Treat your taste buds to the smoky, savory Southwest Chicken Avocado BLT! Chef Tom grills up this mouthwatering sandwich on the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill, combining tender chicken, crisp bacon, creamy avocado, and the perfect blend of spices. Ready for a truly delicious experience?
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Marinating in a fajita bath concentrate does double duty as brine and flavor. Soaking the chicken thighs in a lime jalapeño concentrate for 30-60 minutes both tenderizes and seasons the meat before the rub ever goes on.
- Bacon fat gets wiped away, not left behind, before the chicken cooks. Carefully cleaning the griddle after cooking the bacon keeps the next ingredients from picking up excess grease, giving each component its own clean flavor.
- The avocado smash gets bacon folded in, not sprinkled on top. Chopping bacon directly into the mashed avocado mixes smoky, salty bits throughout every bite instead of concentrating them in a separate topping.
- Two different breads get two different treatments. Toasting one plain and one with melted pepper jack on top means the sandwich has both a crisp, buttery base and a gooey, cheesy top layer.
Southwest Chicken Avocado BLT
Tom Jackson
Rated 3.7 stars by 7 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
4
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
13 minutes
Calories
743
Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for a Southwest Chicken Avocado BLT! This fantastic sandwich combines the goodness of a grilled chicken sandwich with the BLT and adds a little flare!
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
-
1 cup Sweetwater Spice Lime Jalapeño Fajita Bath Concentrate
- 1 cup water
-
Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning
- 10 slices classic cut bacon
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter (for toasting bread)
- 4 large slices sourdough bread
- 4 slices Pepper jack
- Butter lettuce
- Tomato
- 2 each avocados
- 4 slices bacon, diced (from above)
- Juice of 1/2 lime
-
Jacobsen Salt Co. Black Garlic Sea Salt
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp chipotles in adobo sauce
For the Bacon Avocado Smash:
Chipotle Mayo:
Directions
- Place your chicken thighs in a small zip-top bag. Add one cup of Sweetwater Spice Lime Jalapeño Fajita Bath Concentrate and one cup of water. Close the bag and massage the bag to evenly distribute the contents. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 350ºF, set up with the Yoder Smokers Cast Iron Griddle in place over the fire box.
- Cook your bacon on the griddle to desired doneness. Transfer to paper towels to drain excess fat. Carefully remove excess fat from the griddle with paper towels.
- To make the Chipotle Mayo, combine both ingredients and whisk well to combine. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
- To make the Bacon Avocado Smash, place the flesh of the avocados in a bowl. Season with Jacobsen Salt Co. Black Garlic Sea Salt. Squeeze in lime juice. Chop the bacon, then add to the bowl. Smash the mixture with a fork to desired consistency.
- Remove your chicken from the marinade. Season on both sides with Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All-Purpose Seasoning.
- Cook the chicken thighs on the grill, flipping when golden brown. Remove from the grill when well browned and the internal temperature reaches 175ºF. Slice the thighs.
Clean the surface of the griddle, then melt the butter on the griddle. Place your slices of bread on the butter. Cover half of the slices with the pepper jack cheese. Cook until lightly browned on bottom and cheese is melted on top. Remove from the griddle.
To build the sandwiches, first spread the slice of bread without cheese with the chipotle mayo. Then, add the lettuce and sliced tomatoes. Top with the sliced chicken. On the second piece of bread (with the melted cheese), spread your Bacon Avocado Smash. Top each sandwich with two or three more slices of bacon, pressed into the avocado. Flip the bacon/avocado slice over onto the chicken. Slice in half to serve.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why marinate the chicken thighs in a fajita bath concentrate?
Soaking them for 30-60 minutes both tenderizes the meat and infuses it with lime and jalapeño flavor before the dry rub is even applied.
Why carefully clean the griddle after cooking the bacon?
Removing excess grease before toasting the bread or cooking the chicken keeps each component's flavor distinct, rather than letting everything pick up the same heavy bacon fat.
Why chop the bacon into the avocado smash instead of adding it as a topping?
Mixing it directly into the mashed avocado distributes smoky, salty bits throughout every bite, rather than concentrating them in one separate layer.
Why toast one slice of bread plain and the other with melted cheese?
This gives the finished sandwich two different textures — a crisp, buttery base on one side and a gooey, cheesy top on the other.
What internal temperature should the chicken thighs reach?
175ºF, comfortably above USDA's 165°F minimum for poultry — this recipe gets that number right.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — a stovetop griddle or large skillet can handle every step here identically; the outdoor grill mainly adds convenience for cooking everything in one place.
Recipe Highlights
Fajita bath marinating: This tenderizes the chicken while infusing it with bright, spicy flavor before seasoning.
Cleaning the griddle between components: This keeps each part of the sandwich tasting distinct rather than uniformly greasy.
Bacon folded into the avocado smash: Mixing it in spreads smoky flavor through every bite instead of isolating it on top.
Two bread treatments: Plain-toasted and cheese-topped slices give the sandwich contrasting textures.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 13.67 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 743
- Carbs
- 29 grams
- Protein
- 37 grams
- Fat
- 54 grams
- Sodium
- 941 milligrams
