These ground Buffalo chicken burgers are made with tangy Buffalo sauce and overflowing with crumbly blue cheese. They're juicy and bold with flavor. Here is the recipe.
It's burger time in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, my friends! But not just any burgers. Today we're making Buffalo Chicken Burgers, and they're fantastic!
We're taking our favorite flavors of Buffalo Chicken and Buffalo Sauce and turning them into burger form, and they're perfect for tossing onto the grill. I absolutely love Buffalo chicken, and I love these just as much. We're using ground chicken for chicken burgers that are moist and juicy and huge on flavor, the best chicken burgers you can get. Hands down.
I like to make larger batches of these Buffalo chicken burgers so I can freeze some. They're great for quick meals during the week, and they're very satisfying.
Bust out the blue cheese for these, my friends. Blue cheese is so good. Not everyone loves it. It's a powerful cheese and it can easily overtake the other flavors in a dish, but it stands up nicely to the tangy flavors of Buffalo sauce and the lovely spiciness of the peppers.
Let's talk about how we make these awesome Buffalo chicken burgers, shall we?
Buffalo Chicken Burgers Ingredients
- Oil. 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, one for cooking down the veg, one for cooking up the ground chicken burgers.
- The Veg. I'm using 2 jalapeno peppers, 1 small onion and 3 cloves garlic. You can core out or skip the jalapeno peppers to cut back on the heat factor, or go hotter with serrano peppers or even habanero peppers. Spice it up!
- Ground Chicken. Use 1 pound ground chicken to make 4 good sized chicken burger patties.
- Panko. Use ¼ cup panko or more as needed as a binder. You can also use breadcrumbs or crumbled toasted bread. Some brands of ground chicken can have a lot of moisture, so you may need a bit more. Or, drain the ground chicken to dry it out a bit.
- Buffalo Sauce. Use ¼ cup of your favorite Buffalo wing sauce, like Frank's Red Hot or another – add more if you want more of the Buffalo sauce flavor. Use my Homemade Buffalo Sauce Recipe. Make your own!
- Blue Cheese. I use 3-4 ounces crumbled blue cheese, though you can add more if you want yours cheesier.
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Serving. Melted butter to brush onto the burgers at the end, if desired, plus extra Buffalo Sauce and extra blue cheese crumbles. - Burger Buns. For serving up the Buffalo chicken burgers! You can also serve them on their own, bunless.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Burgers - the Recipe Method
Cook the Peppers, Onion and Garlic. First, heat a pan to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add jalapeno peppers and onion and cook about 5 minutes to soften. Next, add garlic and cook about a minute, stirring.
Add the mixture to a mixing bowl and cool. You can skip this step and use them raw, but cooking them brings in a lot of extra flavor.
Make the Chicken Burger Patties. Add ground chicken, panko, Buffalo sauce and most of the crumbled blue cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Hand mix. Do not overmix or the burgers will become mealy. Form the mixture into 4 burger patties.
Cook the Chicken Burgers. Heat the pan again to medium and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook the burgers about 5 minutes per side, or until they are cooked through. They should register 165 degrees F internal temperature when measured with a meat thermometer.
Finish and Serve. Last, lightly brush with butter then serve on buns with extra blue cheese crumbles and Buffalo sauce. We added in some crisp lettuce and tomato slices. Yum! Try it out with a good blue cheese dressing!
Such a great recipe. I love it. It's like chicken wings as a burger.
Boom! Done! They look fabulous, don't they? Get yourself a nice sear on them and top them with a brush of melted butter and some additional blue cheese crumbles. NOM NOM NOM. And extra hot sauce for me, please!
We chowed these down. The recipe makes 4 good-sized patties, or make yourself a huge double Buffalo chicken burger! Whoa! We had 2 for lunch and froze the other 2 for a later time, and they were just as good.
The combination is a classic one. Buffalo sauce and blue cheese. You season up the ground chicken with cooked vegetables - don't forget the chili peppers! - and round it out with sauce, blue cheese and a bit of panko to bind it up just enough.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Panko. Don't overdo the panko. You may need a bit more if your ground turkey is too wet, but adding too much panko or bread crumbs could result in mealy burgers.
- Extra Seasonings. If you want extra spices, toss in some chili powders or a nice Cajun blend of ingredients. Taco seasonings work nicely, too, as does extra garlic powder. You'll get plenty of spice factor from the Buffalo sauce, though.
- Extra Cheese. If you're looking for an even cheesier version, add a slice or two of melty cheese toward the end, like cheddar cheese or pepperjack.
- Cooking Method. You can sear and cook them over the stove or on the grill. Whatever works best for you!
- Chicken Breasts. Try this recipe using chicken breasts instead. Just season and sear the chicken breasts, then serve them on buns with Buffalo sauce and blue cheese crumbles. Very tasty!
- Side Dish Ideas. Serve these with a side of celery sticks for a true chicken wings experience. Or bust up the chips and fries!
Storage & Leftovers
Storing your Buffalo Chicken Burgers in an airtight container in the fridge may allow you to store the leftovers for up to 3-4 days. To maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate them promptly.
Try Some of My Other Popular Burger Recipes
- Grilled Steakhouse BBQ Burgers
- Turkey-Chorizo Burgers with Creamy Guacamole
- Jerk Turkey Burgers with Jalapeno-Mango Guacamole
- Smashburgers with Charred Serrano-Blue Cheese Butter
- TNT Pork Burgers with Ghost Pepper-Mustard Aoili
- Check Out All of My Burger Recipes
Try Some of My Popular Buffalo Recipe
If you make this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! -- Mike H.
Buffalo Chicken Burgers Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 jalapeno peppers chopped
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ¼ cup panko or more as needed
- ¼ cup Buffalo sauce – add more if you want more of the Buffalo sauce flavor
- 3-4 ounces crumbled blue cheese – add more if you want yours cheesier
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Melted butter for serving if desired
- 4 Buns for serving
Instructions
- First, heat a pan to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add jalapeno peppers and onion and cook about 5 minutes to soften.
- Next, add garlic and cook about a minute, stirring.
- Add the mixture to a mixing bowl and cool.
- Add ground chicken, panko, Buffalo sauce and most of the crumbled blue cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Hand mix. Do not overmix or the burgers will become mealy.
- Next, form the mixture into 4 burger patties.
- Heat the pan again to medium and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook the burgers about 5 minutes per side, or until they are cooked through. They should register 165 degrees F internally when measured with a meat thermometer.
- Last, lightly brush with butter then serve on buns with extra blue cheese crumbles and Buffalo sauce. We added in some crisp lettuce and tomato slices. Yum!
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 6/17/20 to include new information and photos. It was originally published on 2/29/16.
KateM says
I adore your recipes and have tried many....all great!
I have a question on your use of olive oil vs avocado oil over high heat. I'm not an expert, but I use avocado oil because the smoke point of avocado oil is higher than 482°F (250°C), while olive oil can smoke and burn at 375°F (191°C) ( 25 , 26 ). It has really made the flavors of what I'm grilling, sautéing, etc better.
Can't wait to try your Carne Asada....just bought my skirt steak!
Mike Hultquist says
Go for it, Kate. I appreciate it. I usually use an olive oil blend without issue.
Lois says
This is my favorite buffalo chicken burger recipe. Just works perfectly. Family loves these and they're easy to make. They're in the rotation!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent! Thanks, Lois! Glad your family enjoyed them!
Jeremie says
Since you published it, I had this recipe in my sights. But Gosh... I was not prepared to be so overwhelmed by flavors it provided.
Made my own buffalo sauce (with homemade peri peri sauce). Not fond of tomatoes in burgers, but it was just great.
Not just great, this was soooo good, hot and tasty with that kinky blue cheese.
For this one, I used three recipes of yours: peri peri sauce, buffalo sauce, and of course this one: I never have been disappointed with a single recipe, here, and I discovered so much. I'm always looking forward to the next recipe: your site is the best, the best for chilipepperheads! Thank you very much, sir!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much, Jeremie! Super happy you enjoyed them. I need to make myself another batch soon!
Simon says
Really awesome blog you have here! I like every part of it! From the growing peppers information to the recipes! I'll come back to read more about it here!