Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich

Name: Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 boneless chicken breasts; 2 thick slices of pineapple (cored); 2 slices of red onion; 1/2 cup spring mix; 2 sandwich buns; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 garlic clove (minced); ¼ cup soy sauce; 3 tablespoons water; ½ tablespoon honey; ½ tablespoon light brown sugar; 1 teaspoon ginger (mined); 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 1 tablespoon water

June 29, 2015
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Smoky, full of flavor, sweet, and saucy, this Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich is incredible! Piled high with grilled chicken, pineapple, lettuce, and red onion, it gets drizzled with a thick, tangy, and slightly sweet homemade teriyaki sauce!

Ever since the start of summer, I have been grilling like crazy. Lots of corn, grilled veggies, and salads. (Yes, grilled salad is totally a thing and it is amazing).

I layered this Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich with chicken, pineapple, lettuce, and onion. It gets drizzled with a thick, slightly sweet homemade teriyaki sauce.

The Homemade Teriyaki Sauce makes this sandwich. So do the homemade burger buns too!

I love making my own teriyaki sauce at home. It’s so much easier to control the sweetness and the salt level. I used the same homemade teriyaki sauce as my Easy Teriyaki Beef Meatballs and my Teriyaki Baked Salmon.

It all comes together in under 20 minutes! Perfect for an easy summertime meal.

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What you’ll need for this Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich recipe

Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts are ideal for this recipe. You could also use boneless skinless chicken thighs or turkey breast if needed.
Pineapple: I love grilled pineapple! It really brings out the sweetness. If you haven’t tried it, now is the time!
Onion: I love the taste of red onion on this Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich. It’s sweet and less pungent than white or yellow onion, perfect for eating raw!
Spring mix: For some greens, I added spring mix because I had it on hand. Spinach or arugula are also great options.
Buns: My Homemade Burger Buns are pillowy soft and so easy to make!

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Oil: To sauté the ginger and garlic, I used a neutral oil (olive or avocado oil works well). You can also add sesame oil for its rich, nutty taste.
Garlic and ginger: Garlic and ginger, minced, add a lot of flavor! It’s always nice to eat something fresh. A powdered version isn’t something I’d endorse.
Soy sauce: I always choose low sodium soy sauce because it is healthier. Regular soy sauce or gluten-free soy sauce will work just as well; just add a bit more water to keep it from being too salty. Water thins out the sauce and keeps the flavor from being overbearing.
Sugar & honey: Because the teriyaki sauce is sweet and tangy, I added some light brown sugar and honey. Brown sugar has a stronger flavor than white sugar, and it’s what I love to use to sweeten sauces. You can replace the honey with more brown sugar if desired.
Vinegar: Rice wine vinegar is the best vinegar for this dish. It’s usually easy to find in large supermarkets’ international aisles, at your local Asian grocery store, or online. If you can’t get red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar will suffice.
Cornstarch and water: To thicken the homemade teriyaki sauce, I produced a cornstarch slurry.

How to Make a Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich

Preheat: Begin by preheating the gill.
Pineapple: Grill pineapple for about 2 minutes on each side or until it has nice grill marks. Take off of the grill and set aside.
Chicken: Grill chicken until fully cooked about 8-10 minutes. Take off of the grill and set aside.
Assemble: To assemble the sandwich layer lettuce, red onion, chicken, and sliced pineapple onto each sandwich.
Teriyaki: Drizzle with homemade teriyaki sauce and serve immediately.

How to make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Sauté garlic: Add oil and garlic to a medium saucepan. Cook for 1 minute.
Add teriyaki sauce ingredients: Add in soy sauce, water, honey, brown sugar, and ginger.
Simmer: Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes.
Make slurry: In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch and water until combined.
Whisk it all together: Slowly add this to the teriyaki sauce and whisk until the sauce has thickened. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

Tips for Success

You can use store-bought buns, however, my Homemade Burger Buns are delicious and so easy to make!
Toast the buns and add a little butter for the best flavor.
Double or triple batch the Homemade Teriyaki Sauce for easy dinners throughout the week. Try my Teriyaki Chicken, Teriyaki Salmon, Beef Teriyaki Noodles, or my Teriyaki Meatballs!
Store any leftover chicken and pineapple in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Store the Teriyaki sauce and buns separately. The teriyaki sauce will last for up to a week in the fridge, and the buns last for a week at room temperature.

What can I serve with these Grilled Chicken Pineapple Sandwiches?

Here are more delicious Sandwich Recipes to try!

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