marinated, I pour off the marinade and discard it. I pat the chicken breasts slightly dry and then put them between some plastic wrap and using a meat mallet (you can use a heavy can) pound them out to about 1/2 inch thick.
- Once the chicken is pounded out thinner, I sprinkle them with a little more oregano, some celery salt and black pepper.
- Add the two tablespoons of butter to a skillet if you are going to make these indoors. If grilling, grill as you usually would.
- Once you add the butter, let it get hot but not smoking and ad your chicken breasts. Let sear at the higher heat (but not smoking) for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side. You will know its time to flip them when you can easily lift them from the pan to flip. Repeat the same process on the other side. Thicker or thinner chicken will take more or less time.
- Once you have seared both sides, add a couple tablespoons of water to the skillet and cover with a lid for 5 minutes or so. Just until you chicken is fully cooked. Remove the lid and let the chicken rest for a couple of minutes.
- Toss your shredded lettuce and onion together and I also add a little sprinkle of celery seed, celery salt and black pepper to this and give it all a good toss.
- Add a little butter to your buns and give it a toast.
- I then spread the buns with the mayo and ketchup.
- I like to slice my chicken thinly, you can serve whole. Add to the buns and top with the lettuce mixture and the pickles and serve.