Valentina Ablaev
This buffalo chicken sandwich recipe is the crispy chicken sandwich of your dreams! The buttermilk marinated chicken is coated with a crisp breading and fried to perfection. The finishing touch is the buttery hot sauce that truly makes this the best spicy chicken sandwich.
Enjoy Chick-fil-A at Home!
Whether you are craving Chick-fil-a on a Sunday or you just don’t want to spend a fortune on a sandwich, this recipe has you covered!
Not a fan of spicy chicken? No worries! We have the perfect crispy chicken sandwich recipe, as well as a grilled chicken sandwich, if you’re feeling healthy! You can also ditch the sandwich and make homemade chicken tenders.
Deep Frying Like a Pro
- Using the right oil. When deep-frying, oil is one of the most essential ingredients. Stick to an oil with a high smoke point and a low flavor profile. Some great options are avocado oil, peanut oil, or canola oil. The main oil to avoid is olive oil, as it will burn.
- Heating the oil. To achieve crispy breading and thoroughly cooked chicken, you need to have the oil at the proper temperature.
350°F is the ideal temperature for hot oil, yielding a crispy exterior without burning it too quickly. Anything too low will result in a soggy breading. - Breading no no. When it comes to breading the chicken, it’s important not to add too much of the breading. When the breading is too heavy, it will fall off.
- Cook in batches. Don’t add too many cutlets into the hot oil; otherwise, the oil temperature will drop.
Ingredients for Homemade Buffalo Chicken Sandwich:
- Chicken – We use boneless chicken breasts for this recipe.
- Marinade – This marinade is made with buttermilk, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.
- Breading – The extra crispy breading is made up of flour, cornstarch, and a variety of seasonings.
- Hot sauce – We use Frank’s Red Hot sauce with butter to make a silky and flavorful chicken sandwich. You can also use your favorite buffalo wing sauce!
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Tools for this Recipe
Shop all of Valentina’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and kitchen must-haves!
- You’ll want to bring out the large mixing bowls for the marinade.
- Use a large pot with a thick bottom to fry the chicken cutlets.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the chicken is fully cooked.
What Hot Sauce is Best?
When it comes to a hot chicken sandwich, the kind of hot sauce you use matters! Our favorite options are Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce or Nashville Hot Sauce, but you can also use your favorite hot sauce.
How to Make a Homemade Spicy Chicken Sandwich
The easiest step by step instructions:
- Marinate. In a large bowl, mix the marinade ingredients. Add the cutlets to the marinade and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
2. Bread. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the breading ingredients. Dredge each cutlet in the flour mixture.
3. Fry. Heat the oil in a pan until it reaches 350°F. Take one cutlet at a time, and place it into the hot oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes per side, then put the crispy chicken on a wire rack.
4. Sauce. In a saucepan, melt butter with hot sauce. Add the sauce to a medium bowl and lightly toss with fried chicken cutlets. Add the cutlet to a pair of buttered buns, and top with your favorite toppings.
What Toppings go on a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
This is the fun part, where you can customize each chicken sandwich to your liking. Here are some of our favorite toppings:
- Pickles
- Lettuce
- Red Onion
- Sliced tomatoes
- Cheddar cheese
- Air fryer bacon
- Avocado
- Homemade ranch dressing
- Spicy mayo
- Mayonnaise
Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches in the Air Fryer?
To make this a healthy buffalo chicken sandwich, cook the cutlets in the air fryer:
- Add the breaded chicken to an air fryer basket.
- Spray the chicken with oil and air fry at 360°F for 8 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
Chicken Sandwich Troubleshooting!
If your chicken patty is burning before it cooks through, this is likely due to the oil being too hot. Reduce the heat and allow the oil to reach 350°F.
This happens when you overcook the chicken. To prevent overcooking the chicken, use an instant-read thermometer to cook it to an internal temperature of 165°F.
If you overpack the fried chicken breading, it may be too heavy and fall off.
If you struggle to keep the breading on, try placing the breaded chicken in the freezer for 30 minutes before frying.
How to Serve a Chicken Sandwich
- Fries: Serve this fried chicken sandwich with a batch of garlic truffle fries or keep it healthy with a side of oven-baked sweet potato fries.
- Salad: Buffalo sandwiches are perfectly complemented by a side of creamy coleslaw. The creamy sauce complements the spice of the buffalo sauce, creating a crunchy combination.
Store & Reheat
- Storage. Store leftover cutlets in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. Warm up the chicken cutlets in the air fryer or oven to maintain their crispy exterior.
- Freeze. When the chicken is fried and cooled, add the cutlet to a freezer-safe container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat: Warm the cutlet in the air fryer or oven at 350°F for 15 minutes, or until reheated.
More Sandwich Recipes:
If you enjoyed this spicy chicken sandwich recipe, be sure to try our other popular sandwich recipes; here are some of our favorites:
Hot Sandwiches- Sandwiches
- Cold Sandwiches
- Cold Sandwiches
- Hot Sandwiches
- Hot Sandwiches
- Cold Sandwiches
- Hot Sandwiches
If you’ve tried this chicken sandwich recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate your feedback!
Crispy Spicy Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast boneless skinless
chicken marinade-
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
chicken breading-
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
sauce-
- 1/4 cup hot sauce
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
Marinade –
- Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create 4 thin cutlets. Use a chicken mallet to beat the cutlets into an even thickness.
- In a large bowl, mix together buttermilk, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken breasts to the marinade and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
Batter chicken –
- In a bowl, mix together the breading mixture.
- Take one cutlet at a time and allow the excess liquid to drip off the chicken.
- Dredge the chicken in the breading and press it firmly into the mixture. Set aside, and repeat with the remaining cutlets.
Fry chicken –
- To a large pot, add enough oil to cover the chicken.
- Heat the oil to 350°F and add one chicken cutlet at a time, being careful not to overheat the pan.
- Cook the chicken for 3–4 minutes per side or until the breading is crispy and the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken breast cutlets from the oil and place them on a wire rack, allowing the excess oil to drip off.
Hot sauce –
- In a saucepan, melt the butter with hot sauce.
- Add the hot sauce to a bowl and coat the cutlets in the sauce.
Assemble –
- Serve the cutlets in burger buns with all your favorite toppings and sauces.
Notes
- Choosing the right oil. For deep frying, using the proper oil is crucial. Opt for oils with a high smoke point and neutral flavor, such as avocado oil, peanut oil, or canola oil. You shouldn’t use olive oil.
- Properly heating the oil. To achieve crispy breading and fully cooked chicken, the oil must be at the correct temperature.
- Aim for 350°F as this ensures a golden, crispy crust without burning. If the oil is too cold, this will result in a soggy exterior.
- Avoid heavy breading. When coating the chicken, avoid overbreading. Too much will cause it to fall off during cooking.
- Storing leftovers. Place any leftover cutlets in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Reheating. To maintain crispiness, reheat cutlets in the air fryer or oven, rather than the microwave.
- Freezing. Once fried and cooled, place cutlets in a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: Bake in the oven or air fryer at 350°F for approximately 15 minutes, or until hot throughout.
Nutrition
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use chicken thighs in place of chicken breast for a juicy chicken sandwich.
Using buttermilk in the marinade tenderizes the chicken breast and imparts an incredible flavor both inside and out.
Replace buttermilk with 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
