A flavorful and crispy cilantro lime chicken sandwich featuring crunchy cornflake-coated chicken breasts, a tangy sweet chicken sauce, fresh cucumber salad, and a creamy cilantro lime sandwich sauce served on toasted bread rolls. Perfect for a fresh and zesty lunch or dinner option.
Total Time:40 minutes
Yield:4 servings
Ingredients
Chicken and Coating
2 chicken breasts cut into halves (long ways) and slightly pounded out
½ cup all-purpose flour (can use gluten-free flour)
1 cup cornflakes lightly crushed
½ tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
2 eggs beaten
4 bread rolls of your choice toasted if desired
Sandwich Sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 avocado cut in half, remove seed, and scoop out flesh
½ cup cilantro
1 Tbsp adobo sauce
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp honey
½ cup sour cream
¼ tsp black pepper
Salt to taste
Cucumber Salad
½ large English cucumber thinly sliced
1 jalapeno thinly sliced
1 cup cabbage thinly sliced and chopped
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Sauce for Coating Chicken Breasts
4 Tbsp avocado oil
6 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup lime juice
¼ cup honey
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp chipotle powder
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves grated
Instructions
Make the Sandwich Sauce: Combine olive oil, avocado, cilantro, adobo sauce, lime juice, honey, sour cream, and black pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth, then add salt to taste. Transfer to a bottle or jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
Prepare the Cucumber Salad: In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Add the sliced cucumber, jalapeno, and chopped cabbage and toss thoroughly to coat. Set aside.
Set Up Breading Stations: Arrange three shallow bowls: in the first, mix flour, salt, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder; in the second, beat the eggs; and in the third, place the crushed cornflakes.
Bread the Chicken: Dredge each chicken piece first in the seasoned flour mixture, then dip into the beaten eggs, and finally coat thoroughly with the crushed cornflakes.
Cook the Chicken: Air fry the chicken at 360ºF for 16 minutes until golden and crispy, or bake on a foil-lined and cooking spray-coated baking sheet at 425ºF for 20 minutes, flipping halfway. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
Make the Chicken Coating Sauce: While chicken cooks, add avocado oil, cilantro, lime juice, honey, salt, pepper, chipotle powder, red pepper flakes, and garlic to a large skillet. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens into a syrup.
Coat the Chicken with Sauce: Place the cooked chicken in the skillet with the sauce and coat both sides evenly.
Assemble the Sandwiches: Place the coated chicken on toasted rolls, top with cucumber salad, and finish with a generous spread of the prepared sandwich sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
For a gluten-free option, substitute all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour.
To make the chicken extra crispy, ensure the cornflakes are well crushed but not powdered.
Adjust the amount of jalapeno in the cucumber salad based on your preferred spice level.
To save time, the sandwich sauce can be made a day ahead and stored refrigerated.
If you do not have an air fryer, baking the chicken is a great alternative with similar results when flipping halfway.
Check chicken internal temperature with a meat thermometer to ensure food safety.
