Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Recipe
If I had to pick one word to describe this recipe, it would be synergy: Two classic culinary comforts joining forces into one bold, melty, crispy, super-stacked sandwich. If you are a fan of either Buffalo chicken or grilled cheese sandwiches, I eagerly encourage you to give this combo a try.
I have encountered versions of Buffalo chicken grilled cheese sandwiches before — in a dish more akin to Buffalo chicken dip warmed between bread slices. These sandwiches are perfectly fine. They just fall short of what I want in this comfort food merger. I want that crispy, deep-fried chicken element. I want that twangy blue cheese pop. And, I want epic cheese pulls. I have to say, I got exactly what I wanted with this one.
For that crispy chicken element, I opted for breaded chicken tenders. I like how things cling to breaded tenders: sauce, cheese, toppings — you name it. That clinginess also aids with our sandwich's structural integrity. I made sure to include plenty of blue cheese. This being a grilled cheese sandwich, I didn't want this crumbly cheese to get lost in the mix or be a secondary player relegated to a simple condiment. No, this cheese gets as much action as our melty cheddar. I know that blue cheese's earthy bite can be a bit overpowering for some folks. So, I balanced those bold flavors with thin slices of fresh red onion and chopped chives.
Gather the Buffalo chicken grilled cheese ingredients
For the homemade buffalo sauce, you will need unsalted butter, hot sauce (like Franks Hot Sauce), garlic, and Worcestershire sauce.
For the homemade ranch dressing, you will need mayonnaise, sour cream, dill pickle brine, garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, dried dill, salt, and pepper. Feel free to use your favorite store-bought ranch dressing if you are crunched for time.
For assembling the sandwich, you will need thick sourdough or Texas toast slices, cheddar cheese, cooked breaded chicken tenders, blue cheese crumbles, red onion, and fresh chives.
Step 1: Melt the butter
To make the buffalo sauce, melt ¼ cup (half stick) of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Step 2: Add the buffalo sauce ingredients
Once the butter is melted, add the hot sauce, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce to the saucepan. Whisk to combine and bring to a low simmer.
Step 3: Simmer the Buffalo sauce
Cook for 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until fragrant. Remove the sauce from the heat and set it aside.
Step 4: Assemble the ranch dressing
To make the ranch dressing, place the mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle brine, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
Step 5: Whisk the dressing
Whisk to combine the dressing and refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 6: Butter the bread
Spread one side of the bread slices with the remaining ¼ cup of softened butter and place them on a large sheet of wax paper.
Step 7: Flip and apply the ranch dressing
Flip the bread slices over (butter-side down) and spread them with the ranch dressing, about 1 ½ tablespoons per slice.
Step 8: Add some cheddar cheese
Divide half of the cheese between 4 bread slices, spreading it out evenly.
Step 9: Add the chicken
Top the cheese with the chicken tender slices.
Step 10: Drizzle with Buffalo sauce
Drizzle the chicken slices with Buffalo sauce, about 1-2 tablespoons per sandwich.
Step 11: Add the blue cheese, onion, and chives
Top the chicken with blue cheese crumbles, sliced onion, and chives.
Step 12: Add more cheddar cheese
Add the remaining cheddar slices and cap the sandwiches with the remaining bread slices, ranch-side down.
Step 13: Preheat the skillet
Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat.
Step 14: Toast the sandwiches
Once hot, working in batches as necessary, toast the sandwiches until golden and melty, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Step 15: Slice and serve
Remove from the skillet, slice, and serve.
What can I serve with Buffalo grilled cheese?
Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Recipe
Crispy bread chicken comes together with scratch-made Buffalo sauce, blue cheese, and plenty of melty cheddar in our fully loaded grilled cheese sandwich.
Ingredients
- For the Buffalo sauce
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened and divided
- ¼ cup hot sauce (like Franks Hot Sauce)
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- For the ranch dressing
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ tablespoons dill pickle brine
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ⅛ teaspoon dried dill
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- For the sandwich
- 8 thick slices sourdough or Texas toast
- 16 ounces sliced or grated cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ pounds cooked breaded chicken tenders, sliced
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Directions
- To make the Buffalo sauce, melt ¼ cup (half stick) of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add the hot sauce, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce to the saucepan. Whisk to combine and bring to a low simmer.
- Cook for 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until fragrant. Remove the sauce from the heat and set it aside.
- To make the ranch dressing, place the mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle brine, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Whisk to combine the dressing and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Spread one side of the bread slices with the remaining ¼ cup of softened butter and place them on a large sheet of wax paper.
- Flip the bread slices over (butter-side down) and spread them with the ranch dressing, about 1 ½ tablespoons per slice.
- Divide half of the cheese between 4 bread slices, spreading it out evenly.
- Top the cheese with the chicken tender slices.
- Drizzle the chicken slices with Buffalo sauce, about 1-2 tablespoons per sandwich.
- Top the chicken with blue cheese crumbles, sliced onion, and chives.
- Add the remaining cheddar slices and cap the sandwiches with the remaining bread slices, ranch-side down.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat.
- Once hot, working in batches as necessary, toast the sandwiches until golden and melty, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Remove from the skillet, slice, and serve.
How can I make perfect extra-large grilled cheese sandwiches?
This sandwich is a beast! This fully-stacked sando takes a little more mastery than your average grilled cheese. But fear not, I've got some top tips for making this grilled cheese easy to tame.
To keep our ingredients from slip-sliding out of our sandwich, we first need to promote melting. Getting that cheese to melt will help adhere our non-cheesy components together. You may have noticed that I cook these larger sandwiches over a modest medium heat. This allows us some timing wiggle room and gives us time enough for our cheese to begin melting before our buttered bread slices get too toasted, which allows for a more successful flip. If you are working with a skillet, you can also briefly cover the pan with a lid to circulate the heat and get the cheese melting faster. For griddle pans, you can briefly cover your grilled cheese with a domed lid. If you are still a little unsure about successfully flipping these mega sandwiches, feel free to use a panini press or panini pan. These grilled cheeses are excellent candidates for panini. If you opt for that route, press down gently to keep the ingredients from mushing out the sides.
What other toppings or fillings could I add to this sandwich?
The world is your oyster when it comes to this Buffalo chicken grilled cheese sandwich! I briefly flirted with the option of adding minced or thinly sliced bits of celery and carrot to this recipe, not only for cohesion with the Buffalo chicken concept, but for a crunchy textural boost. If you want to expand on the heat level of this sandwich (as well as the crunch-factor), feel free to add fresh or pickled hot peppers. A zesty crunch of jalapeño, cherry pepper, and sport peppers would be really tasty.
There is a vast variety of cheeses that would work well in this recipe, too. Mozzarella, American, or Havarti cheese would provide a mild-flavored melt. Something more pungent like Gruyère, raclette, or provolone, would also be fun and equally melty.
I know I lobbied hard for crispy chicken in this recipe, but you can absolutely experiment with grilled chicken, smoked pulled chicken, popcorn chicken, or any other kind you fancy. Crispy vegetarian alternative chicken options would work well, too. Just be mindful, if you are making a vegetarian version of this sandwich, to swap out the Worcestershire sauce for something vegetarian-friendly.