Buffalo Chicken Panini

Buffalo Chicken Panini
Here’s a way to serve Buffalo chicken for the big game, panini-style! Simmered in wing sauce, the chicken has all the spicy and tangy flavors you love nestled with creamy melted blue cheese and sweet caramelized onions. All of this great taste is folded up inside a pita bread, grilled nice and toasty.

[print_this]

Buffalo Chicken Panini

4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into 1/2″ strips
12-oz. bottle of Buffalo wing sauce (i.e., Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce)
1 tablespoon butter
1 large red onion, sliced into thin rings
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
4-6″ pita breads
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled

DIRECTIONS:

Add chicken and Buffalo wing sauce to a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through well.

While the chicken is simmering, heat butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Saute onions for 13 minutes until soft. Stir in sugar and saute for another 10 minutes or until onions are caramelized. Set aside.

Heat the panini grill to 350°F. (No panini grill? See “Oven Directions” below.)

Assemble and grill each sandwich one at a time to ensure the pita breads do not break. Microwave a pita on high for 15 seconds (it should be malleable enough to fold without breaking; if not, microwave for a few more seconds). Lay the pita flat on a clean work surface. Place 1/4 of the caramelized onions on half of the pita. Add chicken on top of the onions with a slotted spoon, draining most of the sauce through the spoon. Top the chicken with about 2 tablespoons of the blue cheese.

Carefully fold the pita over the filling and transfer it to the panini press. Grill for 5 minutes until cheese is melted and pita is toasted. Serve hot.

Oven directions: Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 350°F. Fill and fold panini according to directions above. Place folded panini onto a baking sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes until the cheese is melted the pita is toasted.

[/print_this]

Welcome

KathyPanini Happy, online since 2008, is more than just a sandwich blog. Here, you'll find hundreds of my original panini recipes, my guide to choosing a panini press and a whole lot of other creative uses for the panini press.
~ Kathy Strahs
>> About Me

All-Time Reader Favorites!

Panini 101

Recent Posts

Archives

Permission Policy

All recipes, text and photographs on this site are the original creations and property of Panini Happy. Do not post or publish anything from this site without full credit and a direct link to the original post. with any requests or questions.

Browse Panini

Leave a Comment

12 Comments

  1. bobby wrote:

    Yummy! I wish I had a few of these when I was watching the superbowl. I love buffalo chicken.

    Posted 6.16.08 Reply
  2. HoneyB wrote:

    Hey Kathy! I made these tonight and they were delish! I will be blogging about them soon! You will definitely be getting the credit! 🙂

    Posted 7.31.08 Reply
  3. alishajoy wrote:

    I asked for a panini grill for Christmas and Santa delivered!! This was the first recipe I tried and my husband LOVED it! He loves blue cheese and he loves buffalo chicken. Thank you so much for the recipe. I am super excited to try more!!

    Posted 12.29.08 Reply
  4. Donalyn wrote:

    That looks fantastic – I love that flavor profile!

    Posted 1.22.09 Reply
  5. Jenny wrote:

    Oh my, this sandwich looks heavenly!! Great pics and recipe!!

    Posted 1.22.09 Reply
  6. Kristi wrote:

    I actually just made this and it was delicious! I made it on hamburger buns instead of a pita – still panini style and everything. My husband and I both loved it.
    .-= Kristi´s last blog ..Authentic Happiness =-.

    Posted 3.30.10 Reply
    • Kathy wrote:

      Great! So glad you guys liked it 🙂

      Posted 3.30.10 Reply
  7. I love buffalo chicken sandwiches. I will definitely be trying this one. Congrats on your pillsbury feature!!!

    Posted 6.10.10 Reply
  8. Dan wrote:

    My wife and I made these and added some nice chunky blue cheese dressing into the mix along with the crumbles. It made it a lot messier…but you can’t go wrong with more bleu cheese!

    Posted 7.10.10 Reply
    • Kathy wrote:

      I agree – bring on the bleu! 🙂

      Posted 7.10.10 Reply
  9. I can’t wait to try this recipe. My husband is excited about watching all the games this weekend. He loves hot wings. So, I am going to surprise him with this Panini 🙂

    Posted 11.23.11 Reply