BBQ chicken with caramelized onions, pineapple, bacon and pickled hot peppers in a crispy grilled sandwich with plenty of melted cheese!
BBQ chicken pizza is one of my favourites! The combination of chicken in a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce along with onions, hot peppers, bacon and pineapple is simply divine, especially with melted cheese, so it’s no wonder that it also makes a great grilled cheese! I like to start this grilled cheese off by caramelizing the onions, which takes some time, but it’s worth it! Next up is the BBQ sauce, cooked chicken, crispy bacon, sweet and tangy pineapple and hot pickled peppers, that are all mixed together to form the filling. The grilled cheese is formed with buttered bread and plenty of cheese (I like a Monterey jack cheese) that is grilled in a pan until the outsides are golden brown and crispy and the insides are warm and the cheese is melted!
BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese
Prep Time:10 minutes Cook Time:50 minutes Total Time:1 hour Servings: 4
BBQ chicken with caramelized onions, pineapple, bacon and pickled hot peppers in a crispy grilled sandwich with plenty of melted cheese!
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups chicken, cooked and and sliced or shredded
- 1/2 cup pineapple, diced
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/4 cup pickled hot peppers (optional)
- 8 slices bread
- 2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
directions
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until they turn a deep golden brown, about 30-45 minutes.
- Meanwhile cook the bacon in another pan until crispy and set aside on paper towels to drain.
- Mix the onions, bacon, chicken, pineapple, BBQ sauce and pickled hot peppers.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat.
- Butter one side of each slice of bread, place half of them in the pan with buttered side down, top with half of the cheese, the BBQ chicken mixture, the remaining cheese and finally the other slices of bread with buttered side up.
- Grill until golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted, about 2-4 minutes per side.
Note: Cook the grilled cheese in batches if required.
Tip: I like to cook extra bacon and snack on it while caramelizing the onions!
Option: Use a different melty cheese, like cheddar.
Option: Use 2 slices of cheese per sandwich instead of shredded cheese.
Option: Use pickled jalapenos instead of the pickled hot peppers.
Tip: Caramelize the onions, cook the chicken and bacon ahead of time and the grilled cheese will only take about 15 minutes!
