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This Buffalo Chicken Sandwich recipe has a tender, juicy chicken breast doused in spicy buffalo sauce and topped with lettuce, tomato, and a creamy blue cheese ranch sauce.
Full of flavor and just messy enough to be fun, these buffalo chicken sandwiches are perfect for a backyard picnic dinner with your family. They are similar to my Grilled Chicken Sandwich.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
We love Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sliders, but sometimes you just want something you can sink your teeth into. That’s where this delicious buffalo chicken sandwich comes in!
If there’s a buffalo chicken sandwich on the menu, you can bet I’m going to order it. Lately I’ve been trying to prepare some of our dine out favorites in my own kitchen. I already have an Olive Garden Salad Copycat, Bibb & Blue Salad from Macaroni Grill, and some delicious Garlic Cheese Biscuits that taste just like Red Lobster!
I’ve been craving a buffalo chicken sandwich but wanted to make it a little healthier than the typical deep-fried chicken sandwich they have at restaurants. Instead of breading and frying, I cooked my chicken breasts on the stovetop; they’re thin so they don’t take long. Then I dressed them up with some buffalo sauce and sandwiched it on a brioche bun with a fancy ranch blue cheese sauce. It was even better than I imagined it would be and way better than the fried restaurant version.
I’ve got tons more buffalo recipes for you to try after you make this sandwich. Like Crispy Baked Chicken Wings, Buffalo Chicken Dip, and Cheesy Baked Buffalo Chicken.
Ingredients
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Cutlets – I like to buy cutlets for sandwiches because they’re nice and thin already. You can certainly use regular chicken breasts and pound them to make them thinner, or butterfly them and slice them in half.
- Seasonings – Paprika, chili powder, Kosher salt, and black pepper
- Olive Oil – This is just for frying the chicken on the stove. You can also use butter or a combination of the two.
- Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce – The best buffalo sauce around! But feel free to use another brand if you prefer. You can also adjust the amount for your desired spice level.
- Butter – To mix with the buffalo sauce. This adds richness to the sauce, and also tones down the heat a little.
- Dressing – This is completely optional, but really a delicious little sauce that I love spreading on these sandwiches. It’s a mixture of sour cream, Ranch dressing, blue cheese crumbles, and sliced green onions.
- Buns – Large brioche buns are my bread of choice, but any type of hamburger bun will work.
- Toppings – Sliced tomato and lettuce leaves.
How To Make A Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
Get a detailed list of ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below.
- You want to start with thin chicken cutlets if you can find them, but if not, just pound thicker breasts so they are even in thickness. Cook on the stovetop – it takes just a few minutes per side and you can use olive oil or a combo of butter and olive oil. Butter on its own tends to burn. Cook the chicken until it registers 165℉ on a digital meat thermometer.
- Melt some butter in the microwave with Frank’s Red Hot (or any other buffalo sauce you love) and whisk together. Toss the chicken in the buffalo sauce. You can also make the sauce on the stove in a small saucepan.
- Assemble sandwiches on brioche buns with your desired toppings.
What Goes Well On A Buffalo Chicken Sandwich?
For the sandwich sauce, I combined Ranch dressing, sour cream, sliced green onions, and blue cheese crumbles then spread that on the sandwich buns. If you aren’t a fan of the ranch or the blue cheese, you can leave them out.
To assemble sandwiches, spread sauce on both sides of the bun, then layer lettuce, chicken breast, and tomato. Top with additional sauce if desired and finish with the top half of the bun.
Some other delicious toppings to try:
- Sliced pickles
- Sliced cheese, like Cheddar or Mozzarella
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Blue cheese dressing
- Ranch dressing
FAQs
Of course! I do love a nice crispy fried chicken sandwich. You can bread and fry the chicken instead of grilling it on the stovetop.
While a boneless, skinless chicken thigh will definitely work, dark meat is greasier and in my opinion not as great on a sandwich.
Storage
The assembled sandwiches are best eaten right after they’re prepared as the buns will get soggy if they sit too long. If you end up with a leftover sandwich, I recommend removing and storing just the chicken, and using a fresh bun to make a new sandwich.
We don’t usually end up with extra chicken because I only make what we’re going to eat. You could make extra and store in the fridge for 3-4 days and have buffalo chicken all week long. You could also freeze the chicken before adding the buffalo sauce. It’s also great in a chicken wrap or chopped up in a salad.
- To keep the buns from getting soggy, toast them in the oven or open side down in a skillet.
- The ranch sauce is optional and can be customized any way you like.
- If you want to fry your chicken, feel free to bread and fry like we do our Boneless Buffalo Wings or bake like our Homemade Chicken Nuggets.
- This is a delicious sandwich with or without the buffalo sauce. Feel free to adjust the amounts to your taste.
More Sandwiches to Love
We LOVE sandwiches. They are great for customized lunches or simple dinners. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Crispy Dill Chicken Sandwich
- Shredded Chicken Parmesan Sandwich
- Chicken Salad Sandwich
- Oven Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- Shrimp Po Boy Sandwich
- The Best Tuna Melt Sandwich
Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken cutlets 4 cutlets
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Dressing
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 4 ounces blue cheese crumbles
- 2 green onions chopped
Sandwiches
- 4 Large sandwich buns Brioche or other thick, sturdy buns
- 8 Lettuce leaves optional
- 1 ripe tomato sliced
- Celery and carrot sticks for serving (optional)
Instructions
Chicken
- Place chicken between two large pieces of plastic wrap and gently pound the larger end to even thickness.
- Melt olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pat chicken dry and season with paprika, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste. Cook chicken in the skillet, about 4 minutes per side or until no longer pink in the center.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter with the hot sauce. Stir to combine. When chicken is finished cooking, coat with the hot sauce mixture.
Dressing
- In another small bowl, combine sour cream, Ranch dressing, crumbled blue cheese and sliced green onions.
Sandwich Assembly
- Split the buns and spread dressing mixture on both the tops and bottoms.
Notes
- This is a delicious sandwich with or without the buffalo sauce. Feel free to adjust the amounts to your taste.
- To keep the buns from getting soggy, toast them in the oven or open side down in a skillet.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
