Buffalo Chicken Smash Burger
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This Buffalo Chicken Smash Burger recipe is a must-try for all of the fans of buffalo sauce out there! It’s so easy to make in less than 15 minutes. It’s just a little spicy, full of flavor, and guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser!
Table of contents
To help launch my new eBook Buffalo Style: Ditch the Wings, Keep the Sauce, I wanted to share a new recipe with buffalo sauce. And with the current popularity of smash burgers, I decided to put a buffalo chicken spin on the dish!
The thing I love about smash burgers is that they’re easy to make in about 10 minutes. Since the burger patties are smashed so thin, they cook up super quickly. For this recipe, I combined ground chicken with my famous chicken wing seasoning. It’s the secret ingredient that adds so much flavor to these burgers!
The burgers are topped with pepper jack cheese for a little spice, and of course they’re finished off with a drizzle of buffalo sauce combined with blue cheese or ranch dressing.
You can also add any of your favorite burger toppings to this unique and delicious chicken smash burger recipe! It’s perfect for easy weeknight dinners, or a great meal to enjoy while watching the game.
Ingredients
- Ground chicken – generally found with the other cuts of chicken at the grocery store on the meat aisle. Most ground chicken found packaged at the grocery store will be 96% lean chicken with 4% fat. This will give you just enough fat so the burgers don’t dry out.
- Chicken wing seasoning – the SECRET INGREDIENT that makes this better than any other chicken smash burger you’ve ever had! Click the link above to whip up this simple 6 ingredient seasoning mix that adds so much flavor to these burgers. The combination of chili powder, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper is perfect for this recipe!
- Blue cheese dressing – ranch dressing can also be used instead, if that’s your preference.
- Buffalo sauce – I like to use Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce, but feel free to use your favorite brand of buffalo sauce.
- Vegetable oil
- Hamburger buns – I love the flavor and texture of brioche buns, but feel free to use any type of hamburger buns.
- Pepper jack cheese – I like to melt a little extra spice over these burgers with slices of pepper jack cheese, but you can also use sliced sharp cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, or blue cheese crumbles, if you prefer.
- Sliced jalapenos + sliced red onion + shredded lettuce – optional toppings that pair perfectly with this buffalo chicken smash burger recipe.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Make the sauce. Combine buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing (or ranch dressing) in a small bowl. Set it aside.
- Portion out the chicken patties. In a large bowl, combine ground chicken with chicken wing seasoning. Portion the seasoned chicken into 8 two-ounce balls of meat. (I recommend using a kitchen scale to get the precise measurement.)
- Prepare the buns. These burgers cook quickly because they’re so thin, so I always recommend toasting the buns first and assembling the toppings on the bun before cooking the burgers. To do this, heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon oil to the griddle and place the buns face-down on the griddle. Toast the buns for approximately 1 minute, or until browned around the edges.
- Add the toppings. Spread the creamy buffalo sauce on the bottom half of each bun, top with shredded lettuce, thinly sliced onions and sliced jalapenos (or your favorite burger toppings). Set aside and prepare the burgers.
- Add the balls of ground chicken to a griddle. Heat a griddle to high heat. Place each of the balls of ground chicken on the hot griddle. Place a small piece of parchment paper on each ball of chicken. Use the back of a large flat spatula to smash the ground chicken into flattened burger patties. Cook for 1 minute on the first side.
- Add the cheese. Flip the burgers and place a piece of cheese on half of the burger patties. Cook for 1 minute on the second side. Place the other burger patties, not topped with cheese, on top of the cheese-topped burger patties. Cook for 30 seconds, then remove the burgers from the griddle and place them on the prepared buns. Serve immediately.
Optional toppings
Make this buffalo chicken smash burger your own by mixing up the toppings! You can add traditional burger toppings, or any veggies that pair well with buffalo chicken. Here are a few ideas to get you started!
- Caramelized onions – swap out the raw onions for sweet, buttery caramelized onions.
- Pickled onions – a tangy pairing that goes great with the buffalo sauce!
- Shredded carrots
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Sliced tomatoes
- Sliced avocado
- Spinach – replace the shredded lettuce with leaves of fresh spinach.
- Bacon – add a salty crunch to these burgers by using my oven-baked bacon recipe to cook up some crispy bacon and add it the burgers.
You can also ditch the blue cheese or ranch dressing, and simply use buffalo sauce on the burgers, if you’d like.
Recipe tips
- Always prep the buns and toppings before cooking the burgers. These burgers literally cook in 2 minutes, so you want to make sure the buns are toasted and topped with sauce, veggies or whatever toppings you’re adding to the burgers, before actually cooking the burgers.
- To make this chicken burger recipe “protein style”, ditch the bun and replace it with two large leaves of iceberg lettuce. This is also a great option to make the burger gluten-free and low carb.
- Always make sure the griddle is hot before adding the burgers. Adding burgers (or any food for that matter) to a hot surface is important for cooking safety. It will also give you a beautiful sear on the outside, while keeping the burgers super juicy on the inside. Smash burgers should be cooked over high heat, between 400-450 degrees fahrenheit.
- If you don’t have a griddle, you can make the burgers in a skillet. Depending on the size of your skillet, you’ll probably only be able to fit 2, or maybe 4, burger patties in the skillet at a time. I recommend a large cast iron skillet, or cast iron griddle pan if you have one available. A cast iron skillet can be used on the stove, or on a grill, to make these burgers.
What to serve with them
Burgers and fries are a match made in heaven, but these buffalo chicken smash burgers also pair well with my delicious side dish recipes with buffalo sauce. Try any of these recipes for the perfect pairing!
More buffalo chicken recipes
Check out these other popular buffalo chicken recipes, and don’t miss over 65 delicious recipes with buffalo sauce.
Also, be sure to check out my eBook Buffalo Style for even more recipes with buffalo sauce, never before seen on the blog!
Buffalo Chicken Smash Burger
Ingredients
- ¼ cup blue cheese dressing, or ranch dressing
- ¼ cup buffalo sauce
- 1 pound ground chicken, measured out into 8 – 2 ounce balls
- 1 tablespoon chicken wing seasoning, click link for the recipe
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
- 4 hamburger buns
- 4 slices pepper jack cheese
Optional Toppings
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the blue cheese dressing and buffalo sauce. Set it aside.
- Combine the ground chicken and chicken wing seasoning, then measure out the seasoned chicken into eight 2 ounce balls of meat.
- Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil to the griddle and place the buns face-down on the griddle.
- Toast the hamburger buns for approximately 1 minute, or until browned around the edges.
- Remove the buns from the griddle, spread the buffalo blue cheese sauce on the bottom bun and top with sliced jalapenos, onions and shredded lettuce. Set aside.
- Turn the heat on the griddle up to high.
- Place each of the balls of seasoned chicken on the hot griddle. Place a piece of parchment paper on each ball of chicken, then use the back of a large spatula to smash the ground chicken into flattened burger patties. Cook for 1 minute.
- Flip the burgers and place a piece of cheese on half of the burger patties. Cook for 1 minute.
- Place the other burger patties, not topped with cheese, on top of the cheese-topped burger patties.
- Cook for 30 seconds, then remove the burgers from the griddle and place them on the prepared buns.
Notes
- To make this chicken burger recipe “protein style”, ditch the bun and replace it with two large leaves of iceberg lettuce. This is also a great option to make the burger gluten-free and low carb.
- If you don’t have a griddle, you can make the burgers in a skillet. Depending on the size of your skillet, you’ll probably only be able to fit 2, or maybe 4, burger patties in the skillet at a time. I recommend a large cast iron skillet, or cast iron griddle pan if you have one available. A cast iron skillet can be used on the stove, or on a grill, to make these burgers.
Nutrition Facts
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