SWEET TEA BRINED CHICKEN CHEDDAR SANDWICH

I’m elevating your sandwich game with this mouth-watering Sweet Tea Brined Chicken Cheddar Sandwich recipe! It’s brined in sweet tea which leaves it juicy and flavorful. This sandwich is a family favorite.

SWEET TEA BRINED CHICKEN CHEDDAR SANDWICH

The most important tip regarding this recipe is to start it early! Ideally, you’ll marinate the chicken for 12 to 24 hours. The longer the chicken sits in the sweet tea, the more flavor it will absorb.

HOW TO MAKE SWEET TEA BRINE

1. First, bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add 2 family-size tea bags and remove from heat. Allow the tea to steep for 10 minutes.
2. Remove the tea bags and stir in coconut sugar (you can use brown or granulated sugar), sliced lemon, and garlic.
3. Allow the tea to cool before you put the chicken into it. After about 10 minutes, when the sugar is melted, you can add ice cubes to speed up the cooling process.
4. While it cooling, pound the chicken to 1/2 to 1-inch thick.
5. Place the chicken into a large zip-top bag or a plastic container that has a lid.
6. Finally, pour the cooled tea over the chicken. If you’re using a zip-top bag you will want to double bag it or place it into a bowl in case of leaks.
7. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.

SWEET TEA BRINED CHICKEN CHEDDAR SANDWICH TIPS AND TRICKS

You can totally brine the bacon as well. Sometimes I do and other times I don’t.

Additionally, you can grill or pan-fry the chicken. I tend to grill during warm months. My family likes this recipe so much that I make it all year. Therefore, during colder weather, I pan fry it. It’s great both ways.

I always have cheddar cheese in the fridge. However, you can use any cheese you like or have on hand.

Don’t limit yourself to lettuce as a sandwich topper. You can pile on all your garden-fresh produce!

YOU HAVE OPTIONS!

I’m all about the sauce. I’ve served this sandwich with several different sauces and they’re all good. Click on the title below for the recipe or you can always use store-bought.

1. Easy Remoulade
2. Sriracha Comeback Sauce
3. Honey Mustard
4. Spicy Mango Mayonnaise
5. Houstons Restaurant Buttermilk Garlic Salad Dressing
6. Lulu’s Wow Sauce
7. You can also find great recipes at Recipe Index 

Sweet Tea Brined Chicken Cheddar Sandwich

Chicken breasts are marinated in sweet tea making them juicy and flavorful. They're the star of this sandwich which also has bacon, cheddar, lettuce, and a delicious sauce!

Author: Paula

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

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Ingredients

SWEET TEA BRINE

• 2 family-size tea bags
• ½ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1 medium lemon sliced
• 2 medium garlic clove minced

CHICKEN SANDWICH

• 4 medium chicken breasts boneless, skinless
• ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste more or less to taste
• 4 Hoagie rolls or your favorite rolls or buns
• 8 slices bacon I like thick cut
• 8 slices Cheddar cheese or your favorite cheese
• 1 cup spring salad mix
• ⅓ cup Remoulade sauce store bought or homemade

Instructions

SWEET TEA BRINE

• In a saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add tea and remove the pan from the heat. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags.
• Stir in coconut sugar, lemon slices, and garlic. Allow the tea to cool. After 10 minutes you can add ice to help it cool quicker. But you don't want to add the chicken to warm tea.
• Flatten chicken to 1-inch thick and place into a large zip-top bag or plastic container with a lid. (If you used a zip-top bag, you will want to double bag or place the bag in a bowl in case of leaks.) Pour the cool tea over the chicken and seal. Place in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

CHICKEN SANDWICH

• Remove from tea and discard tea. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
• Cook on the first side for about 4 minutes on med-high. Turn and cook on the second side 3 to 4 minutes until cooked through.
• Cook bacon. Drain on paper towels.
• Layer cheese on bread and toast to melt. Remove from toaster and spread remoulade sauce on bread. Layer on chicken, bacon and lettuce. Slice and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 829kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 68g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 209mg | Sodium: 1390mg | Potassium: 1025mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 521IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 278mg | Iron: 12mg

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.

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