Chicken Bacon Ranch Subs Recipe – Perfect Griddle Cooking
These chicken bacon ranch subs have become my go-to for feeding a crowd on the Loco Griddle. When you’ve got that flat-top space to work with, why not use every inch of it? I can cook the chicken, crisp the bacon, sauté the veggies, and toast the rolls all at the same time. It’s efficient cooking that delivers big flavor.
The beauty of this chicken bacon ranch subs recipe is how well everything works together on a Loco Griddle. The bacon fat seasons the cooking surface, the chicken picks up those flavors, and the peppers and onions caramelize perfectly in all those rendered fats. It’s like the griddle was made for this exact combination.
Griddle Zone Management for Maximum Efficiency
The secret to great chicken bacon ranch subs is using your Loco Griddle zones properly. I’ve learned to think of the griddle surface like different burners – you need hot zones, medium zones, and cooler areas for different ingredients.
Start your bacon on the hottest part of the griddle first. Bacon takes the longest and renders fat that you’ll use for everything else. While that’s cooking, you can prep your chicken and vegetables. The Loco Griddle gives you so much more cooking surface than a regular pan, so you can actually cook everything simultaneously.
Temperature Control Across the Griddle
Different ingredients need different heat levels for this chicken bacon ranch subs recipe. The chicken needs medium-high heat to get a good sear without drying out. Bell peppers and onions do best on medium heat so they can caramelize slowly. The sub rolls just need a quick toast on lower heat.
I like to create three distinct zones on my griddle. Hot zone for searing the chicken initially, medium zone for the vegetables, and a cooler zone for keeping things warm and toasting the rolls. This way everything finishes at the same time.
The rendered bacon fat is gold for this recipe. Don’t clean it off – use it to cook the chicken and vegetables. It adds flavor and prevents sticking better than any oil you could add.
Simple Ingredients That Work Together
This chicken bacon ranch subs recipe keeps things straightforward because the griddle does most of the work. Quality bacon is important – it’s going to flavor everything else, so don’t cheap out here. I prefer thick-cut bacon that renders well and stays crispy.
Chicken breast works great when sliced thin. The griddle’s even heat cooks thin chicken fast and keeps it tender. Bell peppers add sweetness and crunch – I use whatever colors look good at the store. Sweet onions caramelize better than regular onions on the griddle.
Pepper jack cheese melts perfectly on the griddle. You can lay it right on the chicken in the last minute of cooking and it melts from the residual heat. Sub rolls should be sturdy enough to hold all the filling but not so thick they overpower everything.
Griddle Cooking Tips for Perfect Results
Thin-sliced chicken cooks fast on a griddle, so don’t walk away. It can go from perfect to overcooked in about 30 seconds. Keep everything moving and use your spatula to check doneness frequently.
The vegetables need more time than you think. Don’t rush them – properly caramelized peppers and onions make this chicken bacon ranch subs recipe special. They should be soft and slightly browned, not raw or burnt.
Use your griddle’s size to your advantage. Spread everything out so it has room to cook properly. Crowding leads to steaming instead of browning, and you lose that griddle flavor that makes these subs special.
Ingredients
Main Components:
- 2 lbs boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 1.5 lbs bacon
- 3 bell peppers, sliced
- 1 sweet onion, sliced
- Sliced pepper jack cheese
- 4 sub rolls
For Serving:
- Ranch dressing
- Salt and pepper to taste
Detailed Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Heat Your Griddle and Start the Bacon
Preheat your griddle to medium-high heat. Start by laying out the bacon strips on the hottest section of the griddle. Don’t overlap them – use the griddle’s surface area to spread them out properly. Cook for 6-8 minutes, flipping once, until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate but leave the rendered fat on the griddle.
Step 2: Prep Your Chicken and Vegetables
While the bacon cooks, slice your chicken breast into thin, even pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Slice the bell peppers into strips and cut the sweet onion into slices. Having everything ready before you start cooking the chicken makes the process much smoother on the griddle.
Step 3: Cook the Chicken on the Griddle
Move to a medium-high heat zone of the griddle where you have some bacon fat. Cook the seasoned chicken pieces for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. The thin slices cook fast, so watch them carefully. The bacon fat adds great flavor and prevents sticking.
Step 4: Sauté Vegetables in the Same Zone
Push the cooked chicken to a cooler part of the griddle to keep warm. In the same area where you cooked the chicken, add the sliced bell peppers and onions. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’re soft and caramelized. The griddle’s even heat makes this process easy and consistent.
Step 5: Assemble on the Griddle
Move the chicken back to the center and top with the cooked vegetables. Crumble the bacon over everything and top with slices of pepper jack cheese. Let the residual heat from the griddle melt the cheese for about a minute.
Step 6: Toast the Rolls and Serve
Split the sub rolls and place them cut-side down on a cooler section of the griddle for 1-2 minutes until lightly toasted. Fill each roll with the chicken, bacon, and vegetable mixture. Serve with ranch dressing on the side.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Subs Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Heat griddle to medium-high. Cook bacon until crispy, leaving rendered fat on griddle.
- Season thin-sliced chicken with salt and pepper while bacon cooks.
- Cook chicken in bacon fat on griddle for 3-4 minutes per side until golden.
- Move chicken to cooler zone. Sauté peppers and onions in same area for 6-8 minutes until caramelized.
- Combine chicken with vegetables, top with crumbled bacon and cheese. Let cheese melt from griddle heat.
- Toast sub rolls on cooler section of griddle. Fill with chicken mixture and serve with ranch.
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Conclusion
This chicken bacon ranch subs recipe shows why griddle cooking is so effective for feeding groups. You can cook everything at once, control different heat zones, and use the rendered fats to build layers of flavor. The griddle’s even heat and large surface area make this kind of cooking possible.
If you’re looking to upgrade your outdoor cooking setup, check out the amazing griddles at Loco Cookers. Their Loco Griddles are built for exactly this type of efficient, high-volume cooking that makes feeding a crowd actually enjoyable.
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