Mexican Chicken Sandwich (Chicken Torta)

Share on Social!

This chicken torta is easy to make with a simple one ingredient Mexican chicken marinade and a homemade jalapeno buttermilk dressing. Prepared on a griddle and served simply with sliced red onion and avocado on a bolillo roll, this Mexican chicken sandwich is the perfect weeknight dinner!

Mexican food is one of our favorites. In fact, most Friday nights you can find us grabbing a to-go order from our favorite local spot, and then eating dinner in the bed while we watch a movie with our kids. But when it’s not our family Friday movie night, we like making our own Mexican specialties on the griddle.

From our favorite chicken fajitas to loaded Mexican chicken breasts, we’ve tried just about every Mexican dish possible. And it’s hard to pick favorites, but this Mexican torta ranks right up there with some of the best chicken sandwiches that we’ve ever made!

This Mexican chicken sandwich is full of flavor thanks to an easy overnight marinade (inspired by Meat Church’s Mexican grilled chicken) and a simple homemade jalapeno buttermilk dressing. Dressed simply with creamy avocado slices and red onion, this sandwich strikes the perfect balance between spicy, tangy, creamy, and perfectly charred.

Ingredients Notes

• Chicken Thighs (Bone-In, Skin-On): These are flavorful, juicy, and way cheaper than boneless, skinless—especially if you’re willing to do a little knife work. You can substitute chicken breasts if you wish, but I would recommend cutting them in half lengthwise and pounding out any fatter areas so that they cook quickly and evenly on the griddle.
• Jalapeño Juice: The type of jalapeno juice that you use is important. We recommend the La Costena brand of canned (not jarred) pickled jalapenos. We have used this brand for a variety of Mexican chicken recipes using this marinade. You will only need the juice from the can, but you can dice the jalapeños and add them to the homemade dressing.
• Fiesta That Seasoning (or similar Mexican spice blend): You can use any fajita or Mexican seasoning here, but if you do have my new blend, it’s perfect for this recipe.
• Bolillo Rolls: These are classic Mexican sandwich rolls – crusty outside, fluffy inside. They soak up dressing without falling apart. Brioche or hoagie buns would work well also.
• Pepper Jack Cheese: Just enough kick without overpowering the sandwich. Monterey Jack or a shredded Mexican blend are fine substitutes as well, but your sandwich won’t have that subtle spicy kick.
• Sliced Red Onion and Avocado: Our toppings of choice for this chicken torta – highly recommended!

Making the Jalapeno Buttermilk Dressing

This creamy, spicy dressing pulls the sandwich together and perfectly compliments the chicken and avocado slices. Bonus: it doubles as a killer dip.

Just mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, a bit of jalapeno juice from a can of pickled jalapenos, some of our Spice That Jalapeno All-Purpose Seasoning, and enough milk to reach your desired consistency.

For more depth, add a sprinkle of dried onion or dill. Mix well, and let the dressing sit in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight) so the flavors meld and the seasonings dissolve fully.

Prepping the Chicken Thighs

I love using chicken thighs for most griddle recipes, because the dark meat is more flavorful and more forgiving, especially for new griddle cooks. The higher fat content helps to keep your chicken tender and juicy, even if you accidentally overshoot the internal temperature a bit.

We used regular bone-in thighs for this recipe, and we deboned them ourselves. The process is very easy to do, and it saves you a good chunk of money doing the work yourself also. Here’s how to debone the chicken thighs:

1. Trim off excess fat – Use your knife to remove the areas of thick fat on the ends of the thighs.
2. Locate the bone line – Run your knife on top of the bone, using it as your guide.
3. Work around the bone – Slide the knife blade down both sides of the bone, slipping your blade underneath as needed, until the bone comes free. A bit of cartilage may be hanging out in there – pluck that out.

We chose to keep the skin on, but you can definitely remove it if you prefer. Or to make this recipe even easier, just use boneless skinless thighs.

How to Make the Best Mexican Chicken Sandwich

This chicken torta really is one of the easiest chicken sandwiches to make, whether you’re using a griddle or a large stovetop skillet. Just follow these steps:

Step 1: Marinate the chicken in pickled jalapeno juice. Add your trimmed boneless chicken thighs to a gallon size zip top bag. Pour in enough juice from a can of pickled jalapeños to cover the chicken. Work the juice around so the chicken is well-coated. Pop it in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 6 hours for best results. This gives the meat time to soak up the tang and spice from the jalapeños.

Step 2: Season the chicken thighs. Remove the chicken from the brine, allowing any excess moisture to drip off. Season both sides of each thigh with “Fiesta That” or your favorite Mexican spice blend.

Step 3: Start cooking the Mexican chicken. Preheat your griddle to around 375°F to 400°F. Too hot, and you risk burning the outside of the chicken before the inside cooks. Drizzle a little avocado oil on the surface and spread it around with your spatula.

Place thighs skin-side down to start that sizzle and render some fat. Cook about 5-7 minutes on the first side, or until a nice crust develops.

Step 4: Toast the rolls. While the chicken cooks, slice your bolillo or sandwich roll in half. Spread with a bit of butter, then lay cut-side down on the griddle until golden and crusty. Cover with a dome briefly if you want extra steam and softness.

Step 5: Flip the chicken thighs and continue to cook until done. Flip the thighs to the next side and cook until done. The chicken will cook unevenly because thighs are thicker in spots, and you may need to flip a few times to prevent burning.

Step 6: Add cheese to the chicken thighs. As the thighs finish cooking, add a slice of pepper jack cheese to each one. You can also cover the thighs with a melting dome to help the cheese melt more quickly.

Step 7: Build your Mexican chicken torta. When the chicken is done cooking, all that’s left is assembling your perfect sandwich!

I like to fan slices of ripe avocado on the bottom bun, and top with thinly sliced onion and a piece of hot, juicy Mexican chicken. Then drizzle on some of that delicious creamy, cool jalapeno dressing and add the top bun.