Given the rate of chicken wing consumption in this country, clearly hot sauce-slathered chicken and blue cheese is a winning combination for most American palates. Problem is, the majority of take-out restaurants deliver wings with more fat than flavor, and now chains such as Chili's, Ruby Tuesday, and Buffalo Wild Wings are using the high-in-calorie combinations of sugar and sauce to fatten up their sandwiches, too. In this healthier buffalo chicken sandwich recipe, we stay true to the flavors people love by basting the chicken in hot sauce and butter after grilling, topping with a yogurt-based blue cheese sauce—but manage to do what no one else out there has done yet: make Buffalo chicken into a healthy meal. Try the same technique with grilled shrimp, and serve with or without the bread, depending on your preference.
Nutrition: 387 calories, 15 g fat (5 g saturated), 912 mg sodium
Serves 4
You'll Need
1⁄4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1⁄2 cup Greek-style yogurt
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
4 chicken breasts (6 oz each)
1⁄2 Tbsp chili powder
1 red onion, sliced
3 Tbsp favorite hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot works best here.)
2 Tbsp butter, melted in the microwave for 20 seconds
4 large romaine lettuce leaves
4 sesame buns, toasted
How to Make It
- Preheat a grill or grill pan. While it's heating, combine the blue cheese, yogurt, and lemon juice, plus a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Stir to combine, and set aside.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and the chili powder.
- Add the chicken to the hot grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes the first side, then flip.
- Add the onions to the perimeter of the grill (if using a grill pan, you'll need to wait until you remove the chicken to grill the onions).
- Cook the chicken until firm and springy to the touch, another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove, along with the grilled onions.
- Combine the hot sauce and butter and brush all over the chicken after removing from the grill.
- Place one large leaf of romaine on the base of each bun.
- Top with a chicken breast, the blue cheese sauce, grilled onions, and then the top half of the bun.
This recipe (and hundreds more!) came from one of our Cook This, Not That! books. For more easy cooking ideas, you can also buy the book!