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This is the fresh, satisfying sandwich you’ll make on repeat. Grilled chicken tossed in a lemon thyme honey mustard dressing, layered with avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, and our favorite tahini ranch. The perfect ciabatta sandwich to serve up at your next backyard BBQ, afternoon picnic in the sun, or even at your desk on a good work day!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Lots of flavor without a ton of effort
- Easy swaps for busy days! Use leftover or rotisserie chicken, your favorite bread, and seasoning and herbs as you like.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken: Works with grilled, roasted, poached, or rotisserie. Shred or slice against the grain for tenderness. If cooking from raw, go until the thickest part is opaque and juices run clear (165°F if using a thermometer).
Avocado: Use just-ripe fruit. Mash lightly with lemon/lime, salt, and pepper for brightness.
Bread: Sourdough, ciabatta, or sturdy multigrain toast
Creamy element: Mayo, Greek yogurt, or a yogurt-mayo mix. Add lemon, garlic, or a touch of Dijon for tang.
Fresh add-ins: Lettuce or arugula for crunch/ sliced tomato (pat dry)/red onion/ cucumber; herbs (basil, cilantro).
For a bit of heat: Chili flakes, pickled jalapeños, or a swipe of chipotle mayo.
I’m just going to say this right off the bat, I love this chicken sandwich. I know some people try to play things cool and not be so overly excited about things, but that’s not me. I’m so excited to share this sandwich. It feels perfect for spring and summer!
And most importantly, I think you guys will love it. The flavors are light for warmer weather, but it’s also super hearty with the grilled chicken, avocado, and ranch!
The details
- Grill the chicken: The chicken is tossed with my go-to oil-based honey mustard and herb dressing. It’s a little sweet and spicy with lots of lemon and fresh basil. Then grill up the chicken. Be sure to save some of the dressing for drizzling over the sandwich!
- Make the tahini ranch: You’re replacing sour cream and mayo with tahini. So it’s tahini, plus dried herbs, and then a little lemon. It’s delicious, and a nice lighter ranch option.
- Toast the ciabatta bread: Toast, grill or griddle a nice long loaf of ciabatta bread then spread over lots of tahini ranch.
- Assemble the sandwich: Layer with avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, and plenty of peperoncini (I’m obsessed right now). Then add the chicken and pour over the remaining herb dressing.
- Finish with arugula and more ranch! You could also add a yummy cheese like pepper jack or Swiss, or even blue cheese! Oh, and bacon would be great too!
Make-Ahead Tips
Prep ahead: Keep chicken and a simple avocado mash separate; press plastic wrap directly onto the avocado’s surface and refrigerate.
Assemble later: Toast bread just before eating. For lunchboxes, assemble in the morning and eat within the day; pack juicy add-ins (tomato, cucumber) separately.
Revive leftovers: If bread softens, re-toast briefly; add a fresh handful of greens for crunch.
I hope you love this sandwich as much as I do!
How do I keep avocado from browning if I make this ahead?
Add extra lemon/lime to the mash and press plastic wrap directly onto its surface. Assemble close to serving for the best color.
What is the best bread for this sandwich?
Choose a sturdy loaf like sourdough or ciabatta and toast it; softer breads are tasty but can get soggy faster.
Looking for other summer sandwich recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Everything Cheddar Tomato Bacon Grilled Cheese
Picnic Style Brie and Prosciutto Sandwich
Grilled Vegetable Burrata Sandwich
Spinach and Artichoke Pita Grilled Cheese.
Lastly, if you make this Honey Mustard Chicken Avocado Sandwich with Tahini Ranch, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Honey Mustard Chicken Avocado Sandwich with Tahini Ranch
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 425 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup mixed chopped herbs (basil, parsley, dill)
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- kosher salt, black pepper, and chili flakes
Sandwich
Tahini Ranch
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons dried chives
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4– 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
Instructions
- 1. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.2. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with 1/2 of the dressing. Let sit 10 minutes. Set your grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken until lightly charred and cooked through, turning halfway through cooking, about 10 to 12 minutes. 3. To make the tahini ranch, combine everything in a bowl, whisking in 1/4 to 1/2 cup water to thin the dressing. Taste and season with salt and pepper.4. Rub each half of the bread with olive oil. Grill the bread, cut side down, for 3-5 minutes or until light grill marks appear. 5. Working with the bottom piece of bread, spread over some of the tahini ranch, then layer on the avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, and pepperoncini. Add the chicken, then drizzle the remaining dressing over the chicken. Add the arugula and cheese. Drizzle with the tahini ranch. Add the top half of the ciabatta and gently push down on the sandwich. Cut into 4-6 sandwiches. Enjoy with the remaining tahini ranch on the side.
This post was originally published on May 18, 2022
For about the last month I’ve been making recipes exclusively from your blog and at this rate I think my husband and I may be contenders for your biggest fans? As all your recipes, this one was SO GOOD. I never make sandwiches for dinner but we love a good toasty sandwich in our house so I thought why not? This was fantastic. Im not a huge meat eater and my husband and I both agreed the sandwich is so hearty and yummy on its own that the chicken may not even be necessary for us next time. Only real variation from your recipe was using pickled banana peppers in place of the pepperoncini’s (mostly because I thought they were the same thing so I didn’t grab any fresh pepperoncini at the grocery). Last note — my ideal sandwich/burger should be so messy that I have to use multiple napkins because I have sauce/juices running down my hands with every bite. I was delighted this sandwich checked that box. So good. Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Kirstie,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback!! Love to hear that it was a winner:) Thanks so much for your kind message and making so many recipes! xxT
I make a lot of recipes from the internet, and have never commented on a recipe in my life. Here we are…… holy sh*t…..
This is not only the best sandwich I have ever tasted, it’s the best recipe I’ve ever made, ever. Unbelievable.
This is my first HBH recipe and I can’t wait to make the next. You’ve got a follower for life! Thank you! Genius!!!
Hey Jordie,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed, we appreciate the feedback! LOL thanks so much for your kind message:) xTieghan
10/10 stars. For real. This was a HUGE crowd pleaser to my family, even the picky kids who don’t eat avocado and tomatoes. I made two large ciabatta sandwiches for our family of 5. We ate the second one throughout the week heated up in the oven. I will add this one to our monthly rotation for sure.
Oh! And instead of the individual dried seasonings, I used Trader Joes Green Goddess seasoning after reading it was all the same ingredients for the tahini. It was perfect (5tsp to match the amount)
Thanks for sharing:)
Hey Whitney,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed, we appreciate the feedback! xTieghan
I still have the other half of my share of the sandwich to eat. Figured I’d give you a little note before I finished. There are so many different levels of flavor! The cheese tahini vinegar cayenne pepper ciabatta! Everything works great together. Great sandwich.
Hey Jon,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
This was dinner last night and was perfect! My picky husband LOVED it. The chicken was still grilling when the bread was ready so I spread the tahini on both sides, then the shaved Parm on the top side and popped it back into the oven for a minute. The cheese melted just a little and it just added a little more yummmmmm! Fantastic!
Hey Kathy,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
This was just as good as I wanted it to be! So delicious and much easier to put together than one might think. Shared with my neighbors and they said it is one of the best chicken sandwiches they’ve ever had and we’re all foodies. I just had leftovers for lunch and made it into a salad so it was mostly arugula, chicken and the dressing (we used all the tahini with dinner last night) and the salad was also amazing! Thank you so much and I can’t wait to try so many more of your recipes! <3
Hey Bridget,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
Such a good sandwich! Both my husband and I loved it!
Hey Crystal,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
Wouldn’t change a thing about this sandwich. It was perfect! Flavors are amazing and everything comes together so well. One of my favorite HBH dishes.
Hey Tamara,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
This was delicious!! My son has several food allergies and can’t have tahini butter but I used his almond butter and it was still so good spread onto the sandwich!! The family says this was the best and I need to add it to rotation! Thank you !
Hey Jessica,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
This was my favorite HBH recipe yet! The entire family loved it, this one will be on repeat for sure. Thanks!!!
Hi Bailey,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
I got it figured out & will be making this tomorrow.
I hope you love the recipe:)
I can’t determine from this recipe when/where to use the Tahini Ranch and when to use the dressing. The instructions aren’t clear on this.
Hi Donna,
You are using the dressing in steps 1 and 5. You are using the tahini ranch in step 3 and 5. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Omg! This was AMAZING! I followed the recipe exactly (except I used a mix of arugula and baby spinach)….and it was phenomenal! I brought one over to my dad and he loved it too! I will definitely be making this again! Thanks Tieghan for another delicious recipe!
Hey Marla,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
Do you think I could make this the night before & serve have it for lunch the next day?
It’s a lot of steps, as you are making these yummy dresssings/sauces from scratch. So I used a whole package of chicken (1.75 pounds) so that I could have some left overs – more sandwiches or chicken for a salad. It was worth it! Delish!
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try Alison!
Hey Brooke,
Totally, I think that would work well for you! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I don’t see any tahini in the ingredients. How much do you use.
1/4 cup; it’s the first ingredient in the Tahini Ranch
Hi Marlene,
The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of tahini. Please let me know if you have any other questions:) xx