Chef Tom takes chicken breasts to the next level with this double stacked grilled chicken sandwich with Nashville hot pub cheese, roasted garlic & bacon aioli and fresh veggies on a pretzel bun! This is the Pub Cheese Grilled Chicken Sandwich!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness under a zip-top bag means the whole breast cooks through at the same rate, rather than a thick side staying underdone while a thin side overcooks
- Blending the beer and roasted garlic first, before adding the cheeses, flattens the beer and minces the garlic in one step, so the rest of the pub cheese comes together smoothly
- Building the aioli by drizzling oil in slowly while whisking constantly creates a stable emulsion, rather than the oil and egg yolk separating into a broken sauce
- Splitting each chicken breast in half and layering pub cheese between both pieces, not just on top, means every bite of the sandwich gets that cheese flavor rather than concentrating it in one layer
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
4
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Calories
1679
Introducing the Pub Cheese Grilled Chicken Sandwich! This recipe is packed with flavor, featuring double stacked chicken breasts, Nashville hot pub cheese, roasted garlic & bacon aioli, and fresh veggies on a pretzel bun.
Ingredients
- 4 (8 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts
-
Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub
- 4 pretzel buns, toasted
- Romaine lettuce, shredded
- Tomato slices
- 6 oz Irish Red Ale, room temperature
- 4 cloves roasted garlic, minced
- 8 oz smoked sharp cheddar, grated
- 8 oz pepper jack cheese, grated
-
2 tbsp Kosmo’s Q Nashville Hot Chicken Wing Dust
-
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp lemon juice
-
1/2 cup garlic infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 12 cloves roasted garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup avocado oil (or other neutral flavored oil)
- 8 oz bacon, minced, cooked
-
2 tbsp Kozlik’s Amazing Maple Mustard
-
Noble Saltworks Hickory Smoked Salt
- Water, as needed to thin
Nashville Hot Pub Cheese:
Roasted Garlic Bacon Aioli:
Directions
- Place your chicken breasts on a large cutting board. One at a time, cover a breast with a gallon sized zip top bag. Using the flat side of a meat mallet/tenderizer, pound the thick side of the breast out until you have one large breast of the same thickness (about 1/2” thick). Repeat with the remaining breasts.
- Season the breasts on both sides with Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub. Set on a plate. Cover. Set aside.
- To make the pub cheese, start by placing the beer and roasted garlic in the blender. Blend to flatten the beer and mince the garlic. Add the remaining pub cheese ingredients. Blend until the beer and cheese are emulsified and a creamy paste is formed. Transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic and set aside.
- Preheat your Napoleon Prestige 500 (P500RSIB-3). Light three of the burners and turn them to the highest setting. The temperature should reach over 500ºF.
- To make the aioli, Place the yolk in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly to create an emulsion. The mixture should thicken as you add the oil.
- When you’ve incorporate the 1/2 cup of olive oil, add the minced garlic and whisk to combine. Then drizzle in the remaining 1/2 cup avocado oil, whisking constantly, until all oil is incorporated.
- Stir in the bacon and Kozlik’s Amazing Maple Mustard. Thin the consistency with water, as desired. Taste and season with Noble Saltworks Hickory Smoked Salt, to taste.
- Grill the chicken over high heat until lightly browned. Flip and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 160ºF. Remove from the grill.
- To build the sandwich, spread the bottom toasted pretzel bun with the roasted garlic bacon aioli. Top with the shredded lettuce, then a slice of tomato. Cut each breast in half, to fit the bun. Place one half on top of the tomato. Spread the chicken with the Nashville Hot Pub Cheese, then add the other half of the chicken breasts and spread that layer with more of the pub cheese. Add more aioli to the top bun to finish.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness before seasoning them?
Using the flat side of a meat mallet under a zip-top bag flattens the thick side out to match the rest of the breast, so the whole piece cooks through at the same rate rather than leaving a thick section underdone while a thin section overcooks.
Why blend the beer and roasted garlic before adding the cheeses to the pub cheese?
Blending those two first flattens the beer's carbonation and minces the garlic finely, so when the cheeses and remaining ingredients go in, everything emulsifies into a smooth, creamy paste rather than staying chunky.
Why drizzle the oil into the aioli slowly while whisking constantly?
Adding the oil gradually while whisking builds a stable emulsion between the egg yolk and oil. Pouring it in too quickly risks the mixture breaking and separating instead of thickening into a proper aioli.
Why split each chicken breast in half and add pub cheese between both pieces, not just on top?
Layering the cheese between the two halves of chicken, not only on the top piece, means every bite through the sandwich carries that pub cheese flavor rather than concentrating it in a single layer.
Does pulling the chicken breasts at 160°F mean they're fully cooked?
Not quite — this recipe's own directions pull them at 160°F, but poultry needs to reach 165°F throughout. Continue grilling until the breasts reach at least 165°F rather than pulling at 160°F.
Is the aioli safe to eat given the raw egg yolk?
The egg yolk here is never cooked — it's whisked raw to build the emulsion, which carries a small salmonella risk similar to other classic raw-egg sauces like mayonnaise or hollandaise. If you'd rather avoid that, look for a pasteurized egg yolk instead.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — a hot cast iron grill pan or broiler can cook the chicken, and the pub cheese and aioli both come together entirely off the grill, in a blender and a mixing bowl.
Recipe Highlights
Even-thickness pounding: Ensures the whole breast cooks through consistently.
Pre-blended beer and garlic: Sets up a smooth, emulsified pub cheese.
Slow-drizzle aioli technique: Builds a stable emulsion instead of a broken sauce.
Double-layered cheese: Distributes flavor through every bite of the sandwich.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 21.93 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 1679
- Carbs
- 35 grams
- Protein
- 120 grams
- Fat
- 113 grams
- Sodium
- 2537 milligrams
