Chili Crisp Honey Chicken Cheese (Printable)

Sweet and spicy chicken with melty cheese on crisp buttery bread for a bold flavor fusion.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken Preparation

01 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
02 - 2 tablespoons honey
03 - 2 tablespoons chili crisp, plus extra for serving
04 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
05 - 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
06 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Sandwich Components

07 - 8 slices sourdough or sturdy sandwich bread
08 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
09 - 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
10 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
11 - 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (optional, for extra crispness)

# How To Make:

01 - In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken, honey, chili crisp, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly until uniformly coated. Set aside.
02 - In a separate bowl, blend shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses evenly.
03 - Arrange bread slices and spread a thin layer of softened butter on one side of each. Optionally, spread mayonnaise on the opposite side for added crispness.
04 - On the unbuttered side of half the bread slices, layer a generous portion of the cheese mixture, then the honey chili crisp chicken filling, followed by additional cheese. Cover with the remaining bread slices, ensuring the buttered sides face outward.
05 - Preheat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Place assembled sandwiches in the skillet, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes per side while pressing gently with a spatula until the bread is golden brown and cheese is fully melted.
06 - Remove sandwiches from heat, allow to cool slightly. Slice and serve with additional chili crisp as desired.

# Top Suggestions:

01 -
  • The honey mellows the chili crisp heat into something addictive rather than aggressive, making this sandwich dangerously easy to eat in one sitting.
  • You get restaurant-quality flavor from five minutes of actual hands-on work, plus most of the ingredients probably live in your kitchen already.
  • Buttery bread contrasting with spicy-sweet chicken and melted cheese hits every craving texture at once—crispy, creamy, bold.
02 -
  • Medium heat is not negotiable—high heat burns the outside before the cheese melts inside, leaving you with hot bread and cold cheese, which is its own special sadness.
  • Softened butter makes all the difference because it spreads without tearing the bread and browns evenly, while cold butter just sits there and creates hot spots.
  • The mayo-and-butter combo sounds weird until you see how impossibly crispy and golden the bread becomes—it's a technique I fought against for years until I finally tried it.
03 -
  • Use a spatula to gently press the sandwich as it cooks—not smashing, just steady pressure that helps the bread brown evenly and speeds up cheese melting.
  • If you're making multiple sandwiches, keep the first batch warm in a 200°F oven while you finish the rest so everyone eats them hot and fresh.
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