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    Home Β» Recipes Β» Main Dishes

    Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese

    Published: May 9, 2019 Β· Modified: May 2, 2022 by Alyssa Β· This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Two halves of a buffalo chicken grilled cheese stacked on top of one another.

    This buffalo chicken grilled cheese is FULL of flavor and a great way to use leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken. Warm, creamy, and a little spicy, this pulled chicken sandwich is easy comfort food at its finest.

    Two halves of a buffalo chicken grilled cheese stacked on top of one another.

    Not that anyone needs a recipe for a grilled cheese sandwich, but I think this buffalo chicken grilled cheese is special enough to warrant its own post.

    Reasons to Love This Recipe

    • It's a grilled cheese sandwich with heft, as the chicken bumps up the protein.
    • The creamy buffalo chicken mixture tastes like total comfort food - and easy comfort food, at that.
    • This is a great recipe for using up a small amount of leftover cooked chicken, though it's perfectly suited for a rotisserie chicken, too.

    Recipe Ingredients

    Labeled recipe ingredients in separate containers.
    • Chicken: Any kind of leftover cooked chicken breasts or thighs work here, but shredded a rotisserie chicken is easy if you don't have any cooked chicken on hand. You'll need about one-half cup of shredded chicken per buffalo chicken grilled cheese.
    • Buffalo sauce: Use your favorite brand of buffalo/wing sauce. I'm partial to Frank's Red Hot Wings as it brings a big bite that meshes nicely with creamy sour cream and cheese.
    • Cheese: Pepper jack, a nice sharp sliced cheddar, provolone, or gouda all mesh well with the zippy buffalo sauce flavors.
    • Bread: Any kind of bread works (gluten-free will make this recipe gluten-free, though do check the other ingredients for hidden traces of gluten). I'm partial to multi-grain varieties or fluffy whole wheat potato bread, seen used in these pictures. Sourdough is also delicious!
    • Sour cream: Since only a small amount is used in this buffalo chicken grilled cheese, any variety of sour cream or a creamy alternative, such as plain Greek yogurt or mayonnaise, will work.
    • Spices: You can switch these up, though I keep things simple with garlic powder and dried basil.

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    First stir together all of the buffalo chicken mixture ingredients in a bowl: cooked chicken, buffalo sauce, sour cream, and spices. (The quantities pictured below are for two sandwiches.)

    The buffalo chicken mixture ingredients in a bowl (left) and mixed together (right).

    Now all that's left is to assemble the sandwich and cook.

    1. Start by placing a slice of cheese on a piece of bread. If using shredded cheese, try and get it as even of a layer as possible, stretching out to all sides.
    2. Next scoop on the buffalo chicken mixture and press it down into a flattened layer.
    3. Top with another piece of cheese.
    4. Then add the last piece of bread. If cooking these grilled cheeses with mayonnaise (my favorite way!), spread one-and-a-half teaspoons of it all over the top piece of bread.

    While you can certainly assemble this however you like, I prefer layering the buffalo chicken mixture between the two slices of cheese and not having it right up against bread. This way the cheese melts and acts like a buffer so the sauce doesn't sog up the bread.

    The stages of assembling a buffalo chicken grilled cheese sandwich.

    Recipe Notes

    • If you've made slow cooker buffalo chicken, you can simply add a bit of sour cream to leftover portions to make this sandwich.
    • The ingredient quantities featured in the recipe card below yield one grilled cheese sandwich. Since a rotisserie chicken will very roughly yield four cups of shredded chicken, you'll have plenty to make more grilled cheeses, or to use in other recipes. My archive of chicken recipes has many recipes to use shredded chicken if you're looking for inspiration.
    • Frank's Red Hot Wings is always my choice for buffalo chicken recipes. It's thinner than other wing sauces out there and has the perfect amount of heat to it.
    A buffalo chicken grilled cheese cut in half with cheese stretched between.

    Related Recipes

    • Buffalo Chicken Salad
    • Oven Baked Buffalo Chicken Thighs
    • Lightened Up Buffalo Chicken Alfredo Pasta
    • Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

    If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!

    Two halves of a buffalo chicken grilled cheese stacked on top of one another.

    Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese

    This buffalo chicken grilled cheese is FULL of flavor and a great way to use leftover shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken. Warm, creamy, and a little zippy, this pulled chicken sandwich is easy comfort food at its finest.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Sandwich
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 1 sandwich
    Calories: 469kcal
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup shredded, cooked chicken
    • 1 ½ Tablespoons buffalo wing sauce or to taste
    • 1 Tablespoon sour cream or plain Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon dried basil
    • 2 slices bread your preferred variety
    • 2 slices cheese your preferred variety
    • Mayonnaise or butter for cooking the sandwich
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Stir together the chicken, buffalo sauce, sour cream, garlic powder, and basil in a bowl until all of the ingredients are combined.
    • Place one slice of cheese onto one slice of bread. Arrange the creamy buffalo chicken mixture evenly across the slice of cheese. Top with the other slice of cheese, then the other slice of bread.
    • Cook the grilled cheese in your preferred manner. Here are two options I use:
      Option 1: Add a small amount of butter to a pan set over medium-low heat. Place the sandwich in and cook until the bottom side reaches golden-brown. Flip and repeat for the other side, adjusting the heat and/or adding additional butter halfway through if needed.
      Option 2: Spread 1 ½ teaspoons of mayonnaise evenly across the entire face of one slice of bread. Cook mayo-side down in an ungreased pan over medium-low heat until the bottom side is golden brown to your liking. Spread another 1 ½ teaspoons of mayonnaise on the top side of bread before flipping the sandwich and cooking it on that side until golden-brown, as well.

    Notes

    Ingredient Notes
    Chicken: Leftover cooked chicken breast/thighs work great here, as does a rotisserie chicken.
    Sour cream: Another creamy alternative, such as plain Greek yogurt or mayonnaise, also works. Add a little more than one Tablespoon if you want the chicken mixture to be creamier.
    Recipe Note
    • This recipe can be scaled up pretty easily. If you'd like to prep ahead, mix up the chicken mixture separately, assembling sandwiches just prior to cooking so they don't get soggy.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 25.3g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 20.6g | Saturated Fat: 11.4g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 1461mg | Potassium: 382mg | Fiber: 3.9g | Sugar: 4.8g | Calcium: 517mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe?Tag @mysequinedlife - I love to see what you're making!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

    Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
    Two halves of the grilled cheese stacked on top of one another, with a bite taken out of the top half.

    The pictures in this post were updated in May 2022 from older updates in May 2019 and May 2015. If returning to this post from a saved link, you may recognize the photo above.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ashley says

      April 28, 2020 at 9:15 pm

      5 stars
      A local cafe we visit makes a delicious grilled buffalo chicken sandwich, but since we are eating at home more I was looking for something similar. We made these and they were so good! Just what we wanted for lunch.

      Reply
    2. Beth says

      May 10, 2019 at 10:20 am

      5 stars
      I love everything about this recipe - using leftovers, grilled cheese and spicy buffalo sauce! Lunch today!!

      Reply
    3. Taryn says

      May 10, 2019 at 10:10 am

      5 stars
      This is like our favorite buffalo dip in sandwich form. Love it!

      Reply
    4. Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says

      February 18, 2014 at 4:20 am

      I LOLd at this post Alyssa! I can so relate to the getting stressed out over something that's supposed to be relaxing. And I have to admit, I am craving this sandwich right now and it's 4:19 in the morning! Looks like breakfast to me. If I had chicken in the house, you know what I'd be having!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 18, 2014 at 9:59 pm

        Haha thanks, Kristi! I'm so with you - any time I look at this post I start craving this sandwich. For some reason it always seems to happen around 11 pm right before bed!

        Reply
    5. Amy (Savory Moments) says

      February 13, 2014 at 5:07 am

      Yum - this is a great idea. Being from Buffalo, we love out Frank's hot sauce with chicken! πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 13, 2014 at 8:35 pm

        Thanks, Amy! Frank's just may be tied with ketchup for my favorite condiment. "I put that #@*! on everything" describes me to a T, and this sandwich was no exception! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    6. Ashley says

      February 12, 2014 at 2:36 pm

      The flavors here are definitely awesome - I would love one of these right now! Such comfort food! And I hateeee photographing sandwiches - I can never get them to look the way I want them to in the photos!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 13, 2014 at 8:33 pm

        I cannot get the combo of buffalo chicken and melted cheese out of my head - so good! Thanks, Ashley!

        Reply
    7. Consuelo @ Honey & Figs says

      February 12, 2014 at 6:18 am

      Wow, girl, these sandwich looks unbelievably amazing! What a comforting treat :--)

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 12, 2014 at 1:04 pm

        Thanks, Consuelo!

        Reply
    8. Jessica @ Jessiker Bakes says

      February 11, 2014 at 12:07 pm

      Grilled Cheese fanatic right here! I totally understand; sometimes the simplest meals taste the best!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 13, 2014 at 8:31 pm

        Thanks, Jessica! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    9. Erin | The Law Student's Wife says

      February 11, 2014 at 7:33 am

      Grilled cheese is SO hard to photograph, but I'm glad you didn't let the difficulty slow you down. Taste is what really matters in the end and it sounds like it triumphed!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 11, 2014 at 8:09 pm

        It triumphed indeed, Erin! Delicious.

        Reply
    10. Ashley @ My Midwest Table says

      February 11, 2014 at 7:02 am

      Grilled cheese is one of my ultimate comfort foods! I am thinking I need to add Buffalo wing sauce to the grocery list. This is one of the several hints in the past week that I need some Buffalo chicken on my menu. This grilled cheese is amazing.

      And oh goodness, I just love. love. LOVE Park and Rec. No matter how crappy or tiring of a day I've had, that show always puts a smile on my face. It doesn't matter how many times I've seen an episode, it's still funny! πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 11, 2014 at 8:06 pm

        I so encourage adding buffalo sauce to your grocery list! It's definitely one of my kitchen staples. If I'm eating something savory, there's a good chance buffalo sauce is on my plate, too. πŸ™‚

        And I'm the same exact way with Parks and Rec! I think it would be impossible for me to pick a favorite character - they all crack me up!

        Reply
    11. Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says

      February 10, 2014 at 10:28 am

      Oh goodness, this sandwich looks great! I am craving grilled cheese so much right now!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 10, 2014 at 8:56 pm

        I think I'm grilled cheese obsessed. If there was a stove top in the kitchen at my workplace, I'm sure I would be having one every day this week!

        Reply
    12. Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says

      February 10, 2014 at 9:22 am

      These are my favorite kind of recipes! Simple ones that I will actually make. When I see a cake recipe that has more than 10 steps I'm like, "um, I'll go to the baker". But grilled cheese I can get behind! Especially the buffalo chicken. yum!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 10, 2014 at 8:55 pm

        Thanks, Natalie! Super simple, but so delicious I had to have it two days in a row. πŸ™‚

        Reply
    13. Lynette says

      February 10, 2014 at 8:20 am

      So true Alyssa. Sometimes we create stress over silly things. Great post AND great sandwich.

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 10, 2014 at 8:52 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply

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