Buffalo Chicken Burgers
Juicy, spicy, and packed with flavor, these Buffalo Chicken Burgers bring your favorite game-day wings straight to the grill. Whether you’re craving a spicy weeknight dinner or a crowd-pleasing weekend cookout dish, this recipe delivers big-time flavor with just a few simple ingredients.
This post may contain affiliate links.
Juicy, spicy, and packed with flavor, these Buffalo Chicken Burgers bring your favorite game-day wings straight to the grill. Whether you’re craving an easy weeknight dinner or a crowd-pleasing weekend cookout dish, this easy recipe delivers bold flavors with just a few simple ingredients. Ground chicken (or turkey), blue cheese crumbles, panko bread crumbs, and a hefty drizzle of Frank’s RedHot (or your favorite hot sauce) come together in a tender, zesty burger that’s anything but boring.
Jump to:
Heather’s Notes
- Bold Buffalo Flavor in Every Bite: These healthy chicken burgers capture everything you love about buffalo chicken wings: spicy, tangy, and addictive – without the mess. The hot sauce is mixed right into the patties for consistent heat and flavor.
- Super Simple Ingredients: With just ground chicken (or turkey), hot sauce, crumbled bleu cheese, and a few pantry staples, you can have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.
- A Leaner Burger Option: Using ground chicken or turkey makes this burger lighter than beef but still incredibly satisfying. It’s a high-protein option that doesn’t skimp on taste.
- Perfect for Grilling or Pan-Frying: Whether you’re cooking indoors or firing up the grill, this burger holds its shape and cooks up juicy every time.
- Endlessly Customizable: Love ranch instead of bleu cheese? Swap it out! Add crispy bacon, lettuce, or coleslaw for a next-level sandwich experience.
Ingredients for Buffalo Chicken Burgers
- 1 lb ground chicken or ground turkey – you can also grind or mince chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese
- 1/4 cup hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 egg
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for pan-frying)
- Your favorite hamburger bun – brioche buns are my fave
- Optional toppings: ranch or bleu cheese dressing, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles
TIP: lightly wet your hands with water or oil to form the patties so the mixture won’t stick to your hands.
The full printable recipe card with step-by-step instructions is below
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Burgers
- Prep the Patties: In a large bowl, combine ground chicken or turkey with crumbled bleu cheese, hot sauce, green onions (if using), celery seed, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix gently until just combined – don’t overwork the meat.
- Form the Burgers: Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and shape into patties about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. If the mixture feels sticky, dampen your hands with water or lightly oil them.
- Cook:
- Grill: Preheat your grill to medium high heat. Oil the grates to prevent sticking. Grill each chicken patty for 5–6 minutes per side, or until a meat thermometer registers and internal temperature of 165°F and you have good grill marks.
- Stovetop: Heat olive oil in a skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat. Cook burgers for 5–6 minutes per side, flipping once, until golden and cooked through.
- Assemble: Toast buns, then layer on the buffalo chicken burger, extra buffalo sauce or blue cheese dressing, and your favorite toppings.
- Serve Immediately: These are best served hot and juicy right off the grill or pan.
Tips for Storing
- Refrigerating Leftovers: Store cooked burger patties in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat or microwave until warmed through.
- Freezing Patties: Shape the raw mixture and place them between sheets of parchment paper. Transfer patties to a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking.
- Meal Prep Ready: Cooked patties can be made ahead and used throughout the week in wraps, salads, or grain bowls for a spicy protein boost.
- Keep Condiments Separate: If storing assembled burgers, keep sauces like ranch or hot sauce separate to prevent the buns from getting soggy.
FAQs
Absolutely! Ground turkey works just as well and offers a similar lean protein base. Just make sure you’re using turkey with at least 93% lean so the patties don’t dry out.
Bleu cheese is classic for buffalo flavor, but if it’s not your thing, you can substitute crumbled feta or skip it altogether. Ranch dressing or a slice of provolone can also mellow out the heat.
That depends on your hot sauce. Frank’s RedHot provides a nice tangy kick without overwhelming heat. If you’re a spice lover, go bolder with a hotter sauce or add a pinch of cayenne to the patty mix.
Avoid over mixing the meat, and be gentle when flipping the patties. If your mixture feels too loose, you can add 1–2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs to help bind it – but it’s usually not necessary.
Yes, use gluten-free breadcrumbs in place of the panko and serve them in lettuce wraps or on gluten-free burger buns.
More Recipes We Love
These spicy Buffalo Chicken Burgers are satisfying and a fantastic way to switch up your burger routine. Whether you’re grilling out with friends or throwing together a quick dinner, this recipe hits all the right notes – savory, tangy, and just the right amount of heat. Try them once and they’re guaranteed to become a new favorite meal.
Craving more burger and sandwich ideas? Explore more bold, flavor-packed recipes here.
Buffalo Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken, or turkey
- ⅓ cup bleu cheese crumbles
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs, or other breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp hot sauce, such as Frank's RedHot
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup chopped green onions, optional but adds great flavor
- ½ tsp celery seed
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- kosher salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil, for pan frying
- burger buns, of choice
Optional Toppings:
- ranch or bleu cheese dressing
- Lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles
Instructions
- In a medium bowl add the ground chicken, blue cheese crumbles, panko bread crumbs, hot sauce, egg, chopped green onions (if using), celery seed, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix to combine.
- Form the chicken patties by dividing into 4 equal portions and shape into patties about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. If the mixture is sticky, dampen your hands with water or oil.
- Grill: Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Oil the grates to prevent sticking. Grill the patties 5-6 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
- Stovetop: Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Cook burgers for 5-6 minutes per side, flipping once, until golden and cooked through.
- Toast your buns, then layer on the buffalo chicken burger, more hot sauce or bleu cheese dressing, and your favorite toppings. Serve immediately.
Save this Recipe!
Easily save this recipe to your own recipe collection box. Come back to it anytime you want!
Notes
Recipe Nutrition
* Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Recipe By:
Co-Founder at Spiceology | More About Heather…
Heather is a recipe developer and content creator living in Vancouver, Washington. She started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006, almost 20 years ago, as a way to share recipes with friends and family. Heather is also the co-founder of Spiceology , a unique spice company, which she started in 2013. She shares family friendly recipes for easy everyday meals with a gourmet twist.
I love Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches so I know I’d love these Buffalo Chicken Sliders! YUM!
Seriously can’t wait to make these – love the concept – and the fact that they aren’t off the charts calorie wise is a huge bonus!
These look amazing! I think I’d skip the bun before giving up the blue cheese, though 🙂
Looks yummy! I love Frank’s RedHot…in everything!
Mmmmhmmm, this looks fantastic. Can you PLEASE move to the Vineyard?! PLEASE! We can p90x together!!! Pleasssseee. I will do your laundry and dishes! And I will share my stuff with you (what stuff? all the stuff I got!) Come onnnn, Martha’s Vineyard is waiting for you!!!!! And so am I!
omg these are amazing!!!!
These look so good I might eat them even though I don’t eat chicken (because I love our pet ones too much). My husband says sliders are “nature’s perfect food” LOL.
My daughter is obsessed with all things hot sauce/buffalo wing. I love that she can have something she really enjoys without all the yuckiness. YUM
LOL, I don’t mind a heaping pile of lettuce, if it has the right toppings on it. Preferrably bacon! 😉 But the sliders look great too.
I love these…a bit lighter but still look full of flavor. We all need that!