Honey Mustard Chicken, Bacon, Avocado Melt: A crusty ciabatta loaf piled high with homemade honey mustard, tender shredded rotisserie-style chicken, and a mix of provolone and Havarti cheeses—all baked until perfectly melted and golden. Topped off with crispy bacon, creamy avocado, and one last drizzle of that honey mustard. Trust me, every bite lives up to the hype.
Got leftover grilled chicken, store-bought rotisserie chicken, or even my roasted lemon pepper chicken (check the recipe notes)? Any of them will work just fine.
I’m the type of person who gets obsessed with certain foods—totally into something, then forgets about it, only to fall in love all over again later.
Right now? Sandwiches. Bacon. Honey mustard. These are the flavors I always come back to, especially when the weather warms up. Maybe it’s nostalgia—like sitting at the CYC (the yachting club back home) with my nonnie, ordering a club sandwich, chicken salad, or classic chicken fingers.
Whatever the reason, this time of year just calls for sandwiches. Lately, I’ve been skipping my usual prosciutto for bacon and leaning hard on rotisserie chicken.
Easy, but packed with flavor!
Here’s the breakdown:
Ingredients – for the honey mustard:
- Mayo
- Dijon mustard
- Honey
- Lemon juice
- Chipotle chili powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Salt
Ingredients – for the melts:
- Ciabatta bread
- Honey mustard
- Baby spinach
- Pepperoncini and/or dill pickles
- Rotisserie chicken
- Provolone cheese
- Havarti cheese
- Crispy bacon
- Avocado
- Fresh basil
- Fresh dill
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese
Special Tools:
Just a bread knife and a sheet pan—nothing fancy!
Steps:
Step 1: The honey mustard
First up, whip up that homemade honey mustard. Sure, store-bought works, but this version? Way better. It’s super creamy and simple—just mayo, Dijon, honey, chipotle chili powder, cayenne, and salt.
Whisk it all together until smooth—easy peasy. Plus, you know exactly what’s going into it, no weird additives.
Step 2: Assemble
Time to build the sandwich. I go with ciabatta, but fresh focaccia or sourdough would also be amazing. Using a whole loaf lets me make all the melts at once instead of doing six separate ones.
Slice the ciabatta lengthwise. Starting with the bottom half, spread on some honey mustard, then pile on the baby spinach. Next, layer on pepperoncini and/or dill pickles (I use both!), followed by the rotisserie chicken (see my notes if you want to roast your own), Havarti, and provolone.
Step 3: Bake
Once everything’s stacked, pop the baking sheet in the oven to warm the sandwich and melt the cheese.
When the cheese is gooey, pull it out. Add the crispy bacon, avocado slices, fresh basil, dill, and an extra drizzle of honey mustard. Cap it off with the top half of the bread.
Honey Mustard Chicken, Bacon, Avocado Melt | halfbakedharvest.com
Step 4: The topping
This part’s optional, but I highly recommend it! Chop up some sun-dried tomatoes, mix them with a bit of the oil from the jar and a few tablespoons of parmesan. Rub that oil over the top of the bread, then bake for another 5–10 minutes until everything’s nice and toasty.
Want it extra pressed? Slice the sandwich and throw it in a panini press.
Step 5: Enjoy warm and melty
Pull it out of the oven and slice it with a long bread knife. Yeah, it’ll be messy—but that’s when it tastes the best.
There’s just something about this sandwich—the bright colors, the bold flavors, the way everything melts together between those crispy layers. But let’s be honest… the real magic? It’s ridiculously good.
