Take a bite out of the Big Apple with our Buffalo chicken sandwich recipe. This simple sandwich has chicken thighs cooked with a signature Buffalo sauce and paired with fresh vegetables to make a fulfilling meal.
Is Our Buffalo Chicken Sandwich Healthy?
Packed with many valuable nutrients, this Buffalo chicken sandwich is definitely a healthy option.
There are only 455 calories and 7.7 g of saturated fat in each serving of this satisfying dish. Also, the amount of sodium is moderate with 568 mg per serving, all within the limits of our nutrition guidelines.
This sandwich’s ingredients will provide you with multiple essential nutrients. Chicken thighs will give you 25.1 g of lean protein. Also, tomatoes, lettuce, and red onions are all great sources of fiber, minerals, and antioxidants.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Chicken
The main protein source of this sandwich is skin-on, boneless chicken thighs. This cut is flavorful, juicy, and tender when cooked right, making it a perfect option for a sandwich.
- Sauce
The Buffalo sauce is the hero of this sandwich. The original version of Buffalo sauce requires butter, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper. While it is delicious in its own right, we want to elevate the sauce to new heights by adding more ingredients.
We start with the original Buffalo sauce, then we add water, vinegar, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and ketchup. These newly added ingredients don’t alter the authentic taste of Buffalo sauce, they enhance them, making this new iteration of the sauce more flavorsome.
All-purpose flour is used to thicken the sauce. And of course, we stir in some butter during the cooking process to give you that soothing taste, balancing out the spiciness.
- Vegetables
The vegetables used in this sandwich are three of the most common ones: lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions. The freshness they bring to the table goes well with the bold flavors of the chicken.
- Buns
We use hamburger buns for this sandwich. The buns are slightly toasted to get some crispiness into the dish. We spread some Greek yogurt on the cut side of the top bun as an alternative to mayonnaise.
Substitutions and Add-Ins
Sandwiches are essentially a game of mix and match, which means it gives you the chance to be creative and put your favorite ingredients together to make your unique version of the sandwich.
This dish is called the Buffalo chicken sandwich. So aside from Buffalo sauce and chicken, everything else is customizable.
- Substitute for chicken thighs
Instead of chicken thighs, you can use chicken breasts or make chicken patties from ground chicken.
- Add or replace the vegetables
In addition to lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions, we recommend these vegetables for this dish: cucumbers, peppers, pickles, etc.
- Add cheese
If you’re looking for some extra richness, feel free to add cheese. Cheddar, Swiss, provolone, Monterey Jack, parmesan, and mozzarella are some of our favorites.
- Substitute for hamburger buns
While a simple hamburger bun will suffice, you can switch things up with other options. Brioche buns will make your dish more gourmet. French baguettes or Vietnamese banh mi are also great choices for their crispy crust.
How to Store and Reheat the Leftovers
We recommend storing the ingredients separately and only building the sandwich when you’re ready to eat.
Buffalo chicken should last for 4 to 6 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. Transfer the leftover chicken to airtight containers for proper storage.
Reheat the chicken in a microwave for 1 minute, then continue cooking in 30-second increments until warm. You can also warm the chicken in the oven at 350 °F for about 10 minutes.
What to Serve With
The perfect side for a sandwich is a crispy and fun finger-food dish. Here are some of our favorites.
Some More Easy Chicken Sandwiches
This recipe cooks the chicken in spices, then sandwiches them between rye bread slices and lots of vegetables. Each sandwich has two layers, a side of fries, and a glass of juice.
These ground chicken burgers are ideal for brunches, picnics, and outdoor gatherings. We prefer to put them on nice plates, but you can set up a little station for your guests to mix and match.
Buffalo Chicken Sandwich Recipe
Our Buffalo chicken sandwich recipe has everything that makes a tasty sandwich: tender chicken thighs, fresh vegetables, and Buffalo sauce.
- cook TIME 25 mins
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 30 mins
- COURSE Main
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 455 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 16 oz skin-on boneless chicken thighs
- 4 hamburger buns
- 6 oz tomatoes (cut into thin round slices)
- 4 oz green lettuce
- 1 oz red onion (sliced)
- 3 tbsp homemade buffalo sauce
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 2 fl oz water
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tbsp Heinz ketchup
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep:
Slice the tomatoes: Slice off the stem of the tomatoes. Place them on their side and slice crosswise to get thin round slices.
Prepare the lettuce: Wash the leaves carefully, then dry them with a salad spinner.
Slice the red onions: Slice the onion in half, then remove the root and head. Peel off the skin, then slice the onion halves thinly.
Chop the parsley: Bunch the parsley together and chop finely.
Cook:
Make the sauce: Prepare a small bowl. Add 3 tbsp Buffalo sauce, 2 fl oz water, 1 tbsp white vinegar, 1 tbsp honey, 1/2 tbsp Heinz ketchup, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 tsp all-purpose flour. Mix until combined.
Sear the chicken: Put a pan over medium heat until hot. Add 1/2 tbsp olive oil and 16 oz chicken thighs. Sear the chicken on both sides for 7 minutes in total. Remove the chicken from the pan.
Cook the sauce: Add the sauce to the same pan. Stir in 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter for 2 minutes on low heat.
Finish the chicken: Add the chicken back to the pan. Cook in the sauce for 3 minutes.
Prepare the buns: Cut 4 burger buns in half crosswise.
Toast the buns: Add the cut buns to an air-fryer. Cook in the air-fryer for 4 minutes at 400 °F.
Build the sandwich: Place the bottom halves of the buns at the bottom and spread 3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt on them. Continue building the sandwiches with 4 oz green lettuce, 6 oz tomatoes, 1 oz red onion, and the chicken (one piece of chicken per sandwich).
Garnish and serve: Sprinkle 2 tbsp parsley on top of the chicken before placing the other half of the buns on top. Enjoy.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
- Annie MillerBuffalo Chicken sandwich is a spicy and flavorful twist on a classic sandwich