Our Go-To Lazy Summer Dinner: Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
In the height of summer, Chris and I get really lazy at dinnertime. (Sometimes it’s just too hot to think about what to cook, y’know? 🤷🏻♀️) The lazy summer meal we turn to whenever that happens? This seriously quick and simple Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.
There’s something crave-worthy about big buffalo-inspired flavor—as evidenced by PWWB’s large catalog of buffalo-style recipes—and these sandwiches totally deliver!
A few simple spices and an easy homemade buffalo sauce make the chicken super satisfying, while the grill cooks each piece to juicy and charred perfection. It practically begs to be piled on a toasty brioche bun with crispy lettuce, juicy end-of-summer tomatoes, and a big drizzle of cooling ranch yogurt!
As a bonus, though, the grilled buffalo chicken is perfect for more than just sandwiches. It’s a great all-purpose summer recipe you can use to make buffalo chicken wraps, salads, bowls, sliders, whatever! Absolutely killer and ready in 30 minutes or less – zero fuss required!
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Buy Now → My Go-To Simple Homemade Buffalo Sauce
It’s not a buffalo chicken sandwich without iconic buffalo sauce. While you can certainly use your favorite bottled wing sauce, my go-to Homemade Buffalo Sauce recipe comes together quickly with just a 5 pantry staple ingredients.
🔥Grilling Prep Tip! ⇢ This buffalo chicken sandwich recipe comes together really quickly, so I recommend prepping the homemade buffalo sauce before you throw anything on the grill. Quickly mix it up while you wait for the grill to preheat—simple!
How to Grill Buffalo Chicken
With the sauce prepped and ready to go, making these grilled buffalo chicken sandwiches is as simple as seasoning the chicken and hitting the grill. It’s really as easy as that—it takes 10 minutes, tops!
Sandwich Assembly and Serving
My favorite way to serve up a buffalo chicken sandwich is to load on plenty of toppings. This is where you can have a lot of fun with this recipe! Choose your favorite toppers and build your own sandwich! A casual sandwich assembly line is a great way to keep dinnertime easy.
If you need a bit of inspiration, here are a few of our favorite buffalo chicken sandwich toppings…
- Sandwich veggies – Crispy lettuce and juicy tomatoes are super delicious in the summer! For extra texture, prep our Everyday Slaw – the cilantro lime variation detailed in the blog post is amazing on a buffalo chicken sandwich!
- 5-Minute Greek Yogurt Ranch. This easy, creamy sauce is one I like to whip up any time I make a buffalo-inspired recipe! It’s like glammed-up ranch dressing, with extra goodies like fresh dill and chives.
- Other condiments you love like aioli or blue cheese dressing. Store-bought works great here for convenience!
Simple sides for sandwich night. ⇢ While grilled buffalo chicken sandwiches are great on their own, a few sides are also never a bad idea. I believe every sandwich calls for some ruffly potato chips! A simple green salad or pasta salad are great too (especially at a summer backyard gathering). Broccoli Salad, Summer Farro Salad, and Greek Pasta Salad are always crowd-pleasers!
I can’t wait for you to try this Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwich recipe! It’s super quick, but so satisfying – a total go-to here at the PWWB House, and we know you’re going to love too!
If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about and seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy grilling!
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30-Minute Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Sandwiches & Burgers, Main Dishes
- Method: Grilling & Smoking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
There’s nothing more satisfying than a Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwich—and this easy, go-to recipe is one you’ll come back to all summer long.
Just dust chicken breasts with a few pantry spices, grill until charred and juicy, and finish with a swipe of Homemade Buffalo Sauce. Serve on toasty brioche buns with a quick herby Greek Yogurt Ranch and your favorite sandwich toppers.
Less than 10 ingredients, totally fuss-free, and always delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approx. 1 ½ – 2 pounds total), butterflied (sliced in half lengthwise)
- 1 heaping teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 heaping teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or high smoke point oil of choice
- ½ cup buffalo sauce
- optional: 4 slices cheese of choice (e.g. pepper jack, white cheddar)
- 4 burger buns
- nonstick cooking spray
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Preheat the grill: Prepare the grill for medium-high direct heat grilling (about 450-500°F). Once hot, clean the grates well with a grill brush. (No outdoor grill? A grill pan over medium-high heat works great, too.)
- Prep the chicken and buffalo sauce for the grill: As the grill preheats, prep the chicken and sauce. Add the halved chicken breasts to a large bowl or baking dish. Season with 1 heaping teaspoon each garlic powder and smoked paprika, 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, and ground black pepper to taste. Drizzle with avocado oil and toss to coat. Prepare homemade buffalo sauce as desired, or pour your preferred buffalo sauce into a small bowl, and set aside.
- Grill the buffalo chicken: Place the chicken on the grill. Close the lid and cook 4-5 minutes. Flip, then generously brush the cooked side with buffalo sauce. Close the lid and grill 3-4 minutes longer. Flip once more and brush the second side with sauce. Grill 1-2 minutes more, until the chicken is cooked through. If using, top with sliced cheese to melt. Transfer the grilled chicken to a plate. Toast the buns, cut side down on the grill, for 30 seconds to 1 minute until golden brown.
- Serve: Build the buffalo chicken sandwiches on toasted brioche buns with lettuce, tomato, extra buffalo sauce and a drizzle of herby ranch yogurt. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage and Reheating: Store leftover grilled buffalo chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy leftovers cold or reheat in the microwave until warmed through and build a buffalo chicken sandwich as desired.
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This recipe is missing the amount of melted butter and honey to use in the ingredients. PLEASE CORRECT!
Hi Scott, the recipe for the sauce we use is in our Buffalo Sauce post! Hope you give these sandwiches a try soon!
My sister my dad and I loved the buffalo sandwich recipe. It was so good. We used the spices with store bought bww medium sauce and ranch. super tasty.. we’ve also made it as wraps and gonna try it in a quesidilla next. Thank you
We highly approve of buffalo everything!! Thanks for the review, Lauryn!
Very tasty!! I did forget the garlic powder and paprika for the buffalo sauce tho, smh. But it was still tasty. The “ranch sauce” was good…but something a bit off- I wanted to like it more… Just my taste buds I guess. I’d make them again!
Hi Sarah! Thanks so much for your comment, we’re so glad you enjoyed! The garlic powder & paprika will add a bit more flavor for sure but you can’t go wrong with butter & buffalo sauce, & a bit of honey — so I’m sure it was still delicious! As for the ranch yogurt sauce, which type of yogurt did you use? We find that whole milk or 2% plain Greek yogurt works best. Thanks again for sharing!!
This is a great quick and easy summer meal! We served it with extra lettuce and the fixings for a quick salad, so people could choose to make a buffalo chicken salad or sandwich!
Hi Katie! That sounds so perfect & such a great idea for easy summer entertaining – SO glad you enjoyed!
love these flavors and as you write, don’t have to make a sandwich but I’d love to but for the carbs – perfect for my day off of my diet though, so thank you!