Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich

4.75 from 4 votes

Char grilled chicken thighs with pineapple, crispy bacon and a slightly spicy, sticky sweet pineapple sauce, all in one delicious bite!

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken, grilling, sandwich

Servings: Servings

Calories: 185kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs or small bun sized boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (20-ounce) can pineapple slices in 100% pineapple juice, drained with juice reserved for sauce
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup bottled BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
1-inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated

For serving:

6 slices bacon cooked until crisp
tomato slices
lettuce
sliced red onion grilled if desired
Buns buttered and toasted

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine the pineapple juice (drained from the can), soy sauce, BBQ sauce, honey and crushed red pepper if using. Cook over medium heat until the sauce simmers. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the sauce thickens slightly, darkens in color and reduces almost by half. Remove from the heat and add the grated ginger. Pour half the sauce into a jar or bowl for serving with the sandwiches. Retain the other half for basting the chicken while grilled. If making ahead, cool the basting sauce to room temperature then add about ⅓ to a large ziplock bag. Add the chicken to the bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate until ready to grill.
Preheat gas grill on high for ten minutes. Turn the heat down to medium. Oil or grease the grill grate using long tongs and clean paper towels soaked in vegetable oil.
Grill the pineapple slices until charred and heated through, turning once. Remove to a clean plate. Grill the chicken thighs until well charred and cooked through, basting with the remaining sauce on both sides. If your grill is large enough, the pineapple and chicken can be cooked at the same time.
To serve, top each bun with lettuce, tomato, chicken, grilled onion rings, pineapple rings and bacon. Pass with extra sauce for drizzling. Serve immediately.

Notes

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition