Meet the perfect party sandwich no one can resist — the Buffalo chicken sub! This spicy chicken sandwich takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and features shredded Buffalo chicken, gooey mozzarella, a drizzle of ranch dressing and tangy blue cheese crumbles, all on a toasted, buttery bun. You won’t find a more crowd-pleasing sandwich that’s perfect for casual gatherings and game day.
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Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Who doesn't love wings? Tossing chicken in Buffalo sauce is an easy way to make everyone happy. And then you throw in a toasted bun with melted cheese, and you have yourself the perfect crowd-pleaser.
- Easier than chicken wings with all the flavor. No deep fryer needed here.
- Takes hardly any prep time. It just takes a few minutes to prep the sandwiches, and then they go into the oven for a quick bake to warm up everything.
- Makes for a festive football season. Wings are the quintessential football party food. Is it even a watch party without some kind Buffalo wing dish?
Bonus: Love Buffalo chicken recipes? Also make sure you try my Buffalo chicken pizza!
Ingredients
As you can see, the Buffalo chicken sub ingredient list is straightforward. Hey, another reason to love this recipe!
If you're unfamiliar with Frank's RedHot Sauce, it's a cayenne pepper sauce that is the original Buffalo sauce base. You can typically find it either with the condiments or hot sauces in the grocery store.
For the chicken, you're certainly welcome to cook your own meat and shred it, but I love picking up a rotisserie chicken from the store and using that. Store-bought rotisserie chicken is quick, easy and most importantly, super delicious.
Extra tip: I like to buy a chicken or two at a time, shred the meat and then freeze it. That way, I always have shredded chicken on hand.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Now let's show you how truly easy it is to make this spicy Buffalo chicken sub recipe.
Step 1: We take our Frank's RedHot sauce and butter and melt the two together (photos 1 and 2). The microwave takes care of the job just fine, though you could use the stove. And just like that, we have our Buffalo sauce.
Step 2: Now we toss the shredded chicken with the Buffalo sauce until it's well-coated like so (photo 3).
Step 3: With our chicken sauced, we're ready to put together our subs. We take a hoagie roll or sliced French bread, fill it with the Buffalo chicken and then top with grated mozzarella (photo 4). The stuffed sandwich goes into a baking dish, which we cover with foil. Covering the dish helps the bread from drying out during the baking process.
Step 4: Right when the subs come out of the oven, we brush the toasted bread with melted butter for an extra decadent touch and then top with blue cheese crumbles and ranch dressing (photo 5).
And that's it! Now enjoy the most perfect party sandwich. For more crowd favorites, make sure you also try some of these fun recipes.
- Smoked jalapeño poppers
- Crispy habanero wings
- Smoked queso
- Everything bagel hummus
- Salt and pepper chicken
Recipe FAQs
While this sub has a spicy kick, it's not mouth-on-fire hot. With the mozzarella, bread and dressing, most people won't find these subs too spicy, but if you're sensitive to Buffalo sauce, you can add more butter to the Frank's RedHot sauce.
Of course, if you can't get enough spice, you can always add more cayenne pepper to the Frank's RedHot sauce or add some sliced jalapeños or habaneros to your sandwich.
I like to keep the toppings simple with some blue cheese crumbles and a drizzle of ranch dressing, but you can certainly add more options. As mentioned above, peppers are great for more spice. Some bacon slices would be wonderful, or you could go with a classic lettuce, tomato and onion topping.
If you're feeling fancy, you could even toss together some shredded carrots and celery with a little mayo and apple cider vinegar to make a slaw topping. Feel free to get creative!
For a nod to classic Buffalo wings, I love to make sure we have plenty of carrots and celery on the side with additional ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping. Otherwise, I like to stick to classic bar food favorites, like fries, tater tots or potato chips. No need to get too fancy here.
Expert Tips
- I recommend using the highest-quality ranch dressing possible for the best taste. Homemade ranch is my favorite, but I find Tessamae makes the best store-bought variety.
- While I love classic ranch, feel free to try a flavored ranch. Avocado ranch is always nice, or you could try a habanero or jalapeño ranch to play up the spice.
- Keep in mind, the ingredient totals are a guide. It really comes down to how large your hoagie rolls are. A smaller hoagie roll won't need as much filling while a big roll will need more. I based this Buffalo chicken sandwich recipe on large hoagie rolls from the grocery store bakery.
- I prefer to use freshly grated mozzarella rather than the pre-shredded cheese in a bag. Those bagged cheeses don't melt quite as well because they are coated with a substance to prevent clumping.
- Don't like blue cheese? Feel free to leave it out! I love it, but I know it's not everyone's favorite. You could also substitute it with goat cheese or feta for a cheesy crumble if you prefer those.
Perfect Pairing
When it comes to Buffalo sauce, an American IPA is a traditional beer pairing. The hops accentuate the spice while the malt profile keeps the heat in check. Plus, that refreshing, bubbly finish is perfect with the richer elements of these spicy chicken subs.
More of a wine lover? Try a riesling, which offers a nice residual sweetness to balance the spice. You'll also love how the riesling's acidity cuts through the cheese and ranch dressing to keep your palate happy.
When you need a crowd-pleasing party sandwich, I hope you turn to these spicy Buffalo chicken subs. They're simple, quick and universally beloved.
Cheers!
Looking for More Party Sandwiches?
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📖 Recipe
Buffalo Chicken Sub
Equipment
- Baking pan
- Foil
Ingredients
- 1 cup Frank's RedHot Sauce
- 6 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella preferably freshly grated
- 4 hoagie rolls or French rolls split in the middle
- Blue cheese crumbles for topping
- Ranch dressing for topping
Instructions
- Turn the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the Frank's RedHot Sauce and 4 tablespoons butter together, reserving 2 tablespoons butter. Stir together to make one cohesive Buffalo sauce.
- Toss together the Buffalo sauce and chicken until well coated.
- Divide the chicken evenly to fill the hoagie or split French rolls and top with mozzarella. If your roll is completely split into two, top with the other half of the bread and place the subs in a baking pan. Cover the baking pan with foil.
- Bake until the subs are heated through and the cheese melts, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another three minutes to toast the bread.
- As the subs bake, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. When the subs finish baking, brush the bread with the melted butter. Enjoy!
Notes
- Keep in mind, the ingredient totals are a guide. It really comes down to how large your hoagie rolls are. A smaller hoagie roll won't need as much filling while a big roll will need more. I based this recipe on large hoagie rolls from the grocery store bakery.
- For the shredded chicken, a store-bought rotisserie chicken works perfectly.
- Don't like blue cheese? Feel free to leave it out! I love it, but I know it's not everyone's favorite. You could also substitute it with goat cheese or feta for a cheesy crumble if you prefer those.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Moop Brown says
This sandwich looks super tasty- I love the addition of the blue cheese. Thank you for sharing.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You're very welcome!
Julia says
No more Subway for us, this sub was so easy to make and so filling we had to save the rest for tomorrow! The buffalo chicken was the best protein to make for this.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
It's way better when you can make it at home!
Ksenia says
The combination of flavors here is just great - and I love the ease of serving it in a sub!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
It really does make entertaining so simple!
Annie says
This was so easy to make and delicious. I made it for a game night the other day, and everyone loved it.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Happy to hear it was a hit!
Veronika says
I just made this recipe and my hubby really loved it! It has lots of flavor and super easy to make!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Makes me happy to hear it was a hit!
Liz says
Love the idea of making chicken wings into a sandwich! Perfect for a game day meal!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Totally! Makes it super easy for entertaining!
Kathryn says
This may be my new favorite sandwich! I could eat this for both lunch and dinner and Franks Red Hot Sauce was perfect. I will continue to make this recipe whenever we're craving a hearty and delicious meal. Thank you Amanda!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You and me both! And thank you for sharing your experience, Kathryn!
Kayla DiMaggio says
This buffalo chicken sub was so delicious! Loved all the flavors together!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Aren't they all so good together?! So happy you loved it!
Sharon says
My stomach is growling just looking at these subs! These are going to be perfect for game day.
Allyssa says
Fam really loves it! Highly recommended! Tasted really amazing and super easy to make! Thanks a bunch for sharing this recipe, will have this again! Well done!
veenaazmanov says
This sub is a feast. Meaty, Cheesy and saucy. My kids would love this in their snack boxes or for a meal too.