These Asian BBQ Chicken Sandwiches are all about real food for real life. We use simple pantry staples to build a rich, savory sauce that turns standard frozen chicken into a top-tier family meal.
Why You Will Love These Asian BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
- Budget Friendly Uses affordable pantry staples and frozen chicken cutlets to keep costs low.
- Time Saver Bagged slaw and pre-breaded chicken minimize prep work on busy nights.
- Flavor Balanced The sauce offers an ideal mix of savory soy, sweet brown sugar, and a hint of heat.
- Texture Contrast You get a satisfying crunch from both the crispy chicken and the chilled vinegar slaw.
- Family Approved These sandwiches are approachable for kids while remaining flavorful enough for adults.
Ingredients for These Sweet and Spicy Chicken Sandwiches
- Soy Sauce and Brown Sugar These form the savory-sweet base of your homemade BBQ sauce.
- Chile-Garlic Sauce This adds a gentle kick without being overwhelming.
- Cornstarch Slurry A simple mix of cornstarch and water that thickens your sauce so it clings to the chicken.
- Bagged Slaw A great shortcut that provides crunch and fiber with zero chopping required.
- Rice Wine Vinegar:Used in both the sauce and slaw to provide a bright, acidic balance to the sugar.
- Toasted Sesame Oil A small amount goes a long way in adding a toasted, nutty aroma.
- Frozen Chicken Patties Use your favorite frozen chicken patties for a great time saver. My family loves Bell and Evans chicken patties or Adlis red bag chicken patties.
Making the Asian Chicken Sandwiches
- Start the Sauce In a small saucepan, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, rice wine vinegar, chile-garlic sauce, black pepper, ginger, and sesame oil. Set over medium-high heat.
- Boil and Simmer Bring the mixture to a boil. Once bubbling, lower the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Be careful not to burn the sauce.
- Thicken In a small cup, stir the cornstarch and water. Pour this slurry into the saucepan. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, usually 5–7 minutes.
- Prep the Slaw While the sauce simmers, toss the bagged slaw with green onions, vinegar, pure maple syrup or sugar, and sesame oil. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Cook the Chicken Follow the package directions for your breaded chicken cutlets. Aim for a golden, crispy finish.
- Assemble Place the warm chicken on a bun, spoon a generous amount of sauce over the top, and pile on the chilled slaw.
Troubleshooting Your Asian Style BBQ Sandwiches
- Slurry Success Always mix cornstarch with cold water before adding it to hot liquid. If you add it directly to the pot, it will clump into small bits rather than thickening the sauce smoothly.
- Buns get too soggy For an extra touch of quality and sturdiness, toast your buns before assembling.
- Slaw is too watery If the slaw sits too long, it may release moisture. Use a slotted spoon when topping your sandwich to keep the bottom bun dry.
Another great sandwich topping is my Asian Sesame Ginger Dressing.
Make some ramen and try my vegan noodle sauce as a side!
FAQ's:
While we love the convenience of breaded chicken cutlets, this sauce is also fantastic on grilled chicken breasts, shredded rotisserie chicken, or even crispy chicken thighs.
Absolutely! The Asian BBQ sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You may need to warm it slightly before using.
This recipe has a mild-to-medium spice level from the chile-garlic sauce. If you prefer less heat, you can reduce the amount to half a tablespoon. For more heat, feel free to add a little extra!
The top way to maintain crunch is to bake the chicken on a wire rack over a sheet pan. This allows air to circulate underneath.
For best results, store the components separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Assemble the sandwiches just before serving to keep the chicken crispy and the buns from getting soggy.
Recipe
Asian BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chile-garlic sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 6 ounces of bagged slaw
- 3 green onions chopped
- 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of dark sesame oil
- 6 bagged breaded chicken cutlets. I used Aldi red bag chicken.
- 6 burger buns
Method
- For the Asian BBQ sauce, place soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, vinegar, chile-garlic sauce, black pepper, and dark sesame oil in a saucepan over a medium high heat. Bring to a boil. After bringing to a boil, reduce heat to medium low. Mix the cornstarch and water until combined and add to the BBQ sauce. Mix well with the sauce until combined. Simmer for 5-7 minutes stirring occasionally.
- For the slaw, combine bagged slaw, onions, rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, and dark sesame oil and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Bake the chicken according to manufacturer instructions.
- When chicken is out of the oven, top with Asian BBQ sauce and place on a bun. Top with asian slaw.
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