Crispy pan-fried chicken is dunked in warm buffalo sauce and sandwiched between two brioche buns with a pile of crunchy ranch coleslaw on top. You can have this buffalo ranch chicken sandwich ready in about 30 minutes!
The More Buffalo Sauce, the Better!
Whether it’s served as a dip, as juicy meatballs, or as lip-smacking wings, I’ll happily eat buffalo chicken in just about any form — but tuck it between a buttery brioche bun and load it with cooling ranch coleslaw, and you’ve just created the buffalo chicken sandwich of my dreams.
The crispy chicken is a riff on my buffalo chicken schnitzel. It’s the same golden, pan-fried, crunchy chicken, but dunked in warm buffalo sauce to coat every craggy edge.
A heap of crunchy ranch coleslaw gets piled on top for a cool, creamy contrast that keeps everything in check. This sandwich is messy, saucy, and full of crispy-crunchy texture.
Be warned: napkins are most definitely required.
Enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
Crispy Chicken
For quicker, more even cooking, I always cut my chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create thinner fillets. For maximum crispiness, let the chicken rest for 20 minutes after breading. This will give the breadcrumbs time to adhere to the meat and will prevent them from falling off the chicken as it pan fries.
Buffalo Sauce
I kept things simple by mixing Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Sauce with melted butter to create that classic buffalo flavor. You can use another favorite buffalo sauce, if desired.
Ranch Coleslaw
My homemade ranch coleslaw can be made with a scratch ranch dressing or your favorite bottled variety. To make my life easier, I always start with a bagged coleslaw mix that I make extra crispy by tossing with a little salt and sugar to draw out the excess moisture.
If you prefer your crispy buffalo chicken sandwich with blue cheese, try swapping the ranch coleslaw with blue cheese celery slaw.
How to Make Extra Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches (+ Tips)
- Slice the chicken in half lengthwise. Thinner chicken cutlets will cook faster and more evenly than standard chicken breasts.
- Bread the chicken, then let rest. If you want a super crispy coating, you’ll need to dredge the chicken first in flour, then a beaten egg mixture, and lastly in breadcrumbs (I typically blitz mine briefly in the food processor to get them super finely ground). Set the chicken onto a wire cooling rack so the breading has time to adhere to the meat before being fried.
- Make the ranch coleslaw. Tossing the coleslaw mix and shredded purple cabbage with sugar and kosher salt and letting it sit for 5 minutes draws out a lot of the excess moisture, which translates to extra crunchy coleslaw. After rinsing off the sugar and salt, spin the coleslaw mix in a salad spinner before tossing with crunchy veggies like celery, green onion, and carrot and dressing with the ranch.
- Fry the chicken until it reaches 160ºF. To get the breading super crunchy, I like to spoon the hot oil periodically over top. Since we cut the chicken breasts in half, they’ll only need to cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Dunk in warm buffalo sauce. You can combine the butter and buffalo sauce in the same saucepan you fried the chicken in. Kitchen tongs make dredging the chicken through the sauce simple.
- Assemble your sandwiches. Always start by toasting your buns to prevent the coleslaw or buffalo sauce from making them soggy. Depending on my mood, I’ll sometimes spread a little extra ranch dressing on the bottom bun before adding the buffalo chicken and coleslaw.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
For the Buffalo Chicken
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ⅛ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup finely ground bread crumbs
- ½ cup canola oil for frying, divided
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 8 ounces Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Sauce
- 4 brioche buns
For the Ranch Coleslaw
- 10 ounces tri-color coleslaw mix
- ¾ cup thinly sliced red cabbage
- ⅛ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ cup kosher salt
- 2-3 green onions, sliced
- 1 small carrot, julienned into thin strips
- 1 rib celery, sliced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ cup Ranch dressing, store-bought or homemade
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Use a thin, sharp knife to slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise to make four total fillets.
- Bread the chicken. Add ¼ cup flour to a shallow bowl. In another bowl, whisk 1 egg with ⅛ cup milk, and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add 1 cup bread crumbs to another shallow bowl. One at a time, lightly dredge the chicken breasts first in the flour, then the egg mixture, and then in the bread crumbs, shaking off excess, and place on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken filets. Let the coated chicken rest at room temperature for 20 minutes to help set the coating.
- Crisp the coleslaw mix. Toss 16 ounces coleslaw mix and 1 cup sliced purple cabbage in a large bowl with ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup kosher salt. Transfer to a strainer and place it in the sink or on a plate to catch moisture. Let it sit for 5 minutes to draw out moisture from the cabbage, then rinse with very cold water. Spin the coleslaw mix in a salad spinner or pat dry with a tea towel, and place back in the bowl.
- Mix it all together. Add 2-3 chopped green onions, 1 shredded carrot, 1 diced celery rib, ¼ cup chopped parsley, and ½ cup Ranch dressing. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and toss well. Add more dressing and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Fry the chicken. Heat ¼ cup canola oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high. Fry the chicken in batches, spooning the hot oil over the top of the chicken from time to time, until golden brown and crispy, 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping so the chicken breading doesn’t burn. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160°F, then transfer to a platter and sprinkle with flaky salt. Wipe out any crispy or burned bits or discard the oil altogether, then add the remaining ¼ cup of oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
- Warm the buffalo sauce, and dip the chicken. In a large skillet over medium-high, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 8 ounces Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Sauce. Dip the fried chicken cutlets in the buffalo sauce.
- Assemble the sandwiches. Toast 4 brioche buns. Top each bottom bun with a buffalo chicken breast, top with a pile of Ranch Coleslaw, and finish with the top bun. Serve with more buffalo sauce and coleslaw on the side.
Nutrition
What to Serve With Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwiches
- A Garlic Pickle
- Creamy Red Potato Salad
- Crispy Garlic Fries
- Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Asparagus
- Loaded Wedge Salad
- Green Goddess Pasta Salad
More Irresistible Sandwich Recipes
- BLT Sandwich
- Club Sandwich
- Curried Egg Salad Sandwich
- Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Crunchy Slaw
- Green Goddess Sandwich
- Tuna Melt
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