Lexie Sharabianlou | Writer

Best Damn Buffalo Chicken Sandwich Recipe

Some of my best recipes come from the desperation of late night hunger and the opportunity of a sparse cupboard. This is one of those recipes.

After a wildly successful barbecue in my apartment building’s verdant courtyard, as always I was left with tons of uneaten food. I always buy too many snacks for parties. I would always rather have too much than to have to look a hungry guest in the eye and say “sorry, nope.” So while the figs and the burgers and mushrooms and the tomatoes all got the wonderful grill treatment and went on to be delicious, I was left with some chicken thighs, some extra provolone slices, and too many potato buns. I had two choices. Either eat at home or break my no-take-out-during-weeknights promise (which I had already broken twice). But I couldn’t stop craving Red House Pizza’s Buffalo Chicken Pizza. I will probably write a long adoring blog about this particular neighborhood pizza joint and how many incredible pizzas they have but for now, let’s stick with my cooking.

So I thought, “Well, how hard is it to make buffalo sauce?”

Answer: Not hard at all.

The result of my experimentation was tangy, spicy sauce that sang when paired with melted cheese, leftover potato burger buns, and a deliciously chilled cider.

So here’s how you do it:

Best Damn Buffalo Chicken Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients:

Chicken:

• Two chicken breasts (this will make enough for about three sandwiches) or 3-4 chicken thighs
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Buffalo Sauce:

• ⅔ cup of hot sauce (I like Frank’s RedHot and if you like it spicy, add more)
• ½ cup cold butter
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Garlic or garlic powder to taste
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Squeeze of a lemon or lime
• Sprinkling of flour

Sandwich Accoutrements:

• Ranch dressing (or bleu cheese or mayo)
• Green onions, chopped
• Greens (I like arugula)
• Slice of mild cheese like provolone or mozzarella, although melted blue cheese on this baby might just be insanely good
• Buns

Phase One: The Chicken

If you’re like me and like to have some shredded chicken on hand for salads or sandwiches, you probably are already roasting your chicken breasts right now. If not, here’s how to do it nice and easy. It has recently been coined “best sandwich you’ve ever made, Lexie” which is saying something since I am a sandwich QUEEN.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F
2. Cover chicken in olive oil, salt, and pepper then place on aluminum foil-covered pan
3. Roast chicken for 10 minutes on each side
4. Shred with forks or your fingers when cooledl.

Phase Two: The Sauce

1. Combine all the ingredients but the flour in a small sauce pot on low heat (since the hot sauce is so salty, it’ll boil very quickly). If you’ve opted for garlic cloves instead of garlic powder, peel and smash the garlic then drop it into the pan after you’ve added the butter first so it can saute a little bit.
2. Taste and adjust according to desired flavors.
3. Once the ingredients are well blended, sprinkle a small amount of flour into the mixture and mix until slightly thickened.
4. Stir in desired amount of chicken for your sandwiches until all the shredded chicken is coated.
5. Put chicken and buffalo sauce mixture in a medium mixing bowl and add in green onions, stirring until evenly distributed.

Phase Three: Putting it All Together

1. Toast those buns. You know it makes a difference. Then place bun bottoms on cooking pan.
2. Dollop chicken onto the buns then add a slice of cheese to the sandwich. Throw some freshly ground pepper and red pepper flakes on top if you’re feeling fancy.
3. Fire up the broiler and let the cheese melt for no longer than 90 seconds. You really have to watch that stuff.
4. Top with arugula, spread ranch and mayo on top bun, and let your mind be BLOWN.