Upgrade your grilled cheese with this Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich recipe, featuring deliciously crispy bread stuffed with chicken, cheese, and green olives!
You will love the Parmesan cheese crust on the outside of the bread which creates an amazing crispy, crunchy experience to go along with the melty, cheesy filling. This unique chicken and cheese sandwich is hearty and satisfying, making it perfect for a quick and easy dinner any day of the week!
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👩🏻🍳 Why You'll Love This Recipe
A quick grilled cheese sandwich is a tried and true dinner for busy weeknights. But sometimes you may want something a little different, maybe with some more substance. Those are the nights I make this grilled cheese chicken sandwich, which combines the ease of a classic grilled cheese with a filling protein twist!
With only 6 ingredients, it's so easy to put together the cheesy chicken filling for these grilled sandwiches. Easy to customize and sure to please the whole family, you may never even go back to a plain grilled cheese!
And for another option on grilled cheese with a twist, try this Shrimp Grilled Cheese too!
🥘 Ingredients Needed
- cooked chicken - a great way to use leftovers, or you can cook your chicken ahead of time or buy pre-cooked chicken.
- shredded cheese - I like colby jack for this chicken cheese sandwich, but feel free to use your favorite.
- green olives - black olives would also work; these add some saltiness and diversify the flavor profile.
- sourdough bread - one of my favorites to use for grilled cheese, but any sturdy bread will do just fine.
- butter - using buttery spread or whipped butter can help spread over the pieces of bread.
- grated Parmesan - helps the bread get nice and crispy while baking.
🔪 Instructions
- Place chicken, olives, and cheese in a bowl.
- Mix until well combined.
- Butter one side of each slice of bread, then sprinkle with Parmesan.
- Place the bread butter side down on a baking sheet and pile on chicken mixture.
- Top with another slice of bread, butter side up.
- Bake at 450 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes, then flip and bake for another 6 minutes or so.
👪 FAQs
Sourdough is great because it offers that distinct tang, but any bread that's nice and sturdy will be great for these sandwiches.
I've found that a colby jack or a Mexican blend is best cheese for a chicken sandwich, but anything that'll melt nicely will do: cheddar, Monterey or pepper jack, muenster, Swiss, or provolone all work for this chicken grilled cheese!
For this recipe, I've just added some cooked chicken and olives for flavor interest, but you can also use things like bacon, dijon mustard, chutney, spinach, bell peppers, tomato, onions, and more to make your grilled cheese more interesting.
I prefer butter, as it gives the bread that distinctly buttery taste, whereas mayo provides more of a tangy flavor. Mayo has a higher smoke point than butter, which means it's good to use when cooking in a skillet which is less controlled. But when baking grilled cheese, I don't worry as much about burning, so butter is the way to go!
💭 Expert Tips and Tricks
- If you let your butter sit at room temperature for a bit, it will be easier to spread. You can also use a buttery spread or whipped butter.
- Cook your chicken ahead of time to streamline prep, or purchase frozen pre-cooked chicken. Be sure to thaw it a bit in the microwave before using it.
You'll love the ease of this chicken cheese sandwich, and your family will love this refreshing twist on grilled cheese!
📖 Substitutions and Variations
- There's a huge variety of ways you can make this chicken grilled cheese sandwich your own. I sometimes chop up some baby spinach and mix it in with the chicken and cheese for some extra nutrition.
- You could also spread some mustard, chipotle mayo, or ranch dressing on the insides of the bread for extra flavor.
- Use whatever olives you have handy or whatever your preference is! Black olives are also good.
- Add some caramelized onions, hot sauce, bell peppers, or anything else you think might be good. These grilled chicken sandwiches are so versatile and customizable!
🥫 Storage and Reheating
Store leftover chicken grilled cheese sandwiches in the fridge for up to a week. Wrap them in plastic or store in an airtight container.
To reheat, pop them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes. You could also microwave them in a pinch, but they may come out a little soggy or soft.
💡 What To Serve With This Dish
Pair with a Berry Delicious Fruit Salad or Oven Fried Crispy Green Beans for a super kid-friendly meal, or serve alongside Roasted Veggie Pasta or this hearty Instant Pot Minestrone for a classic grilled cheese and soup combination.
🥪 More Grilled Cheese Recipes You'll Love
- Air Fryer Avocado Grilled Cheese - This air fryer recipe features delicious and filling avocado.
- Cheddar Pumpkin Healthier Grilled Cheese - Great for the autumn months, this is a healthier grilled cheese that you'll feel confident serving to your family!
- Chili Grilled Cheese - A perfect way to make sure leftover chili doesn't go to waste.
- Best Cheeses - This article ranks the 11 best cheeses for grilled cheese so you can decide what's best to use!
Grilled Cheese Chicken Sandwich
Love this recipe? Awesome! Please give it a 5 star ⭐ rating below! And if you make this, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram. You can find me at DizzyBusyandHungry or #dizzybusyandhungry!
📋 Recipe Card
Chicken Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced cooked chicken
- 1 ½ cups shredded colby jack cheese
- ¾ cup roughly chopped green olives
- 8 slices sourdough bread
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2-4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (divided, more or less depending on how much you sprinkle on each sandwich)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Combine chicken, shredded cheese, and olives in a medium bowl. Set aside.1 cup diced cooked chicken, 1 ½ cups shredded colby jack cheese, ¾ cup roughly chopped green olives
- Butter one side of each of the 8 slices of bread.8 slices sourdough bread, 4 tablespoons butter
- Sprinkle 4 of the bread slices on the buttered side with some Parmesan cheese, and place them butter side down on a baking sheet.2-4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Distribute filling across the 4 slices.
- Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on the buttered side of the last 4 slices of bread, and place them on top of the filling, buttered side up.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes, then flip the sandwiches and bake about 6 minutes more, until the sandwiches are golden brown and crispy. (Alternatively, you can grill them on the stove top on a griddle or in a skillet).
Notes
- Let your butter soften before spreading, or use a whipped butter or a buttery spread to make it easier.
- Cook your chicken on the weekend so that you don't have to fuss with cooking it before using it in the sandwich. OR, if know you will be really pressed for time, you can buy pre-cooked, pre-diced frozen chicken. Just thaw the pieces in the microwave a bit before using it.
- Add some chopped fresh baby spinach to the chicken and cheese mixture if you would like to sneak some veggies in for extra nutrition.
- Leftover sandwiches can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Wrap them in plastic or use an airtight container.
- Reheat sandwiches in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until heated through before serving.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
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Happy cooking!
Ellen says
I literally just finished eating this with leftover chicken from last night. I only had shredded cheddar and regular Sara Lee bread, but it was delicious all the same. I did add chopped fresh spinach because I always have it on hand to add to meals and it was perfect. The parm on the bread really upgraded my basic bread, so I’ll be using that trick in the future on other sandwiches too! I knew this would be my kind of recipe because I love anything with green olives. Definitely recommend.
Kristin King says
So glad you enjoyed this! I agree with you, it's such a nice little touch to use the parmesan cheese on the bread for extra flavor and texture. Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
Toni says
This is really one of the best grilled cheese I've tried! So good!
Jamie says
The parmesan crusted bread was so flavorful and added great texture to this grilled cheese! Definitely making this again!
Traci says
This is always a hit when we make it! So easy and we always have chicken on hand. Thanks for sharing another winner!
Janessa says
What a great upgrade to grilled cheese! I love the flavour of the olives with the chicken.
Alicia Storms says
Hi,
I tried this recipe at home yesterday, and it turned out to be really delicious..
Thank you so much for such a yummy recipe.
Gonna save this and will share with others.
Keep sharing 🙂
Kristin says
You are welcome! I'm so glad you like it!
Aunt Bee says
Oh yes! This looks and sounds amazing! Next time, I will take 'thing 2's' olives! I love them 😉
Alecia says
Thank you for linking up to Tasty Tuesdays last week. As one of the co-hosts, I will be featuring your recipe on Tasty Tuesdays tomorrow on my site, Detours in Life. Congrats!
Kristin King says
Wow, thanks, Alecia! I am heading over to link up now!
Peter @Feed Your Soul Too says
These look great. I like the combination of flavors. I featured this on my Friday Five - Americana series addition featuring grilled cheese sandwiches - http://www.feedyoursoul2.com/2014/02/friday-five-americana-series-addition-1.html
Kristin King says
Thanks, Peter! I am heading over to check it out!
Linda says
MMm.. I'm hungry. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe. PINNING. Also following on Google+