Level Up Your Grilled Chicken Sandwich With Some Bold Add-Ins
When done right, a grilled chicken sandwich can hit all the necessary notes. In order to achieve that, though, proficient seasoning is a must. A copycat Chick-fil-A grilled chicken sandwich recipe will have you pulling out pretty much every herb and spice in your pantry — as well as two different kinds of fruit juice — just to get the flavor where you want it. However, in an interview with Mashed, Ji Hye Kim, chef and owner of Miss Kim in Ann Arbor, Michigan, says you just need a handful of ingredients to make your grilled chicken sandwich unforgettable.
"Add a gochujang (chili paste) based sauce, ideally mixed in with some sugar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame seeds and oil," Kim instructed. If you haven't been properly introduced to gochujang and what it tastes like, it's a spicy Korean condiment made from red chilies, fermented soybeans, and glutinous rice. Think Sriracha, but with even more flavor. Combining it with ingredients like sugar, soy sauce, and garlic works to balance out the heat, creating a perfectly well-rounded profile. This also works to thin out the thick, usually paste-like gochujang so that you can easily apply it to the chicken.
Baste, don't marinate
While a marinated grilled chicken sandwich recipe would have you soak the chicken breast in your sauce before putting it in the pan, Ji Hye Kim recommended adding this mixture to mostly cooked chicken."You can use [it] to baste the grilled chicken when it's almost done, then finish it on the grill or under the broiler in the oven to achieve a nice, sweet and spicy caramelization on the chicken." Distinct from marinades, which typically contain an acidic element to tenderize the meat, basting simply flavors the meat and keeps it moist during the cooking process.
In order to effectively baste your chicken, prepare the sauce before you start cooking. When the meat has just a few minutes left on the grill, use a basting brush, spoon, or small ladle to coat the chicken with the sauce before allowing it to finish cooking. "It imparts bold, spicy goodness that's balanced with a bit of sweetness, and it will make your grilled chicken sandwich a total standout," Kim said. Add a little extra sauce for serving if you like your sandwich to really pack a punch, or slather a touch of mayo on your bun for that classic chicken sandwich tang.