Before moving to the United States, I had never really been into spicy food. I mean, I didn’t hate it or anything. It just wasn’t super common. Here in California, it’s everywhere, and now I own about five different kinds of hot sauce. One of these sauces is buffalo sauce, which I’m not sure I’d even had at all when in Australia. It’s not terribly hot, but it adds great flavor to all kinds of things. These buffalo chicken sandwiches are one of the easiest meals I make with buffalo sauce. It’s basically just a crispy chicken sandwich with the sauce poured over the chicken, and it’s incredibly delicious, especially with a creamy blue cheese sauce.
Substitutions and Additions
If you are not a fan of blue cheese, you can use crumbled feta instead. It may not be traditional but it’s what I usually use as I prefer it, and I find it works really well.
This recipe would probably work with firm tofu instead of chicken if you wanted to make it vegetarian, though that is something I haven’t tried myself. Just make sure your blue cheese is vegetarian, as it isn’t always.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Prepare for Breading
Take three shallow bowls. In one, add the flour. In the second, beat the egg with a tablespoon of buffalo sauce. In the third, add the panko. Season all three bowls with a dash of salt and pepper and mix well.
Prepare Chicken
Line a plate with parchment paper. Then, working with one piece of chicken at a time, coat it in the flour mixture, then the egg, and then the panko. Set each piece on the parchment-lined plate.
Most of the chicken breasts I find these days are way too big for one sandwich, so I halve them to make cutlets. This way I end up with two smaller pieces which are more akin to a single-serving chicken breast. If you happen to have smaller chicken breasts, however, you may want to use one per person. Just be aware that the cooking time may be longer if they are thicker than the pieces I use. If your chicken is much thicker at one end than the other, you can also pound it a little so that it will cook faster and more evenly. Simple put it on a cutting board between two pieces of plastic and pound using a meat mallet.
Cook Chicken
Set a large skillet over medium heat and add enough oil to form a thin layer on the bottom of the pan. This will take about 2-3 tablespoons, depending on the size of your pan.
Cook the chicken until golden and browned on each side, and cooked throughout. It usually takes me about 4 minutes per side. When done, set on a cooling rack. This helps the chicken to stay crispy. I find if I put it on paper towels the bottom side starts to get soggy pretty fast.
Make Sauce
In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and blue cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You may find you don’t need much salt as blue cheese can be pretty salty.
Assemble Sandwiches
On each roll, spread a generous amount of the blue cheese sauce. Follow with lettuce, if using, and then top with a piece of chicken. Pour some buffalo sauce to coat the top of the chicken and enjoy.
Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches with Blue Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 chicken breast halved
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon Frank's red hot buffalo sauce or similar
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- salt and pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons neutral oil such as peanut or canola
To Serve
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup Frank's red hot buffalo sauce or similar
- 2 sandwich rolls of choice
- lettuce optional
Instructions
- Take three shallow dishes or bowls. In one add the flour, in the second, beat together the egg and 1 tablespoon hot sauce, and in the third, add the panko. Season all three with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Working with one piece at a time, coat the chicken in the flour, then the egg mixture, and then the panko, and set on a parchment paper-lined plate for a few minutes while you heat up the pan.
- Set a large skillet over medium heat and add enough oil to form a thin layer.
- Cook the chicken until browned and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side depending on thickness. Set on a cooling rack when done.
- In a small bowl, combine the blue cheese and sour cream and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Now assemble the sandwiches. Spread a generous amount of the blue cheese mixture on each roll and follow with lettuce, if using. Top with a piece of chicken and coat with buffalo sauce. Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe? If so, follow @theflavorvortex on Instagram and post a picture using #theflavorvortex as I would love to see it!