Chilli Lemon Chicken & Cheese Sandwich

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4.15000 from 7 votes

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Marinade (Optional): 1

Calories: 480kcal

Servings: People

Metric - Imperial

Ingredients

Chicken & Marinade

10 ml Olive Oil
8 Chicken Thighs Boneless & Skinless
1 Lemon Juice & Zest
2 Long Red Chillies Chopped
3 Garlic Cloves Minced
4 g Sweet Paprika
0.5 g Dried Oregano
0.5 g Dried Thyme
0.5 g Dried Basil
Salt & Pepper
4 Burger Buns
4 slices Cheddar Cheese
Mayonnaise

Coleslaw

100 g White Cabbage Sliced
100 g Red Cabbage Chopped
5 g Flat Leaf Parsley Chopped
½ Red Onion Sliced
2 Spring Onions (Scallions) Sliced
125 g Greek Yoghurt
½ Lemon Juiced
37.5 ml Macadamia Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
10 g Honey
Salt & Pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Add the chicken thigh, lemon juice and zest, chillies, garlic, sweet paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried basil, olive oil, a big pinch of salt, and cracked black pepper to a large mixing bowl. Mix well and marinate for 30 minutes, up to 48 hours.
Place the marinated chicken onto the prepared baking tray, spread evenly, and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden, slightly charred, and the internal temperature reaches 74°C (165°F). Remove, stack two pieces of chicken on top of each other, and place over a slice of cheese. Let the cheese melt and the chicken rest for 4–5 minutes.
While the chicken marinates or cooks, combine all the coleslaw ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the dressing ingredients and mix well again. Check the seasoning and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Toast the burger buns to your liking, in the oven or a pan. Add the coleslaw to the bottom bun, top with the stacked chicken and cheese, and add a sauce of choice to the top bun before closing. Serve and dig in.

Chef's Tips

Let the chicken marinate for as long as you can within that 48-hour window — the lemon and chilli need real time to actually penetrate the meat, not just sit on the surface.

Stack the chicken pieces while they're still hot from the oven, straight before adding the cheese — residual heat is what melts it, so working quickly here matters more than it seems.

Make the coleslaw first and let it sit in the fridge while the chicken cooks — the flavours round out with a bit of resting time, same as with any yoghurt-based slaw dressing.

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate the cooked chicken and coleslaw separately for up to 3 days, in airtight containers. Not recommended for freezing once assembled — coleslaw with a yoghurt-based dressing doesn't hold up well to freezing or thawing.

To reheat, warm the chicken in a pan or oven until hot throughout, then rebuild the sandwich fresh with cold coleslaw straight from the fridge.

Serving 1SandwichCalories 480kcalCarbohydrates 32.9gProtein 49.6gFat 16.1gSaturated Fat 5gPolyunsaturated Fat 3.71gMonounsaturated Fat 5.71gCholesterol 189.8mgSodium 479.6mgPotassium 645.8mgFiber 2.9gSugar 9.4gVitamin A 332.27IUVitamin C 35.48mgCalcium 228.7mgIron 4.3mg