Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Servings4 Burgers
Buffalo chicken burgers take everything you love about game day wings and turn it into a juicy, grillable patty. Ground chicken, sharp blue cheese crumbles, and a generous pour of hot sauce come together in a burger that is spicy, tangy, and ready in about 30 minutes, making it an easy addition to your weeknight dinner rotation.
This recipe uses just a handful of pantry staples and comes together whether you cook it on the grill or in a skillet on the stovetop. If you love a good burger night, these pair well with Pretzel Burger Buns or my easy Homemade Burger Buns and a batch of Pickled Red Onions for extra crunch and tang.
In This Post
Why This Works
Ground chicken is naturally lean, which means it can dry out fast if you are not careful. Mixing the hot sauce directly into the meat does double duty here: it seasons the patty all the way through instead of just coating the outside, and the acidity helps keep the chicken tender as it cooks. The blue cheese crumbles melt slightly into the patty as it cooks, adding pockets of tangy, salty flavor in every bite instead of sitting on top as an afterthought.
The egg and panko work together as a binder, so the patties hold their shape on the grill without turning tough or rubbery, a common problem with lean ground poultry burgers.
Heather’s Recipe Notes
Drawing from 20 years of recipe development and my time co-founding a spice company, here’s what makes this recipe worth making exactly as written.
- Mix gently, not thoroughly. Overworking the meat mixture is the number one reason chicken burgers turn dense. Combine everything just until it holds together.
- Wet your hands before shaping. Ground chicken is sticky. A little water or oil on your palms makes forming even patties much easier.
- Pick a hot sauce you actually like the taste of. Since it is mixed into the meat, the flavor comes through clearly. As the co-founder of Spiceology, I always tell people the sauce or seasoning you build a recipe around should be one you would happily eat on its own.
- Dimple the center of each patty. A slight thumbprint indent in the middle keeps the burgers from puffing into a dome as they cook.
- Let the patties rest for a minute after cooking. This keeps the juices in the burger instead of on your cutting board.
The Maillard Reaction
That deep golden crust you get on a well-cooked burger patty is not just about heat, it is a chemical process called the Maillard reaction. When proteins and sugars in the ground chicken hit a hot grill grate or skillet, they break down and recombine into hundreds of new flavor compounds, creating that browned, savory crust you cannot get from steaming or boiling alone.
To get the best Maillard browning on these burgers, make sure your grill or skillet is properly preheated before the patties go on, and resist the urge to move them around. Letting the patty sit undisturbed for the first few minutes on each side gives it time to form that flavorful crust before you flip.
Ingredients in Chicken Burgers
- Ground chicken or ground turkey – you can also grind or mince chicken breasts
- Crumbled bleu cheese – use a good quality bleu cheese for the best flavor and texture
- Hot sauce – such as Frank’s RedHot
- Celery seed – adds celery flavor without the crunchy veggie texture
- Garlic powder – or fresh minced garlic
- Onion powder – adds a nice hint of umami
- Large egg – binds the meat and ingredients together
- Salt and black pepper – to taste
- Olive oil – if you’re pan-frying, otherwise omit if you’re grilling
- 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
Subs & Variations
- Swap the protein. Ground turkey works as a direct substitute for ground chicken with no other changes needed.
- Skip the blue cheese. Crumbled feta or a slice of provolone are great substitutes if blue cheese is not your thing.
- Turn up the heat. Add a pinch of cayenne to the patty mixture or use a hotter sauce if you like a bigger kick.
- Make it gluten-free. Use gluten-free breadcrumbs in place of panko and serve on a gluten-free bun or in a lettuce wrap.
- Add crunch and creaminess. Top with coleslaw, sliced celery, or extra ranch dressing for texture on top of the patty.
Tips for Storing
- Refrigerate cooked patties in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave until warmed through.
- Freeze raw patties between sheets of parchment paper in a zip-top bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking.
- Meal prep ahead. Cooked patties reheat well and are great chopped into wraps, salads, or grain bowls throughout the week.
- Keep sauces separate. If storing assembled burgers, keep condiments like ranch or hot sauce on the side so the buns do not get soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Ground turkey works just as well and offers a similar lean protein base. Use turkey that is at least 93% lean so the patties do not dry out.
Blue cheese is classic for buffalo flavor, but you can substitute crumbled feta or skip it altogether. Ranch dressing or a slice of provolone will also mellow out the heat.
That depends on your hot sauce. Frank’s RedHot provides a tangy kick without overwhelming heat. For more spice, use a hotter sauce or add a pinch of cayenne to the patty mixture.
Avoid over mixing the meat, and be gentle when flipping the patties. If your mixture feels too loose, you can add 1 to 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 in lettuce wraps or on gluten-free burger buns.
Yes. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, oil the grates, and cook the patties for 5 to 6 minutes per side until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
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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.
Outdoor Grill or Stovetop Instructions
- 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.
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Notes
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Did you try this recipe?
Please Leave a Review & Star Rating!This buffalo chicken burger recipe was originally published on June 17th, 2025. It has recently been updated with new photography, tips, and storing instructions.
Hi! I’m Heather
I’m Heather, a recipe developer and content creator based in Vancouver, Washington. I started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006 because I believed weeknight dinners shouldn’t be boring and gourmet shouldn’t mean complicated. I’m also the co-founder of Spiceology, so safe to say I think about food for a living. Stick around for recipes that actually make it into your regular rotation.
This recipe is lightning fast and packed with flavor.
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!