Chicken Reuben Sandwiches | with oven-fried chicken

These delicious chicken Reuben sandwiches are super easy to make and taste amazing! These sandwiches make a great lunch or easy supper, they are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, and my oven-fried chicken adds a fun new twist to this classic Reuben sandwich!

I love these Reuben chicken sandwiches! Now I’ve always loved a good Reuben sandwich pretty much ever since I can remember, there is just something about a messy Reuben sandwich, topped with lots of corned beef, sauerkraut, and lots of extra Thousand Island dressing, that just always hits the spot!

And I think it’s safe to say I’ll always love Reubens, especially classic Reubens, especially in March, but if I’m being honest, I have to admit I love these fried-chicken Reubens just a little bit more!

Sometimes when I’m cooking I get a weird idea and just decide to run with it. Turns out I’m not the only one, and it turns out in this case it was a very good idea.

I decided one day to swap out the corned beef with a piece of fried chicken on my Reuben sandwich, and I instantly fell in love with the combination, of crispy fried chicken, tangy sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and once again far too much thousand island dressing.

These sandwiches are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any day, they make a great lunch or supper. And my easy oven-fried chicken recipe is juicy, crispy, and packed full of flavor!

Fried chicken Reuben Sandwiches

Ingredients

for the chicken

• chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise 
• egg
• whole milk
• all-purpose flour
• panko bread crumbs 
• sea salt
• paprika 
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• freshly ground black pepper
• oil for cooking

for the sandwiches

• sauerkraut, with or without caraway seeds
• sliced swiss cheese
• thousand island dressing or Russian dressing 
• rye bread

How to make Reuben fried chicken sandwiches

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Line a shallow casserole dish or rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, drizzle your pan with around 2 tbsp oil, and set aside.

In a shallow dish or small bowl whisk together the egg and whole milk, and set aside. In another dish combine the flour, bread crumbs, and seasoning.

Take one of the chicken breast fillets, and dip it in the egg mixture, making sure it is completely coated, and allow any excess egg to drip off. Then place the chicken in the flour mixture, coat your piece of chicken with the flour mixture, gently pressing the mixture into the chicken breast to help the bread crumbs stick. Gently shake off any excess, and place the chicken on your prepared baking sheet.

Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.

Once all the chicken has been breaded, drizzle roughly 2 tbsp of oil over the top of the chicken. Put your chicken into the preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

After the chicken is cooked through, I like to flip each breast and cook them for an additional 3-5 minutes. This helps to crisp up what was the top half of the breast and gives a better, more evenly crisp end result. But this step can easily be skipped to save time!

Allow the chicken to cool slightly, while you prep the rest of your sandwich.

Assemble the Sandwiches

Butter two slices of bread, and place one piece of bread into a large skillet, butter side own.

Place two slices of Swiss cheese into the bread, followed by your desired amount of sauerkraut, then place a piece of chicken on top of it. (be careful handling the chicken as it will still be hot.)

Cover the unbuttered side of your second piece of bread with Thousand Island Dressing and place on top of the sandwich(buttered side up)

Heat your skillet over medium heat, and cook the sandwich on each side until it is golden brown and the cheese is melted. If you have a large skillet feel free to cook 2-3 sandwiches at once.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Serve these sandwiches with a side of potato chips and a few pickles. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I like to use avocado oil or grapeseed oil for this recipe, but you can use any neutral-flavored oil you like!

You can easily double this recipe or cut it in half depending on your needs! Just keep in mind each chicken breast(before it has been cut in half) will make two sandwiches!

If your skillet gets too hot and your sandwiches are getting brown before the cheese is melted, place the finished sandwiches in a baking dish and place them in the oven on low heat, until the cheese is melted.

I love using my homemade Thousand Island dressing for this recipe! It’s made with sweet pickle relish and homemade mayo, it’s thick, and creamy and makes the perfect dressing for any Reuben!

You can also make the chicken for this recipe in an air fryer, or even make it like traditional fried chicken, by cooking your chicken in a Dutch oven or deep skillet with hot oil over medium-high heat.

To make extra crispy chicken, double your egg and flour mixture, and double dip each piece of chicken.

If you are looking to make these sandwiches for a party or event, you can easily prep the chicken the day before. Just be sure to heat the chicken up before making the sandwiches to avoid your sandwiches being cold! An easy way to do this is to place your chicken in a pan with a little oil and heat it for 10 minutes in a preheated 350-degree F oven.

Be sure to check out these St. Patrick’s Day recipes too!

Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

Shamrock Shakes

Loaded Reuben French Fries

Sourdough Irish Soda Bread