Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Dan and I were craving the buffalo chicken sandwiches that we used to eat at Crane Alley in Urbana just about weekly. Mmmmmm.... But on a budget, in Albuquerque, and with strange dietary restrictions it seemed best to give it a go and make our own. So I found this recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Buffalo-Chicken-Strips-with-Celery-and-Watercress-Slaw-237297 ... I didn't bother with the sauce or slaw, nor did I make the chicken into strips:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonaise
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
• 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 1/4 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• Hamburger buns
• Condiments/fixings: Fresh spinach leaves and thinly sliced cucumber

Preparation
Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise and hot sauce in bowl. Sprinkle chicken with salt. Coat each side with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise-hot sauce mixture, then 2 tablespoons panko. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté chicken until cooked through, about 7 minutes per side.

I placed each chicken breast (actually, they were filleted, so half breasts), on buns with mayo, fresh spinach leaves and thinly sliced cucumbers. I had mine with bottled Blue Cheese dressing, Dan had his with Ranch and extra hot sauce. We also had celery, carrot, and cucumber sticks on the side.

The Verdict: A Keeper
This recipe was great. I followed a reviewer's advice and touched the chicken as little as possible. My process involved covering only one side of each chicken breast with mayo/panko at a time, and then placing it coating-down in the pan. After it was in the pan, I put the remaining mayo/panko on the other side and found that by doing this the coating didn't get messy and everything seemed to stay exactly where it was supposed to.

Dan and I both agree, to have the 'real' buffalo chicken flavor, you really need more hot sauce. We used Louisiana Red Dot Roasted Pepper flavor hot sauce (what we had in the pantry), and it just didn't seem hot enough. It was almost as if the mayo neutralized the hotness. I will probably double the sauce next time. But make no mistake, there will definitely be a next time. It turned out great!

Also, a quick note: This wouldn't have worked without the nonstick skillet. Oil would have soaked into the panko had I used a regular pan, so the nonstick skillet is key to this recipe.