Spicy Buffalo Chicken Burgers

These Buffalo Chicken Burgers have all the zesty flavor of your favorite hot wings! Paired with crispy red onions and creamy blue cheese, each bite has the perfect balance of flavors and textures. Make this spicy chicken burger recipe for game day food or a weeknight dinner.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Sandwiched between a soft pretzel roll with creamy blue cheese crumbles is a moist and flavorful chicken sausage patty with enough kick to make your taste buds stand at attention!

This buffalo chicken burger recipe is seriously simple to make, and because the patties are made with ground chicken, this meal is relatively inexpensive too.

Everything goes from grill to plate in just 15 minutes!

If you prefer ground beef, my Jalapeno Jack Burger is another fantastic spicy burger recipe to try. It has tons of seasoning and a delicious barbecue ranch sauce on top.

Or, capture the same buffalo chicken flavors in a pasta salad or cheesy dip! Either is a great option when you need to feed a crowd.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Spicy Chicken Sausage – This has more fat than regular ground chicken, which helps keep the burgers juicy and moist. Sausage also comes seasoned for extra flavor!
  
  I’ll usually just buy whole sausages and remove the casings, but see if your butcher counter has it in bulk to save a step.
  
• Buffalo Sauce – Frank’s is my top choice, but you can use any brand you’d like for this buffalo chicken burger recipe!
  
• Honey & Butter – Add these to the sauce to tone down the heat and create a smoother consistency for basting. The butter also helps the sauce stick to the patties instead of sliding right off.
  
• Blue Cheese – If you’re not a fan, Pepper Jack, cheddar, or Swiss cheese are great alternatives.
  
• Pretzel Buns – The firm, chewy texture and slightly sweet flavor perfectly balance the boldness of the sauce and cheese.
  
  Feel free to grab some from the store if you don’t want to make them from scratch, or swap in a different bun entirely.

Tips and Tricks to Make the Best Spicy Chicken Burger

• Use chilled meat.

It’s best to use meat straight out of the refrigerator, as cold ground chicken is easier to form into patties.

• Don’t overwork the meat mixture.

If you work the ground chicken too much or compact it too tightly, you’ll end up with a spicy chicken hamburger that is tough and dry.

• Make patties larger than the buns.

Gently form the chicken sausage into patties that are slightly larger than the bun size.
The meat will shrink as it cooks, resulting in buffalo chicken burgers that are just the right size.

Next, make a slight indentation in the center of the patties once they are formed. Do this by pressing lightly with your thumb or finger.

The center will rise as it cooks, so doing so prevents the patties from being domed or too round!

• Don’t press down on the burgers while cooking.

It may be tempting to press down on the chicken burgers with your spatula, but it doesn’t actually help them cook faster.

This just causes the juices to escape from the meat, another common reason for dry buffalo chicken burgers.

Prep Ahead

• Make pretzel buns (if using homemade)
• Remove sausage from casing
• Slice red onion
• Form patties

Tools You Will Need for This Recipe

• Outdoor or Countertop Grill
• Small Saucepan – To make the honey buffalo sauce you’ll brush over the patties.
• Whisk – These have held up for over 10 years and are still as good as the day I bought them.
• Basting Brush – I like this one over the silicone ones.
• Heat-Safe Spatula – Flip each patty with ease and transfer them safely from the grill to your plate.

Serving Suggestions

Pile buffalo chicken patties onto warm pretzel buns with sliced red onion, blue cheese crumbles, and plenty of sauce. I also add some celery sticks to my plate to help cool down the spice.

Serve these burgers up with potato chips or your favorite fries. A scoop of potato salad would also be a welcome addition to each plate.

I love this summer vegetable salad for backyard barbecues, and it’s so easy to toss baked potatoes and corn on the cob in the smoker too.

Buffalo Chicken Burger Recipe FAQ

Storing and Reheating Buffalo Chicken Patties

Once the patties are cool, place them in a sealed container and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

You may want to wrap each individually in plastic or foil so they retain more moisture, and thaw frozen patties in the fridge before reheating.

It’s best to reheat spicy chicken hamburger patties in the oven or toaster oven. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and cook for about 3 minutes at 400°F.

Or, place them in a skillet on the stove with a splash of water. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat until warmed through.

In a pinch, warm buffalo chicken patties in the microwave, but do so in bursts on lower power so they don’t dry out.

Enjoy!

With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.

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Originally published July 2012, updated and republished March 2025

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