Spicy Maple Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Smoky Bacon Corn.
Meet the ultimate grilled chicken sammie…the spicy maple grilled chicken sandwich.
I’m feeling like this will be the summer of sandwiches here on the blog. For the last few years I’ve avoided making summer sandwiches and burgers because I absolutely hate photographing them. Not quite so much with the sandwiches (I guess I can sometimes handle those), but definitely burgers. For some reason I just have a really hard time with them. I know this is so insane, but I am here today saying that I am changing my ways…this summer there will be an abundance of both burgers and sandwiches on the blog!
I’ve already photographed three and love them all! I swear, it’s positive thinking before going into the shoot that makes all the difference. Plus OK, I made sure each sandwich/burger was piled high with flavor and color. But let’s be real, we all know that’s what makes the bestest sandwiches anyway. Duh.
And trust me, while these grilled chicken sandwiches have a short cooking time, they are beyond loaded, and kind of the perfect thing to grill up on a Wednesday night.
Just sayin’.
This sandwich has simple ingredients list, are loaded with flavor, and feel very southern to me…but yet are not fried. It’s the maple, corn, and bacon thing, and all piled high too. Super southern, right?
The chicken is a simple three ingredient combo. Real maple syrup (meaning no Aunt Jemima), sambal oelek (spicy chili paste), and a little olive oil. Yup, just three simple, pantry staple, ingredients and no marinating time needed either. Heck yeah! The maple glazes the chicken as it grills, and the sambal oelek balances out all the sweetness. It’s sounds kind of odd, but guys I promise it’s so delicious…especially when topped with that smoky bacon corn.
OH MY GOSH <–talk about summer eats. Smoky. Bacon. Corn.
It’s honestly too good.
The corn gets cooked with the bacon and tossed with a little smoked paprika, fresh basil, green onions, and seasoned with salt and pepper. It’s truly the best topping to a grilled chicken sandwich. It’s smoky, sweet, and just a little salty.
YUM.
I almost added fresh peaches to the corn mix, but my peaches just were not sweet enough. If you happen to have some early season peaches that are delicious, I’d totally toss those in with the corn mix. That would be SO good.
And then to finish things off, spread some pesto yogurt onto toasted ciabatta rolls, add the chicken, corn, and then a little avocado, you know for good measure.
Surprisingly, I did not add any cheese to this sandwich, but if you wanted to make this a cheesy chicken sandwich, I think cheddar would be pretty amazing with everything happening in this sandwich…next time, I’m adding cheddar.
Already excited about it.
And now you see, right?
Wednesday night dinner should probably be this grilled chicken sandwich. Again, it’s ready in just about thirty minutes, pretty healthy, uses some pretty simple, everyday ingredients, and is finger lickin’ good. <–for real.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Spicy Maple Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Smoky Bacon Corn
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Sandwiches
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken sandwich, maple chicken
A beautiful sweet and spicy chicken sandwich
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (spicy chili sauce)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
- 4 ears corn, kernels removed from the cob (about 4 cups total)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 4 ciabatta rolls, toasted
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 1 avocado, sliced
Instructions
-
1. Stir together the maple syrup, sambal oelek, olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Add the chicken to a large ziplock bag and pour half the maple mixture over the chicken. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until crisp, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in the corn, paprika, and pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes and then add the basil, and green onions. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Stir in the cabbage and blueberries.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium heat. Oil the grates.
4. Add the chicken and grill for 5-8 minutes per side, basting the chicken with the reserve maple mixture until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the grill and drizzle any remaining maple mix over the chicken.
5. Mix the yogurt and pesto together in a small bowl.
6. To assemble, spread the yogurt pesto mix onto the bottom of each bun. Top with chicken, corn, and avocado. EAT!
Recipe Notes
*Chicken inspired/adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine June 2017 Issue.
Prepare to get messy with this sandwich…it’s the only way to go.
Well I don’t know what you were so worried about, the photography here is top notch lady! Plus, oh my goodness, major noms to this recipe!
Rebecca
xx
http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Awh thank you Rebecca, this is so sweet! (:
Hi, Tieg, did you end up putting some blueberries into the corn-bacon mixture? I’m assuming that from the third photo, but they aren’t on the list. Because THAT would be amazing. I know you mentioned peaches but blueberries sound even better.
Thanks for the reply, have a wonderful day! Hope it is getting warmer at your place.
I did!! Recipe is not fixed. Thank you so much for pointing that out! Hope you love these sandwiches and let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you! 🙂
Always looking for new grilled chicken ideas and the glaze combination for this sandwich with the bacon hits all the right notes. Summer on a bun…looks great, Tieghan!
So glad you think so! Thank you Jean!
Looks divine! Thanks for posting Tieghan – as always, it’s a pleasure reading your posts.
Awh thank you Raschell! I am so glad you like my posts!
We are addicted to your Chicken Schwarma recipe – I guess I will have to give this delectable looking sandwich a try!
So glad you like that one & I hope you enjoy this one just as much (or maybe even more haha)! Thank you Rose!
Experienced home cooks know to discard any marinade used for chicken, but for newbies should be a little more explicit on discarding the marinade in the baggie,
You remain my favorite food blogger and my day is always brighter after reading your stories and enjoying the creations offered.
The Anastasia Island Beachbum
Awh that is so sweet! Thank you!
Summer on a bun right here!! Yum
Yes!! I hope you love it Sara!
Uhmm. Looks so yummy!!
I want to try it.
I hope you do & I hope you love this! Thanks Carlos!
My 14 year old son will cry tears of joy for this sandwich! All his favorite things!
Thats amazing! I hope he loves this sandwich! Thanks Maura!
Love this sandwich and that smoky bacon corn Tieghan. Perfect for all the yummy Jersey corn in a few weeks!
Yes! Glad you like this recipe, Mary Ann! Thank you!!
Hi Tieghan, I too noticed that it looks like you added blueberries, but did not mention them in your recipe? JAR had initially noticed it and commented, but I did not see a response from you. 🙂
Hey Connie! I did add blueberries and the recipe is all fixed. Sorry about the confusion. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love the sandwiches! 🙂
I think you found the secret to photographing a great looking sandwich. Just include that chewed up old cutting board in the pic. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it! Hey, great looking pics and I must try this recipe.
Haha thank you Anthony! Really means a lot that you like my photos and recipes. I hope you love the sandwich!
Yes please, this is the ultimate chicken sammie! Love the smoky corn! 🙂
Thank you Laura!
This recipe looks amazing! I’m learning the kitchens, but I’m going to risk it. I will try it!
I hope you love it Jena! Thank you!
Hi there, this would fit perfectly in Food on Friday: June under the bacon theme. Hope you bring it on over. You’ll find the link towards the top of my sidebar. Cheers from Carole’s Chatter
Awesome! Thanks Carole!
This was SO good. I made it slightly lighter and served it over romaine instead of on ciabatta. The chicken marinate….TO DIE FOR. I couldn’t stop eating the corn/bacon combo either!
Love the flavor combos here, Tieghan! It ended up being an awesome summer salad.
That is so great! I am so glad you liked this recipe Libby!
Another killer recipe. Keep up the good work TG!
Thanks so much!!
This corn is the best thing ever! Made this recipe for the fam yesterday, and my little brothers, who normally won’t touch veggies with a ten foot pole, and hate anything “mixed up” – all three tried a huge bite because it was so pretty. I couldn’t keep the one out of the bowl after that – he kept snitching mouthfuls while I was finishing up the chicken outside! And the other two had big helpings as a side dish 🙂
The chicken was amazing too, but that corn! I was a little leery of blueberries in my corn at first glance, but this is now a staple in our summer recipe rotation!
Ooo!! YAY! So happy you and even your brothers liked it!
Thank you so much for making it Kate! (:
Just made a batch of sandwiches for dinner, and hot damn, this recipe is our new fave! A ton of flavours going on, but they all meshed in an incredible way! Worth the time, so delicious!!!
Thank you so much Leslie!
Yum, I love this so much that I’ve just made it 2 days in a row, & you’re right about the peaches, sooo good! Thanks so much for your amazing recipes ?
Thank you so much Sarah!
Very creative.
The chicken with bacon and corn, are already part of my choices, but the idea of the fresh blueberries was great I loved it.
I can not wait to test
Thank you for sharing
Thank you! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
This was such a tasty and fresh summer dinner! I went without the bread because I had chicken thighs I wanted to use up and I added some fresh picked kale instead of cabbage to the sautéed bacon, corn and blueberry mix- never thought those would all go together so deliciously! 10/10 would recommend, so fast to make too! Thank you!
I am so happy you loved this Becca! Thank you so much!
My husband deemed this “the most amazing sandwich ever!” I did change it up a bit using boneless skinless chicken thighs we had in the freezer and left out the blueberries and avocado. I dry brined the thighs first to make sure they would be tender. I also used mayo instead of greek yogurt. I thought the corn salad on the sandwich would be too starchy but it melded in perfectly. Thank you for the quintessential summer sandwich!
Thank you so much Helen! I am so glad you and your husband loved this recipe!
Delicious dinner! The corn is a showstopper, I would eat it on its own. Great, simple summer meal. I used a kaiser bun and substituted Tatziki for the pesto mixture to save some time and money. Great substitution if you don’t have the ingredients for pesto. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!!
Delish!!! Easy & so full of flavor!!! I see how it’s hard to photograph and messy to eat but totally worth it!
Thank you so much Eileen! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
This was absolutely delicious. We added a diced peach, too. All the goodies that slid off the sandwich are tasty as a side, too. Haha. We have an extremely picky teenager. We told her it was a BBQ mixed with buffalo sauce (two of her favorites). We even put a little of the yogurt/pesto and the cabbage/fruit/corn topping. She gobbled it up. She loves that you are so young and your food is so beautiful. Thanks a bunch for another creative recipe. This will be in our rotation.
I am so happy to hear that Heather! Thank you so much!
This recipe is pure genius ❤️ My family is in love with it…and my husband is obsessed!
Thank you so much Amanda! xTieghan
Hello! I’m excited to try this – even though it’s fall 🙂 Can I make the corn salad in advance, will it keep well for a day or 2?
thanks!
Hey Julie,
Yes that is totally fine to do! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This is super delicious, thanks you, Your post is great and this recipe very usefull with me. I will try it today and over again!
Love it.!
Hey Gordon,
Happy Monday! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! xTieghan