Easy Chicken Melts Recipe
This easy chicken melts recipe is one of our favorites, especially during busy seasons of life like summertime. It’s a mouthwatering combination of chicken, a cheesy sauce, and subtle spices that make it enjoyable for the whole family.
We like to make these chicken melts with our soft sourdough sandwich bread for the best nutritional value. I usually use our home canned chicken because it’s pre-cooked and makes for a very fast meal, but you can easily make these with leftover chicken as well.
Quick Look: Chicken Patty Melts
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 20 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 30 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 12 melts
- 📊 Calories: ~133 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Oven-baked on a baking sheet
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Savory and hearty with juicy chicken, melted cheese, and toasted bread, complemented by a warm, slightly tangy sauce.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy – quick to assemble and cook.
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We are a homesteading family that strives to eat our own homegrown food preserved in our homestead pantry as much as possible. We’re also very busy in the summertime because we raise a market garden, so we’re always looking for quick and easy homestead meals like this cold beef sandwich recipe. These easy chicken sandwich melts come together quickly from ingredients we have on hand. Home canned chicken, easy sourdough sandwich bread, homemade cheese and a few spices and you’ve got a meal!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy to make — these chicken patty melts come together fast for a simple homemade lunch or busy weeknight dinner.
- Uses home canned or leftover chicken - a great way to use home canned chicken or leftover chicken for an easy pantry-friendly meal.
- Crispy buttery sourdough bread, creamy chicken filling, and melty cheese make every bite warm and comforting.
- Perfect for serving with creamy cheeseburger soup, salad, or garden fresh vegetables.
- Easy to customize with different cheeses, breads, or seasonings depending on what you have on hand.
- Great for meal prep lunches or quick dinners when you need something hearty and satisfying.
- A cozy comfort food recipe that feels homemade without requiring much time or effort.
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Ingredients
For a full list of ingredients needed to make this recipe, see the recipe card below.
How To Make This Chicken Melts Recipe
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop onion and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Step 2: Add chicken, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, and 2 cups of cheese. Mix well.
- Step 3: Slice bread and lay out flat on parchment lined baking sheet.
- Step 4: Spread chicken mixture on slices of bread as evenly as possible.
- Step 5: Add the rest of the cheese to the top of the each piece of bread.
- Step 6: Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until melts are warmed through and cheese is golden brown on top.
Serve with a green salad, and pantry sides like this sweet dill pickles recipe, canned pickled beets recipe, or these canned glazed carrots.
Tips:
- This recipe is very easy to adjust, you can put different things in it depending on what you have available. You could add pickles or relish, or even taco seasoning to make it more of a taco chicken melt.
- Make the filling ahead of time, then you can get a meal on the table even faster.
- Use leftover chicken or whatever meat you have on hand.
If you try this recipe and love it, please come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @wagonwheelhomestead21. I can’t wait to see what all you make!
Chicken Melts Recipe FAQs
Home-canned chicken or leftover chicken breast is the best chicken for making chicken melts.
There are many ways to vary this chicken melts recipe: add pickles and green onions, taco seasoning and home canned salsa, or alfredo and hot sauce to mix things up.
When making chicken melts in the oven, bake them for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the top is slightly toasted.
The best bread for chicken melts is a sandwich type loaf. My preference is this soft sourdough sandwich bread recipe.
Chicken melts are best served with a side salad, canned glazed carrots, canned pickled beets, or any home-canned vegetables.
If you try this recipe and love it, please come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @wagonwheelhomestead21. I can’t wait to see what all you make!
Chicken Melts Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup onion finely chopped (I like to use green onion if its available)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 quart jar canned chicken OR meat from 1 roasted chicken
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 2 ½ cups of cheese
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped onion, chicken, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, and 2 cups of cheese. Mix well.
- Slice bread and lay out flat on parchment lined baking sheet.
- Spread chicken mixture on slices of bread as evenly as possible.
- Add the rest of the cheese to the top of the each piece of bread.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until melts are warmed through and cheese is golden brown on top.
- Serve with a green salad and pickled veggies from your pantry.
A great recipe
Yum
This is a great recipe, definitely will make again
Such a fun way to use chicken