These Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches with a creamy blue cheese sauce are easy to make and full of flavor. Serve them with some Grilled Red Potatoes or a healthy colelsaw for the perfect meal.
Whenever I see a buffalo chicken sandwich on a menu, I have a really hard time not ordering it. Unfortunately, like most things I love at restaurants, they, too, are usually fried, covered in butter, and come with a ton of melted cheese. Not that that doesn't taste amazing, but it definitely doesn't fit in with my healthy eating goals. So instead of ordering these when I am out, I have started making a healthier version at home.
What I do is easy — start with (of course) a boneless, skinless chicken breast. Quickly grill it then toss in a simple some buffalo sauce that contains just a hint of butter for richness. Then, the chicken is topped with a simple yogurt and blue cheese sauce. From there, it's all about adding on any veggies you like to round out your sandwich. I'll tell you what, this is easy, quick, and will satisfy even your most serious buffalo chicken cravings.
Although it's not always fun to eat at home, I do try to make it easy to eat the meals you crave without having to forgo your healthy eating habits while saving money as well. Sure, there are always times when eating out is easier and times when you want to indulge but I think once you've made and enjoyed one of your favorite restaurant menu items at home, then it makes it that much easier to try to recreate another one and so on. Healthy eating is all about making new habits — and cooking for yourself is the perfect place to start.
How can I use leftover Buffalo Chicken?
Grilled chicken is one of the best leftovers, isn't it? Whenever I'm making grilled chicken, I like to make up a big batch of it and use it all week long. It's so versatile! Some of the ways I frequently use leftover grilled chicken include:
- Make more Buffalo Chicken sandwiches, of course.
- Add some of the Buffalo sauce to the chicken, and then add the chicken to a salad featuring greens, a little crumbled blue cheese, celery, cucumbers, and/or any of your other favorite dressings. Use the yogurt and blue cheese dressing on top.
- Use leftover grilled chicken to make any variety of chicken salad.
- Create another kind of chicken sandwich, such as a Hawaiian chicken sandwich, chicken cheesesteak, or a chicken Parmesan sandwich. Believe me, all these work with buffalo sauce.
- Tacos! Need I say more?
- Fajitas! Cook up some bell peppers (any variety) and onions in a skillet with a little chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Add these to your already grilled chicken in a tortilla of your choice.
- Dice your grilled chicken and add it to any variety of "bowls" — grain, taco, barbecue-inspired, etc. Get out all your favorite healthy ingredients and get to layering them up.
- Toss in a stir-fry using a pre-made stir-fry veggie kit found in your grocer's produce section. Serve over rice with a drizzle of light ranch.
- Quesadillas are just begging for a lean protein like grilled chicken.
- Add diced chicken to a pizza or flatbread.
- Chicken makes a great topping for a baked Russet or sweet potato. Buffalo chicken baked potatoes are something special.
How long do you grill a chicken breast?
I cook mine for about 3-4 minutes on each side. But, if you have some thicker chicken breasts or just are not sure if they are done, a good thing to do is to use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. They are done when a thermometer reads 165 degrees in the thickest part.
Is it okay to eat chicken every day?
By now you've probably heard that chicken is a great lean protein source. So good, you might be tempted to eat it often, as in, maybe every day. But, is that good for you? Well, that depends on what kind of chicken you are eating. For example, are you ordering chicken nuggets or fried chicken tenders from fast food restaurants every day (or even several times a week)? Then, no, that's not the type of healthy chicken we're talking about.
So long as you're eating chicken that's cooked in a healthy manner (grilled, baked, etc.) and with healthy ingredients (not tons of butter, salt, or other fats), then there is no issue with eating chicken often — every day even. However, variety is the spice of life, and it's always good to eat a wide range of foods. Consider mixing up your proteins by eating seafood, beans, or tofu on some of the days of the week as well.
What is Buffalo sauce?
Although it sounds fancy, Buffalo sauce is actually quite simple to make. It's made using a vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot is a common one) that is mixed with melted butter. Typically it's made with a lot of butter — more than you need, in my opinion. Measure out your butter — you only need a couple of tablespoons) so you can make sure to have the healthiest version of Buffalo sauce on your chicken.
What goes with buffalo chicken?
With the heat of the buffalo sauce, we love pairing chicken with things that counteract all that spice.
- If blue cheese isn't your thing, you can always make this healthy ranch dressing instead.
- Speaking of ranch, this spin on a traditional coleslaw made with celery is an excellent option - celery ranch slaw.
- Carrots and celery are traditional sides for buffalo chicken but these carrot fries are a little more fun.
- Corn on the cob and watermelon are always at the top of our list of side dishes during summer months.