This Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwich delivered on all cylinders. Perfectly grilled tender chicken, homemade buffalo sauce and pickled red onion made for a perfect lunch. I love a good spicy chicken sandwich, and unlike the deep fried options, this one was light, better and straight up delicious. Simple ingredients, easy to make delicious chicken sandwich.

Looking for more grilled sandwich inspiration then check out my marinated grilled spicy chicken sandwich or a fan favorite the smoked and shredded Italian beef sandwich.

Spicy Chicken Sandwich.

The spicy chicken sandwich has been a popular growing menu item at a lot of fast food restaurants. Each having it’s unique taste and heat level, people are loving this trend. As am I! Most are deep fried in buttermilk batter creating a crispy outer layer and tender meat. I’ve made a few spicy chicken recipes from a classic fried chicken sandwich to a jerk chicken sandwich using grilled shredded meat. Different cooking techniques, different spices and all delicious food.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with flavor and heat levels. Food should never be boring.

Ingredient List for Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.

• Chicken: for this recipe, I went with a whole chicken. You can use use just the breast or pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the store.

• Hot sauce: regular hot sauce is the key ingredient to making buffalo sauce.

• Butter: the creaminess and fattiness helps create the buffalo sauce.

• Seasoning: I used a sweet BBQ rub on the chicken to balance the savoriness of the meat and heat from the sauce.

• Red Onion: sliced and pickled.

• Vinegar: liquid needed to pickle the red onion.

How to spatchcock a chicken

For this shredded buffalo chicken sandwich, I decided to grill a whole chicken by spatchcocking it.

To start, cut out the backbone from the chicken with sheers or a sharp knife. This process of spatchcocking or butterflying will allow the chicken to cook more evenly and quickly. Press down hard on the breast bone to break it so the chicken can lay nice and flat. Pat the entire chicken dry.

Next, generously season the outside of the chicken with Dad’s Sweet BBQ rub. Pull up the skin around the breast and season inside adding more flavor to the meat. Make sure to get all sides.

How to grill the perfect spatchcock chicken

Preheat the grill to 375 degrees and set it for indirect heat. Place the chicken skin side up and cook until the breast registers an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Total cook time should be around 45 minutes depending on the side of the bird. Move the grilled chicken to the direct side over the coals just shy of 160 degrees to get the skin nice and crispy.

Remove it from the grill and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. This is a very important step in this process. During the rest period, the chicken will start to cool down and the cooking process will stop. The juices will redistribute inside the meat, giving you a much better final product. It will also bring up the final temp on the chicken to 165 degrees.

How to make homemade buffalo sauce.

Can’t have a shredded buffalo chicken sandwich without the buffalo sauce. Homemade buffalo sauce is probably the easiest sauce you will ever make! 3 ingredients will change your life. OK maybe not, but you’ll be making it a lot more.

In a saucepan, add Franks hot sauce, a stick of butter, white vinegar and garlic powder. Mix and simmer the ingredients over low heat until the sauce starts to bubble and thickens.

Use this sauce on grilled chicken wings, loaded potato fries, or buffalo chicken meatballs.

How to make pickled onions.

I get asked a lot on how to make pickled onion. The process is very simple. Start off by slicing an entire red onion. Place the sliced pieces into a mason jar. Next, in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, water, white vinegar, sugar, salt, peppercorns and crushed red pepper. Pour the mixture into the mason jar and seal shut. Set aside for it to cool off while the pulled pork is still smoking.

Assemble the Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.

When the grilled spatchcock chicken has rested, using heat resistant gloves, start shredding the bird.

Place the meat into a large bowl and pour in the buffalo sauce. Mix the ingredients together.

Scoop out a large handful of the shredded buffalo chicken onto a toasted bun, add some of the pickled red onion and enjoy!

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Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

Perfectly grilled tender chicken, homemade buffalo sauce and pickled red onion made this the perfect Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.

Course Main Course, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6 People

Calories 564kcal

Author Maciek Zurawski

Ingredients

• 1 Whole chicken
• 2 tbsp Sweet BBQ rub
• 6 Sesame hamburger buns

Pickled Red Onion Ingredients

• 1 Red onion
• 1 cup White vinegar
• 1 cup Water
• 1 tbsp Peppercorns

Buffalo Sauce Ingredients

• 1 cup Hot sauce
• 1 stick Unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp Vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp Garlic powder

Instructions

• To start, cut out the backbone from the chicken with sheers or a sharp knife. Press down hard on the breast bone to break it so the chicken can lay nice and flat. Pat the entire chicken dry.
• Season the outside of the chicken with a sweet BBQ rub. Pull up the skin around the breast and season the inside adding more flavor to the meat. Make sure to get all sides.
• Preheat the grill to 375 degrees and set it for indirect heat.
• Grill the chicken until the breast registers an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
• Remove it from the grill and let it rest for10-15 minutes.
• To make the buffalo sauce: in a saucepan, add Franks hot sauce, a stick of butter and garlic powder. Simmer the ingredients over low heat until the sauce thickens.
• To make pickled onion: slice the entire red onion and move the sliced pieces into a mason jar. In a sauce pan, bring to a boil, water, white vinegar, and peppercorns. Pour the mixture into the mason jar and seal shut.
• Using heat resistant gloves, shred the chicken.
• Place the meat into a large bowl and pour in the buffalo sauce. Mix the ingredients together.
• Toast the buns and assemble the shredded buffalo chicken sandwich. Enjoy!

Notes

Use a rotisserie chicken if short on time or don’t have a grill.

Use bottled buffalo sauce for convenience.

Make sure to rest the chicken before shredding.

Nutrition

Calories: 564kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 1533mg | Potassium: 388mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 788IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 5mg