Chicken Parm Grilled Cheese
Chicken Parm Grilled Cheese is packed with chicken, cheese, and sauce. Made with thick Texas toast, premade chicken strips and sauce, it’s a simple and simply hearty grilled cheese for lunch or dinner.
April is Grilled Cheese Month! Did you know that? I did. I love grilled cheese sandwiches. They’re so delicious. Even the classic grilled cheese is total comfort food to me. Simple toasted bread with some American cheese melted in the middle. Yum. Anyone else drooling?
How is it I only have 12 grilled cheese recipes on my blog? I need to remedy that. There needs to be more grilled cheese recipes for you to make from my blog. Expect to see more. Maybe not this month. Or maybe this month. It just depends on how creative I plan on getting in the next 21 days.
How is it I only have 12 grilled cheese recipes on my blog? I need to remedy that. There needs to be more grilled cheese recipes for you to make from my blog. Expect to see more. Maybe not this month. Or maybe this month. It just depends on how creative I plan on getting in the next 21 days.
The history of the grilled cheese sandwich.
I know somewhere on here I have talked about the history of the grilled cheese. But my memory isn’t allowing me to remember which post it is to reference here so, maybe I’ll just go into it again. But in an abbreviated version.
Bread and cheese is served together as far back as the Romans. It is not a new concept. Then there’s the Croque Monsieur. The French started making those in the 1900’s. While they’re similar to the grilled cheese, they’re not ACTUALLY grilled cheese the way we know it today.
Today’s grilled cheese rose out of necessity. I don’t think I need to go into the desperation of the Great Depression and the need to feed families with very little money. But it wasn’t until the invention of the bread slicer did the grilled cheese really take off.
Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented the bread slicer which meant that inexpensive sliced bread was found in many homes across American at that time. The with the introduction of processed cheese from Kraft meant a match made in heaven. Inexpensive sliced bread plus the convenience of processed cheese made for a decently nutritious meal for not just the American public, but the Navy, too.
During World War II, the Navy made countless grilled cheese sandwiches to feet their seamen. Of course, back then it was an open-faced sandwich with grated cheese. That is until the introduction of Kraft singles at the end of the 40’s. And then later the second piece of bread to go on top making it a full-on sandwich. From there on out, history was made and the grilled cheese has become a staple if American kitchens.
Grilled Cheese Facts
There is a whopping 86% of Americans that each grilled cheese every year. And they eat 2.2 BILLION grilled cheese every year. That’s an insane amount of sliced bread and cheese. As much as I love them, I don’t eat that many every year. However, that might change. Because they’re a simple, budget friend, meal that you can dress up.
Speaking of dressing up, Serendipity 3 in New York has the most expensive grilled cheese on their menu. It weighs in at $214. They have 6 Guinness Book of World Records items on their menu. Their Quintessential Grilled Cheese Sandwich is just one of them. Their world record grilled cheese has French Pullman bread made with Dom Perignon champagne. There are edible gold flakes and white truffle butter. Finally, the cheese is a very rare Caciocavallo Podolico cheese.
The cheese is no ordinary cheese. It’s made from a rare breed of cow. The cheese is not made like usual cheese but pulled. By the shepherds who watch over the cows while they munch on delicious nettles, berries, rosehips, and other flavorful ingredients in the mountains of Campania. It ranges from 25 to over 50 dollars a pound.
In 2012, a grilled cheese eating contest had one participate devouring 13 of these in one minute. Joey Chestnut set a record by eating 47 in 10 minutes. That’s crazy!! I mean, I love me a grilled cheese, but there’s no way I could eat that many. The sodium alone in the processed cheese would make me cringe!
Sliced versus shredded cheese.
I think this depends on the type of cheese used. Some swear by shredded, but I really do like a good, easy slice. I mean, putting shredded cheese on a piece of bread and then transferring that to a skillet without dropping shreds isn’t that easy. At least it isn’t for me.
But others swear by using shredded. It melts more evenly. Shredded cheese melts quickly. The bread to cheese ratio is usually better with shredded cheese. All of these lead me to tips for good grilled cheese sandwiches.
How to make a great grilled cheese sandwich.
TIME! These things take time. Good grilled cheese recipes take time. If you want to slap some butter on some bread and toast it up with Kraft singles, that’s easy. But a good, gourmet grilled cheese like this chicken Parm grilled cheese takes time. You can’t rush it. I’ve tried. It goes all kinds of wrong.
For this chicken Parm grilled cheese, I used a hearty, Texas toast style bread. But I didn’t want the insides to be all goo and raw bread. So, I toasted the insides and outsides of the bread. Do this. If you’re making a gourmet grilled cheese that has a more fillings that just a slice or two of cheese. It will add a level of flavor and stability to those delicious fillings. It will also help the cheese melt with the residual heat from toasting the inside of the bread.
What does Chicken Parm Grilled Cheese taste like?
Like it sounds. Tender chicken, lots of cheese, some sauce. It all rounds out that chicken Parm grilled cheese experience. I used chicken tenders. The Perdue ones in the refrigerator/deli section are my fave go to for things like this. I’m working on a chicken Parm pasta made with those things, too. And they’re so deliciously crispy cooked in my air fryer.
It’s not easy to wait for this grilled cheese sandwich to cook. But have a patience. There’s nothing more disappointing then biting into a gourmet grilled cheese and the cheese is barely even melted. That’s just not appealing at all. So, take your time. Use a lower heat than you want. And give it time to cook!
And if you’re a little impatient, then sprinkle some water on the griddle and cover the chicken Parm grilled cheese with a lid, bowl, or saucepan to trap the steam. The steam will make the cheese melt a little faster. It’s a trick I use at home to make my cheese melt faster. Yes. I’m a little impatient when it comes to grilled cheese sandwiches.

Chicken Parm Grilled Cheese
Chicken Parm Grilled Cheese is packed with chicken, cheese, and sauce. Made with thick Texas toast, premade chicken strips and sauce, it’s a simple and simply hearty grilled cheese for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- 4 slices Texas toast bread
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 4 slices Mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup pizza sauce
- 8 ounces cooked, breaded chicken breast strips or patty (I used Perdue refrigerate chicken breast strips)
Instructions
- Preheat a griddle (I have a two-burner griddle pan) to medium heat.
- Butter both sides of the Texas toast.
- Place the Texas toast on the griddle and toast one side of the bread. Toasting the inside and outside of the sandwich gives you a better melt, and stronger surface for the chicken and cheese.
- Remove the Texas toast from the griddle and place the toasted side up on your work surface.
- Sprinkle two of the four slices with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and top with one slice of Mozzarella cheese.
- Spread 1 tablespoon of the pizza sauce on top of the Mozzarella cheese.
- Arrange the chicken strips (or patty) on top of the cheese and sauce.
- Drizzle another tablespoon of pizza sauce on top of the chicken.
- Place another slice of Mozzarella cheese on top.
- Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on top.
- Carefully lift the slice with all the sandwich ingredients on it up and place it on the griddle.
- Place the second piece of bread, untoasted side up, on top.
- Cook the sandwich on medium to medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.
- Carefully flip the sandwich over and cook an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and all the cheese is melted.
- Allow the sandwich to rest 2 to 3 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
If the cheese doesn't look like it is melting, sprinkle a little water on the griddle and then place a metal bowl, dome lid, or small saucepan on top of the sandwich. This will trap the steam and make the cheese melt a little faster.
Nutrition Information
Yield
2Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 1043Total Fat 68gSaturated Fat 33gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 30gCholesterol 171mgSodium 1944mgCarbohydrates 61gFiber 3gSugar 5gProtein 47g
Get Your Grilled Cheese On!
- Bacon Tomato Grilled Cheese from Palatable Pastime
- Brie and Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwich from That Recipe
- Chicken Parm Grilled Cheese from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Chili Crisp Grilled Cheese from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Grilled Ham and Cheese from Art of Natural Living
- Hatch Chili Potato Grilled Cheese from Magical Ingredients
- Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese from Jen Around the World
- The Mempho (Grilled BBQ Mac & Cheese Sandwich) from The Spiffy Cookie
We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!
Grilled Cheese Recipes
Slap it between some bread (or pancakes or waffles), fill it with stuff, and fry it up in the pan for a delicious sandwich.
Breakfast Grilled Cheese
Instead of using a toaster, the bread in this Breakfast Grilled Cheese is buttered and toasted in the pan with the egg, sausage, and cheese all melted together.
Chicken Parm Grilled Cheese
Chicken Parm Grilled Cheese is packed with chicken, cheese, and sauce. Made with thick Texas toast, premade chicken strips and sauce, it’s a simple and simply hearty grilled cheese for lunch or dinner.