We’ve all had one of those fast food delectable, crispy chicken sandwiches, but did you know you can make your own, healthier version at home!?! This Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich recipe has tender, breaded chicken, a delicious grinder slaw and zesty ranch drizzled on top.
About this Sandwich
This saucy sandwich has ALL OF THE THINGS. It starts with a lightly breaded, juicy chicken breast baked until tender, coated in a spicy buffalo sauce, which gets topped with a crunch grinder slaw and coated with a creamy, tangy homemade ranch dressing.
I consider myself somewhat of a sandwich snob, but this Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich recipe surely passes the test. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s one of my favorite lunch creations to date (a family favorite, too!).
It’s better than a loaded handheld you’d get from your local sandwich joint and it’s truly everything you need and nothing that you don’t! We’re using almond flour instead of refined flour, we’re baking the chicken instead of frying, and the ranch is made from Greek yogurt. It’s got amazing flavor and will leave you feeling completely satisfied.
And if you LOVE buffalo chicken, also check out this Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip, these Buffalo Cauliflower Chicken Lettuce Wraps, these Buffalo Chicken Totchos (tater tots + nachos, yes!), or this Buffalo Ranch Chicken Wrap. I think you’d love these Chicken Sloppy Joes, too!
Recipe Ingredients
Crispy Chicken – We will use tender chicken breast, pickle juice and buffalo sauce as a marinade, then a wet ingredient mixture, and a dry ingredient mixture to create the crispy coating.
Grinder Slaw – Just perfectly seasoned, shredded lettuce with a light dressing gives the perfect, fresh crunch to this sammy.
Ranch – For the homemade ranch you’ll need greek yogurt, a touch of light mayo, some seasonings and then liquid to thin it out.
Sauce – This sauce for the sandwich is just melted butter mixed with buffalo sauce. Make sure you use buffalo wing sauce that directly says WINGS on the bottle. Regular hot sauce will be too spicy. I used Frank’s Redhot linked here.
Buns – Use your favorite. I suggest a brioche bun or pretzel bun, baked fresh from your grocery store’s bakery.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vegetarian? You could totally make this recipe using extra firm, pressed tofu. Coated and baked just the same as the chicken!
- Dressing: If you don’t want to make your own, feel free to use store-bought ranch or another creamy dressing of sorts like blue cheese dressing or a coleslaw dressing.
- Slaw: You could also use a bagged salad with the dressing included from the store. This Everything Salad from Target is a great option!
- Bun: Looking for a lower carb meal? Skip the bun! You could use a lettuce wrap or just serve the crispy chicken on top of the slaw as a salad.
- Toppings: This sandwich would be great with some blue cheese crumbles or tangy feta. Adding some pickled red onion adds amazing taste, too!
How to Make This Recipe
1. Marinate the chicken breasts first. Trim the excess fat and pound the chicken so it’s an even ¼” thickness throughout.
Cut each of the boneless chicken breasts in half (hamburger style) so you have 8 square-ish pieces.
In a large bowl, whisk together pickle juice and buffalo sauce. Place chicken in the bowl, toss so it’s well coated and refrigerate for 30 minutes – 1 hour. You could also do this overnight in a freezer bag.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F, then in a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.
3. In another medium sized mixing bowl, fold all the dry ingredients together with a fork: garlic powder, ranch seasoning, paprika, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, almond flour, and tapioca flour.
4. Line a metal baking sheet with a wire rack and heavily spray the wire rack (this ensures the chicken won’t stick). Set up an assembly line. From left to right, marinated chicken, egg/milk mixture, flour/seasoning mixture, and greased wire rack.
Dip one marinated chicken breast piece into the egg mixture, then coat chicken in the dry flour mixture, and then place on the wire rack. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.
5. Bake the chicken for 8 minutes. Flip the breaded chicken and bake for another 8 minutes. **Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of chicken. Always use a meat thermometer for best results.**
Remove the chicken when it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (it will continue to cook when it’s removed from the oven.)
6. In a small bowl, whisk together greek yogurt, milk, lite mayo, and lemon juice until creamy and combined. Add finely diced parsley, cucumbers, dill, and seasonings. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
7. In a mixing bowl, whisk together lite mayo and red wine vinegar. Add in seasonings and then the shredded lettuce. Toss until the lettuce is well coated.
8. Buns: After removing chicken from the oven, turn on the broiler. Place the sandwich buns open faced on a baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until warmed, toasted, and golden brown.
Buffalo sauce: While the buns are in th oven, microwave the light butter until it’s melted (30 seconds max) and then whisk buffalo sauce into the melted butter.
9. Assemble the chicken sandwiches: On top of your toasted bun add ranch then grinder slaw. Dip each chicken breasts into the buffalo sauce then add on top of the slaw (or add buffalo sauce drizzled on top of the chicken). Drizzle on your ranch and the top bun. Boom. Done & done. Enjoy the ultimate buffalo chicken sandwich!
Expert Tips
- Pounding the chicken and slicing each breast in half ensures even cooking and a better fit on your sandwich. Prepping your assembly line with separate bowls for the chicken is key to avoid a mess and the raw chicken contaminating any unintended surfaces.
- The wire rack is KEY to ensure your chicken gets crispy. This allows the heat to hit it from all sides. You can also try cooking it in the airfryer! I suggest cooking at 390°F for 4 minutes each side.
- Do NOT attempt to save leftover breading/egg mixture. This had raw chicken in it and you’ll risk food borne illness!
Recipe FAQs
Store each component of the sandwich separately and prepare the sandwich just before enjoying. Save dressing the slaw for just before eating. Otherwise, the lettuce will get soggy and no one loves that. I love saving the leftover buffalo chicken to use for meals throughout the week – salads or buffalo chicken wraps are my go-to!
I LOVE a nice golden brioche bun or pretzel bun. A toasted English muffin is a fun option, too, if you’re into that. To keep it lower carb, wrap in an Egg Life Wrap or lettuce wrap. You can also just serve the sandwich ingredients on a plate with the Grinder slaw as the base.
A big ol’ juicy pickle and some crunchy potato chips are welcomed alongside this sandwich. You could also serve with a simple green side salad, pasta salad, fruit salad, french fries, or sweet potato fries.
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Buffalo Chicken Sandwich Recipe
Equipment
- Baking pan
- Wire rack
- Whisk
- 3 Mixing bowls
- Tongs
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Spoon
Ingredients
Crispy Buffalo Chicken
- 1/2 cup pickle juice, for marinating
- 1/2 cup Frank's Buffalo Sauce, for marinating
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup skim milk, or milk of choice
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp ranch seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 3 tbsp Tapioca flour, can use arrowroot powder or cornstarch
Grinder Slaw
- 4 cups shredded lettuce
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp lite mayo
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Homemade Ranch
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp skim milk, or milk of choice
- 2 tbsp lite mayo
- 1/2 small lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, diced
- 2 tbsp ranch seasoning
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, diced
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1/4 cup died cucumbers
Buffalo Sauce
- 1/3 cup Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce
- 3 tbsp light butter, melted
- 4 sandwich buns
Instructions
Marinate
- Marinate the chicken breasts first. Trim the excess fat and pound the chicken so it’s an even ¼” thickness throughout.
- Cut each of the boneless chicken breasts in half (hamburger style) so you have 8 square-ish pieces.
- In a large bowl, whisk together pickle juice and buffalo sauce. Place chicken in the bowl, toss so it’s well coated and refrigerate for 30 minutes – 1 hour. You could also do this overnight in a freezer bag.
Crispy Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400°F, then in a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. In another medium sized mixing bowl, fold all the dry ingredients together with a fork: garlic powder, ranch seasoning, paprika, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, almond flour, and tapioca flour.
- Line a metal baking sheet with a wire rack and heavily spray the wire rack (this ensures the chicken won’t stick). Set up an assembly line. From left to right, marinated chicken, egg/milk mixture, flour/seasoning mixture, and greased wire rack.
- Dip one marinated chicken breast piece into the egg mixture, then coat chicken in the dry flour mixture, and then place on the wire rack. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.
- Bake the chicken for 8 minutes. Flip the breaded chicken and bake for another 8 minutes. **Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of chicken. Always use a meat thermometer for best results.**
- Remove the chicken when it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (it will continue to cook when it’s removed from the oven.)
Toppings (while the chicken bakes…)
- Ranch Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together greek yogurt, milk, lite mayo, and lemon juice until creamy and combined. Add finely diced parsley, cucumbers, dill, and seasonings. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
- Grinder Slaw: In a mixing bowl, whisk together lite mayo and red wine vinegar. Add in seasonings and then the shredded lettuce. Toss until the lettuce is well coated.
- Buffalo sauce: Microwave the light butter until it's melted (30 seconds max) and then whisk buffalo sauce into the melted butter.
- Buns: After removing chicken from the oven, turn on the broiler. Place the sandwich buns open faced on a baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until warmed, toasted, and golden brown.
Assemble
- On top of your toasted bun add ranch then grinder slaw.
- Dip each chicken breasts into the buffalo sauce then add on top of the slaw (or add buffalo sauce drizzled on top of the chicken).
- Drizzle on your ranch and the top bun. Boom. Done & done. Enjoy the ultimate buffalo chicken sandwich!
Nutrition
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
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my husband loves this recipe!