Another Game Day Fave: Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Two words: Buffalo Chicken

I will eat buffalo chicken in just about any form: wings, dip, strips...

Because a restaurant buffalo chicken sandwich tends to be heavy and a bit on the greasy albeit delicious side, sometimes it's nice to be able to satisfy your buffalo chicken craving at home with a slightly (yes, just slightly) lighter version.

My husband says this one is a winner- see if you agree!

You'll need:

1-2 chicken breasts (I used one large breast, and it made a whopping three sandwiches!)

1 cup flour

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

kosher salt

pepper

vegetable oil

Franks buffalo sauce

Ranch or bleu cheese dressing (try making your own if you want to get crazy!)

sliced red onion (or sweet onion, if the red is too much)

shredded lettuce

1 good loaf of french bread (my recipe coming soon!)

Here's my sweet Catfish, getting down to business!

First, use the flat side of a mallet to pound out your chicken. 

I love, love, love using a plastic bag for this. It reduces contamination and makes cleanup crazy fast!

Flip it, pound it out until it's about 1/2 -1/4 inch in thickness.

Make faces like the goober you are. 

Cut your chicken breast into servings. 

Give each side a good sprinkle of Kosher salt.

Don't forget the pepper!

To get a super crispy and not-at-all-heavy fried chicken, I use a three part method.

I prep by putting my flour in one bowl, my eggs and milk in another bowl (beaten), and my Panko in a third bowl.

Dredge the chicken in the flour, making sure to coat both sides.

Dip the chicken in the egg mixture.

Finally, coat the chicken in Panko.

In a large pan, pour about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil and heat until the oil is about 350 degrees. 

I don't use a thermometer here, I just test the oil by putting in a small blob of leftover Panko egg mixture. When it bubbles immediately and begins to brown, I put my chicken in the pan.

Make sure you don't crowd your pan, otherwise you will end up with mushy, steamed chicken.

Yuck.

My rule of thumb is to make sure there's at least a half inch of oil between the pieces. I also adjust the heat up or down based on how quickly my chicken is browning. I cook it for a few minutes per side (about 3-4) then remove it to a plate lined with paper towels.

Next, the Catfish poured the buffalo sauce over the chicken and shook the bowl like a little madwoman.

We topped our sandwiches with ranch, red onion and lettuce (plus a heaping spoonful of Gorgonzola for me!).

We assembled the sandwiches on hearty french bread and gobbled them right up!

Add a mug of your favorite beer, and you're set!

To lighten this recipe, try baking your chicken, skipping the Gorgonzola and using either a low-fat or fat free dressing. You can easily make this into a salad if you're watching your carbs or gluten intake.

However you adjust it, this is almost certainly the perfect meal for the big game!