For year, the Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich at Carl’s Jr was my #1 choice for fast food. Well … it’s pretty easy to make your own version at home – and improve upon the original. I started with a copycat recipe from Ron Douglas’ Recipe Secrets and made a few changes: I used Yoshida’s Marinade instead of homemade teriyaki sauce, really good rolls instead of hamburger buns, Tillamook cheese slices instead of American, and minor changes in the spices in the sauce.
So … this was very easy (especially using a George Foreman grill) and makes an absolutely wonderful, memorable lunch. You can mix up the sauce ahead of time, start the chicken breasts marinating the day before, and then whip up some awesome sandwiches in less than 15 minutes.
Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Easy, scrumptious knock-off of the Carl's Jr Santa Fe Chicken sandwich
Author: Anita Edge
Recipe type: Sandwich
Cuisine: Southwest
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- Chicken:
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 10-12 oz each
- ½ cup Yoshida's Marinade or bottled teriyaki sauce
- Sauce:
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon curry powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Sandwiches:
- 4 slices Tillamook cheese
- 4 torta or ciabatta rolls
- 4 whole green chiles, peeled, seeded and split
- lettuce
Instructions
- Butterfly the chicken breasts open, and cut each breast into 2 thinner pieces. (Alternately, use 4 smaller chicken breasts and pound to an even thinness.)
- Combine the chicken with the Yoshida's Marinade in a large ziplock bag. Marinate for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
- In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, smoked paprika, curry powder, cayenne and salt. Set aside.
- Preheat a grill or a grill pan over medium. Spray with nonstick cooking spray then add the marinated chicken breasts, discarding any remaining marinade. Grill until no longer pink and juices run clear, about 10 minutes, turning once.
- When the chicken is almost finished cooking, place one slice of cheese on top of the chicken to melt. You can also pop it in the microwave to melt the cheese.
- Spread one fourth of the sauce on each of the undersides of the top buns.
- Place the chicken on the bottom bun, then add a green chile on top, followed by some lettuce.
- Top with the top bun and serve.
Notes
Yoshida's Marinade is available at Costco.
I used the Kirkland boneless, skinless chicken breasts from Costco, 1 per serving and pounded them to an even thickness. Very nice.
I also used the Torta rolls from Costco baked by La Brea bakery - these are absolutely wonderful and are perfect for sandwiches.
The order of the layers doesn't much matter - I put the chile on top of the chicken and then covered it with the cheese.
I used the Kirkland boneless, skinless chicken breasts from Costco, 1 per serving and pounded them to an even thickness. Very nice.
I also used the Torta rolls from Costco baked by La Brea bakery - these are absolutely wonderful and are perfect for sandwiches.
The order of the layers doesn't much matter - I put the chile on top of the chicken and then covered it with the cheese.
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