Grilled Chicken and Glazed Bacon Sandwich (Sponsored Post)

It's that time of year again.

It turns dark before you get home from work. The Polar Vortex is dropping down spreading frigid temperatures across the country. Some people pack their grills away after Labor Day or at least after the first snow, but not me. 

Even at 4 in the afternoon, this grill is chilled below freezing before firing it up.

When the grills are literally below freezing, hardcore grillers like my friends and me ignore the elements, stoke our fires, and get our grill on. And it is those senseless nuts devoted grill fanatics – “Evergrillers” if you will – that Kraft Barbecue Sauce is celebrating as they celebrate their revamped line of barbecue sauces this month.

The new Kraft Barbecue Sauce breaks new ground with eight varieties.

To be honest, I was a bit nervous when I heard of the reformulation because I use Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce in the mop sauce that I use for my smoked chicken that everyone raves about. I learned this recipe during a pig pickin' that we were cooking for the neighborhood 15 years ago. Bill M sent me to the store but he made sure to specify Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce, nothing else. To this day, that is what I use for my smoked chicken mop. So I wanted to know what they were changing since they were also changing my long trusted recipe.

Kraft Barbecue Sauce has been listening to its customers and it shows in these new sauces. Kraft Barbecue Sauce is the first major line that I know of that has dropped high fructose corn syrup and uses real cane sugar. The new Kraft Barbecue Sauce line up is full of only quality ingredients that you would expect from a small batch sauce maker. The sauce comes in eight bold varieties including Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce, Kraft Sweet Honey Barbecue Sauce, Kraft Hickory Smoke Barbecue Sauce, Kraft Mesquite Smoke Barbecue Sauce, Kraft Sweet Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce, Kraft Spicy Honey Barbecue Sauce, Kraft Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Sauce, and Kraft Thick & Spicy Barbecue Sauce. They also revamped their packaging from the classic curved sides so look for the new design.

To celebrate, Kraft Barbecue Sauce hooked up some Evergrillers with custom, one of a kind innovations to help brave inclement weather while grilling. These aren't products for sale, just some imagineering on the brand’s part to recognize people who light the grill year 'round. But at the end of this post, I'll tell you how you can win one of these innovations. I opened my mystery box to find 4 of the new Kraft Barbecue Sauce varieties and the Evergriller Hot Head Hat.

This insulated hat comes equipped with electric ear warmers, a powerful LED light, and even a 'flume' for your Kraft Barbecue Sauce.

This Evergriller Hot Head Hat kept me nice and toasty whether I was grilling burgers on a cold afternoon,

grilling a few racks of ribs for bowl games,

Smoking a few baby back ribs in the dark of night, the headlight cut through the smoke.

grilling some chicken wings for New Year's Eve,

or cooking these delicious chicken sandwiches.

Grilled Chicken and Glazed Bacon Sandwiches

servings: 6

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons low sugar BBQ rub (see text for quick recipe)
• ½ cup Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
• 6 onion or Kaiser rolls
• toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, red onion

For the Glazed Bacon

• 6 thick slices smoked bacon, cut in half
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

Instructions

1. Preheat your grill to 375°F, clean and lube your grates. Preheat your oven according to bacon package directions.
2. Place the bacon in a plastic bag, add the sugar and Creole seasoning, and toss to coat evenly. Cook the bacon in the oven according to the bacon package directions.
3. Meanwhile, butterfly the chicken breasts (see notes below) and season with a low sugar BBQ rub. If you want to make a quick and easy one, just mix 1 tablespoon all purpose seasoning salt, a half tablespoon ground black pepper, and a half teaspoon each of garlic powder, dried parsley, and brown sugar.
4. Cut the buns in half (if not already sliced), lightly brush with some olive oil and toast on the grill about 30 seconds a side.
5. Grill the butterflied chicken breasts 4 minutes per side. Lightly glaze (about 1 tablespoon each) with the Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce and continue cooking until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, which should take about 1 minute per side.
6. Cut the butterflied breasts in half and place each on a toasted bun with 2 half pieces of glazed bacon. If you like, you can slice each piece for the sandwich, whichever way you prefer. Top with a tablespoon of the leftover Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce and serve with desired toppings.]

Normally, I would recommend cooking the bacon on an indirect grill; however, in the winter you can 'cheat' and use your oven.

Minimize your time in the cold by setting up your mise en place inside and bringing out everything you will need on a tray.

Bringing out the goods.

To butterfly chicken breasts, place on a firm surface and gently press down. Carefully slice the breast sideways until you reach ½ inch from the other side. Open it up like a book and flatten evenly. Alternatively, you can pay more and buy chicken cutlets already sliced at the grocery store.

The butterflied breasts are thinner so you are cutting your cooking times down to shorten your time in the freezing cold.

Rotate your chicken ¼ turn about halfway through the time for each side to get cross hatch marks like this.

Saucing the bird. Forgive the blurry photo, when it's 20°F out, I work as fast as I can!

A tablespoon of Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce has zero grams of fat and only 60 calories, but still apply lightly – you want to enhance the food, not drown it.

Some folks like their chicken pieces whole so you can serve them like this...

But I find it easier to eat if the chicken is sliced up like this.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, the Evergriller Hot Heat Hat is a one-time custom rig that Kraft Barbecue Sauce put together for me. But, you can win an Evergriller Grill 'N' Flip Mitt and a year’s supply of Kraft Barbecue Sauce over at my grilling buddy, Scott Thomas' blog GrillinFools.com. So hop over there, check out what he is doing with Kraft Barbecue Sauce, and enter to win.

This post is sponsored by Kraft Barbecue Sauce, and the recipe is my own. You can learn more about Kraft Barbecue Sauce offerings, find recipes, and more on www.KraftRecipes.com/BBQ and Facebook.com/KraftDressing.