Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
This is buffalo chicken done the meal-prep way. Instead of frying, the chicken is gently poached in stock with garlic and thyme, then shredded and tossed through a hot honey buffalo sauce — all the flavour of the classic, none of the deep fryer.
Forty minutes start to finish, and most of that is hands-off poaching time. You get six sandwiches out of it, each one loaded with melted mozzarella, a lighter yoghurt-based ranch, and pickles for crunch.
Wrap them individually and they hold up properly in the fridge or freezer — full storage and reheating instructions are in the Chef’s Tips below.
Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
MEAL PREP · DINNER · EASY
The Poach Does the Heavy Lifting
Poaching the chicken in stock with garlic and thyme instead of frying it keeps every strand tender and lets it pick up flavour the whole way through, not just on the outside. It shreds apart with almost no effort.
Forty minutes, six sandwiches, and most of that time is the chicken quietly simmering while you make the ranch and get everything else ready. Easy enough for a weeknight, solid enough to batch for the week.
The bun gets toasted twice — once before the chicken goes on, once after the cheese melts — so it holds up to the sauce instead of going soft. That's what makes these worth packing for lunch two or three days later.
Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
Poached Chicken
- 800 g Chicken Breast
- 1.5 Litres Chicken Stock
- 2 Garlic Cloves Smashed
- 3 Dried Bay Leaf
- 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
- ½ Brown (Yellow) Onion Halved or Quartered
Hot Honey Sauce
- 80 ml Frank's RedHot Sauce
- 60 g Honey
- 20 g Unsalted Butter
- 3 Garlic Cloves Minced
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Lighter Ranch
- 200 g Greek Yoghurt
- 1 Garlic Clove Grated
- 4 g Onion Powder
- 1 g Dried Dill
- 3 g Fresh Chives Sliced
- 3 g Flat Leaf Parsley Chopped
- 1 Lemon Juiced
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Assembly
- 6 Brioche Burger Buns
- 200 g Mozzarella Cheese Grated
- Sliced Pickles To Serve
Method
- Place the chicken stock, smashed garlic, thyme or bay leaf, peppercorns and onion in a deep pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the whole chicken breasts, ensuring they are fully submerged. Poach at a gentle simmer — never a rolling boil — for 15-20 minutes until cooked through to 74°C (165°F).
- While the chicken poaches, make the lighter ranch. Combine the Greek yoghurt, grated garlic, onion powder, dill, chives, parsley and lemon juice. Season and mix until smooth. Refrigerate until needed.
- Remove the chicken from the stock and rest for 5 minutes. Shred into long, even strands using two forks.
- In a separate pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the hot sauce and honey, stir to combine, and simmer for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened and glossy. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the shredded chicken to the hot honey sauce and toss until every strand is fully coated.
- Preheat the grill/broiler to 180°C (350°F). Slice the brioche buns in half, place cut side up on a baking tray, and toast for 1-2 minutes until golden.
- Spoon the hot honey chicken onto the bottom buns. Top with mozzarella and return to the oven for 3-4 minutes until the cheese is melted and the buns are golden.
- Add sliced pickles, drizzle the lighter ranch over the chicken, and place the top bun on. Wrap individually in foil or parchment paper.
