Baked Buffalo Chicken Thighs

Boneless and skinless Buffalo Chicken Thighs are seasoned in a homemade seasoning blend, and smothered in buffalo sauce and melted butter. This 30-minute dinner recipe is the perfect alternative when you're craving buffalo chicken wings!

Chicken thighs are the dark meat from the upper part of the chicken leg. They contain more fat than white meat, making chicken thighs more tender, juicy, and flavorful!

Chicken thighs are served weekly at my house because they can be cooked in a variety of ways. I regularly serve my Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs, Dijon Chicken Thighs, Boiled Chicken Thighs, Sheet Pan Chicken with Peppers and Onions, blackened chicken thighs, and my easy, Baked Buffalo Chicken Thighs.

This recipe only requires about 5 minutes of prep time, 25 minutes of cooking time, and 4 main ingredients. Serve baked buffalo chicken with blue cheese dressing and a crunchy, marinated vegetable salad!

Why you'll love this recipe

• This buffalo chicken recipe contains so much flavor! The homemade dry rub, combined with the buffalo sauce, melted butter, and honey gives the chicken thighs the perfect sweet, savory, and spicy flavor combo.
• This recipe is low-carb, high in protein, gluten-free, and lower in fat because we're using skinless chicken thighs.
• You can easily scale this recipe up which makes it perfect for meal prep or for feeding a crowd.
• If you're craving buffalo chicken wings but don't want to spend the money on takeout, not only will Buffalo Chicken Thighs totally satisfy that craving, but they'll also fill you up more than chicken wings will!

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs: This recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken thighs. I would not substitute bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs. Bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs have different cooking times and also produce a lot of oil during the cooking process.
• Buffalo sauce: I recommend buying bottled buffalo sauce for this recipe because it's convenient and saves time. I like Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce.
• Butter: Adding butter to the buffalo sauce will cut down on the heat a little, add some silky smooth richness, and give the sauce a restaurant-quality flavor!
• Honey: Adding honey to the buffalo sauce also helps to cut down on the heat and balances out the savory flavors in the sauce with some sweet flavor.
• Seasoning blend: Before smothering the chicken thighs in buffalo sauce, you'll rub a combination of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried oregano on the outside of the thighs.

How to make Buffalo Chicken Thighs

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Remove the chicken thighs from the packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the buffalo sauce and the honey. Whisk until smooth.

Step 2: In a small bowl, mix the kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried oregano.

Lay the chicken thighs out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Rub the seasoning blend into both sides of the chicken thighs.

Step 3: Pour half of the buffalo sauce over top of the chicken thighs. Transfer the chicken thighs to your preheated oven. Bake the buffalo chicken thighs for 15 minutes.

Reserve the other half of the buffalo sauce.

Step 4: After 15 minutes, remove the chicken thighs from the oven and pour the remaining half of the buffalo sauce over top of the thighs.

Return the chicken thighs to the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Step 5: After the chicken thighs have been baked for a total of 25 minutes, check the internal temperature using a digital meat thermometer. Chicken is done cooking when it has reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F.

If the chicken has reached at least 165°F, return the chicken to the oven, turn your oven broiler on to high, and broil the chicken for 2-3 minutes.

Broiling will turn the tops of the chicken thighs crispy and golden brown. Crisping up the tops is key to adding flavor and texture to this recipe!

Step 6: Remove the chicken thighs from the oven, and let them rest for 10 minutes before slicing. I like to serve my Buffalo Chicken blue cheese dressing and extra crumbly blue cheese.

Substitutions and variations

• Add more heat: I try to make all of my recipes kid-friendly, which is why I try to cut the heat in the buffalo sauce. If you love the heat, then add some cayenne pepper to the recipe or use Frank's Redhot Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce.
• Seasoning blend: If you don't have all of the herbs and spices for the seasoning blend, don't worry about it! Use what you have and add in any other herbs or spices that sound good to you. A simple salt and pepper combo always work too!
• Chicken thighs: You cannot substitute bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for boneless and skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. The cooking time would change and skin-on chicken thighs produce a lot of fat when they're cooking. This could change the flavors in this recipe.

Serving suggestions for Buffalo Chicken Thighs

You can serve Buffalo Chicken Thighs with just about any side dish! In addition to blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, and celery sticks, I would serve this recipe with any of my side dishes listed below.

• Vegetable sides: Sauteed Kale and Mushrooms, Roasted Green Beans and Carrots, Air Fryer Zucchini and Squash, and Blackened Corn.
• Starch sides: Garlic Basmati Rice, Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts, and Redskin Mashed Potatoes.

How to store and reheat

• How to store: Store leftover chicken thighs in a glass, airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• How to reheat: Reheat leftover chicken thighs in the microwave, oven, or on the stove. Reheat in the microwave for 1 minute at a time, until desired warmth is achieved. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat in an oiled skillet. Reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.
• You can also repurpose leftovers into buffalo chicken baked potatoes.

Frequently asked questions

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