This crispy, crunchy, flavor-packed, buttermilk marinated buffalo chicken sandwich recipe uses a special ingredient for ultra-crispy breading, with a tangy homemade dilly blue cheese sauce and toasted brioche buns!
JUMP TO RECIPEStarting with a marinade in buttermilk for ultra-tender, juicy chicken breast, this buffalo chicken sandwich is packed with flavor!
This recipe uses a well-seasoned breading that incorporates potato starch for a super crispy exterior! The potato starch works as a moisture buffer, for a super crunchy structure that remains crisp for longer and absorbs less oil when frying.
The fried tender chicken is coated in a buttery and spicy sauce, and served on a toasty brioche bun, topped with delicious dilly blue cheese sauce for even more great flavor!
Ingredients
Heres' everything you need for this epic buffalo chicken sandwich recipe.
Sandwiches
- 2 small boneless skinless chicken breast, halved and pounded out to ¼” thickness.
- 2 cups buttermilk. If you don't have or can't find buttermilk, you can make your own by whisking together 2 cups of milk with 2 tablespoon white vinegar, and allowing to sit for 5 minutes.
- Hot sauce. My go-to for this recipe is Frank's Red Hot. Frank's wing sauce makes the best spicy buffalo sauce!
- 4 tablespoon melted butter (plus more butter for toasting buns).
- 4 brioche burger buns.
- Spring mix or lettuce, for serving. I love the color and texture from mixed greens, but you can use any lettuce you like!
Breading Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour. This serves as the base for the breading.
- Potato starch. A little bit of this added into the breading goes a long way, and gives an ultra- crispy exterior to the fried chicken! I love Bob's Red Mill. It is usually found in the baking section of the grocery store.
- A spice blend of Dried oregano, Smoked paprika, Garlic powder, Cayenne pepper, Onion powder, Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Dilly Blue Cheese Sauce:
- Sour cream. You could also use Labneh or Greek yogurt if you prefer.
- Blue cheese crumbles.
- Fresh minced garlic.
- Fresh dill, finely chopped. This adds a bright, herbaceous quality to the sauce.
- Fresh squeezed lemon juice.
- Dried chives and Onion powder.
How to make the perfect Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
Buttermilk Marinade. This buffalo chicken sandwich recipe takes a bit of planning and prep- such as marinating chicken in buttermilk for 4 -24 hours in the refrigerator.
Getting the breading just right. Be sure to make sure all breading ingredients are well combined before coating the chicken. Let the excess buttermilk run off each piece of chicken before coating. For extra craggy bits, add a bit of the buttermilk marinade to the dry mixture and toss with a fork to build crunchy bits, adding a small amount at a time.
Drain well. For the crispiest chicken, drain your cooked fried chicken on a wire rack set over a baking sheet to allow air flow and retain crunch. Paper towels can lead to a soggier finish.
Substitutions and Variations
This buffalo chicken sandwich recipe is easily adaptable to work with what you have on hand. Here are some great swaps you can make to work with what you have on hand:
| No potato starch? | Use an equal amount of cornstarch instead! Incorporate into your flour mixture as you would the potato starch. |
| Blue Cheese Sauce | Don't feel like making your own Blue cheese sauce? Use your favorite bottled blue cheese dressing instead! (But trust me- it's worth the few minutes of prep!) |
Storing and reheating
Storing. You can store leftover chicken in an airtight container or resealable bag for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Reheating. To reheat, air fry for 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees, of reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
Extra Crispy Fried Buffalo Chicken Sandwich Recipe
Equipment
- deep cast iron skillet, Dutch oven, or deep fryer
Ingredients
- 2 small boneless skinless chicken breast, halved and pounded out to ¼” thickness
- 2 cups buttermilk
- ¼ cup Hot sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot
- 4 tablespoon melted butter (plus more for toasting buns)
- 4 brioche burger buns
- spring mix or lettuce, for serving
Breading Ingredients:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup potato starch
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Dilly Blue Cheese Sauce:
- ¼ cup sour cream + 1 tbsp
- 3 tablespoon blue cheese crumbles
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried chives
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
Instructions
- Preparing the Chicken: 1. Slice the chicken in half lengthwise. 2. Place in a resealable bag, or cover with plastic wrap, and using a meal mallet or rolling pin, pound the chicken out to ¼” thickness. Repeat util you have 4 pounded out pieces of chicken breast. (Optionally, you can trim the chicken breast for smaller pieces). 3. Place the chicken in an airtight container or resealable bag, and cover with buttermilk so that all chicken is fully coated/submerged. 4. Marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or up to overnight. 5. Once chicken in marinated, combine breading ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk until homogenous. 6. Add a few tablespoon of the buttermilk to the dry mixture and toss with a fork to form craggly pieces. 7. Carefully remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk, and coat evenly in the breading mixture. 8. Transfer breaded chicken to a plate as you bread. Once all chicken is breaded, allow to sit for at least 15 minutes, or refrigerate breaded chicken for up to 2 hours. 9. Once ready to fry, add 2-3 inches of oil to a large cast iron skillet, and heat over medium-high heat. Heat oil for 5-7 minutes. To test oil, add a small pinch of the breeding to the oil. If it disintegrates immediately, the oil is ready. 10. Working in batches of 2 at a time, add the chicken to the hot oil, dropping away from yourself. Fry for 3-4 minutes a side, until golden brown and crispy. 11. Once chicken is cooked, transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain and retain crispness. Repeat until, all chicken is fried. 12. Melt butter on the stove or in a microwave safe bowl, and whisk together with hot sauce. Transfer to a vessel large enough to coat the chicken in, such as a wide deep bowl or baking dish. 13. Carefully dip each side of the chicken to coat, and set on the wire rack until ready to assemble the sandwiches. Making the Dilly Blue Cheese Sauce: 1. Finely chop the dill. 2. Add all ingredients to a bowl, and stir well to combine. Sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead. Assembling the sandwiches: 1. Toast the buns cut side down in melted butter in a pan until golden. 2. Add a layer of spring mix on the bottom of each bun. 3. Top spring mix with sauced chicken, then with a dollop of the dilly blue cheese and the top bun.
Nutrition
More Great Sandwich Recipes
If you love this Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, you'll also love these great sandwiches!
Try my spicy and crunchy Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich!
Make my easy deli-style Pastrami Sandwich recipe.
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Kathryn says
I found the quantity of the breading mixture to be a lot too much for 5 chicken breasts. Next time I would half it. But the flavour is amazing!
Sharon says
Hi Kathryn, so happy you enjoyed the recipe! I prefer to start with a larger amount of breading so it doesn't become too wet, but feel free to reduce the amount. You can always stir in ore flour as needed.