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    Home » Recipes » Main Dish

    Buffalo Chicken Thighs

    Published: Oct 29, 2021 · Modified: Apr 19, 2023 by Kelsey Smith

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    Buffalo chicken thighs are made with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, baked for crispy skin then covered in homemade wing sauce.

    Buffalo chicken thighs are a meatier take on traditional Buffalo chicken wings. These bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are baked until the skin is crisp then covered in homemade buffalo sauce made from cayenne pepper hot sauce and butter. They are low-carb and full of flavor.

    These thighs pair well with carrot and celery sticks, as well as a healthy serving of homemade avocado lime ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Buffalo chicken thigh with a drizzle of ranch

    Recipe Highlights

    • Game day recipe: Perfect for a hearty game day meal.
    • Crispy buffalo chicken thighs: Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are baked with baking powder just like chicken wings for crispy skin.
    • Low carb: This is an easy low-carb chicken thigh recipe.
    Jump to:
    • Recipe Highlights
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Pairings
    • Substitutions
    • How to make buffalo sauce mild
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • FAQ
    • More Buffalo
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Food safety tips
    • More low carb
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients

    Most of these ingredients you will likely have on hand.

    Buffalo chicken thigh ingredients
    • bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
    • baking powder
    • salt
    • ground black pepper
    • olive oil
    • butter
    • Frank's RedHot Original hot sauce (see Substitution notes below)
    • Worcestershire sauce
    • garlic powder

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Preheat the oven to 425°F (220ºC). Pat the chicken dry and place in a zipper plastic bag with the baking powder, salt, and black pepper. Close and shake the bag to evenly coat the chicken.

    Raw bone in skin on chicken thighs covered in seasoning in a gallon size bag.

    Place chicken thighs on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
    Bake for 35–40 minutes or until chicken is cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F. The crispy chicken thighs will be a light golden brown.

    Four raw bone in skin on chicken thighs covered in seasoning and olive oil on a parchment lined baking sheet.

    Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat. Once melted, whisk in the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder into the melted butter until combined.

    Buffalo sauce in a small sauce pan with a whisk mixing the sauce.

    When the chicken is done, pour or brush the buffalo sauce over the cooked chicken thighs until evenly coated.

    Baked chicken thigh being coated in buffalo sauce with a basting brush.

    Serve immediately with ranch dressing, blue cheese crumbles, green onions, and/or parsley (optional).

    Four baked chicken thighs covered in buffalo sauce on a parchment lined baking sheet.

    Tip: Pair this with my avocado lime ranch dressing.

    Buffalo chicken thigh with a drizzle of ranch and fresh parsley

    Pairings

    Pair baked buffalo chicken thighs with side dishes like stovetop mac and cheese, lemon pepper fries, or avocado lime ranch dressing or veggies like carrots, celery, or a simple side salad.

    Substitutions

    This buffalo chicken thighs recipe is pretty basic, but I anticipate a few questions about substitutions.

    • Baking powder - Be sure to use baking powder NOT baking soda. Baking powder helps to crisp the chicken skin when it bakes in the oven. If you're missing this ingredient, leave it out rather than trying to replace it.
    • Hot pepper sauce - This recipe calls for Frank's RedHot Original. Buffalo wings are traditionally made with cayenne pepper sauce. Frank's also makes a buffalo wing sauce, but this contains "natural butter type flavor" and garlic powder. If you choose to use this product instead, do not add additional butter and garlic powder. Frank's is 450 SHUs on the Scoville scale. Some alternatives to Frank's include Original Louisiana Hot Sauce (450 SHUs) and Texas Pete's Original Hot Sauce (740 SHUs).
    • Chicken - This recipe is for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs because the skin crisps up in the oven. If you opt for boneless chicken thighs, you can skip the baking powder and reduce the cooking time to 20 minutes. Be sure to check the internal temp of boneless thighs with a meat thermometer. For chicken breasts, try this buffalo chicken breast recipe.
    • Butter - You can use any type of butter or butter spread.
    • Garlic powder - Onion powder will do in a pinch.

    How to make buffalo sauce mild

    Frank's is 450 SHUs on the Scoville scale which is one of the least spicy hot sauces. It has the medium heat of classic buffalo chicken and hot pepper sauce, but if you want to make your thighs more on the mild side, you can:

    • Reduce the hot pepper sauce by half
    • Add 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce.
    • Add ½ teaspoon sugar

    Tomato sauce is NOT the same thing as pasta sauce. You can find it in a can on the same aisle as diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes.

    You could also try a premade mild wing sauce, but the heat level rating is unclear.

    Equipment

    For this recipe you need:

    • Baking sheet/sheet pan: Mine is a quarter sheet because I have a small oven, but most ovens accomodate a half sheet.
    • Parchment paper: I use pre-cut parchment paper.
    • Basting brush: This is optional. I use a silicone basting brush. You can pour the sauce directly over the top of the thighs or you can toss the thighs in the saucepan if needed.

    Storage

    Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or the freezer for up to 4 months.

    FAQ

    Why are my chicken thighs not crispy?

    Be sure to use skin-on chicken thighs and prep the skin by patting it dry. Do not skin the baking soda when baking, this helps the skin crisp up. When the meat rests after baking, do not cover it. If covered, the steam will soften the skin.

    More Buffalo

    Love this buffalo chicken thigh recipe? Try Buffalo Turkey Meatballs, Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip, or Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip.

    📖 Recipe

    Close up of buffalo chicken thigh topped with avocado lime ranch and fresh parsley.
    Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved! Email Print

    Buffalo Chicken Thighs

    Buffalo chicken thighs are made with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, baked for crispy skin then covered in homemade wing sauce.
    4.78 from 9 votes
    Recipe by: Kelsey Smith
    Prep time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 chicken thighs

    Equipment

    • Baking sheet
    • Parchment paper
    • Basting brush
    • Small sauce pan

    Ingredients
     
     

    Chicken Thighs

    • 4 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 2 teaspoon olive oil

    Buffalo Sauce

    • 2 tablespoon butter unsalted
    • ¼ cup Frank's RedHot Original
    • ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

    Garnish

    • ranch dressing or blue cheese optional
    • fresh parsley roughly chopped, optional

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 425°F (220ºC). Pat the chicken dry and place in a zipper plastic bag with the baking powder, salt, and black pepper. Close and shake the bag to evenly coat the chicken.
    • Place chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 35–40 minutes or until chicken is cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F.
    • Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat. Once melted, whisk in the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder, until combined.
    • When chicken is done, pour or brush the buffalo sauce over the chicken thighs until evenly coated.
    • Serve immediately with ranch dressing, blue cheese crumbles, and/or parsley (optional).

    Notes

    Hot sauce: Frank's is 450 SHUs on the Scoville scale. Some alternatives to Frank's include Original Louisiana Hot Sauce (450 SHUs) and Texas Pete's Original Hot Sauce (740 SHUs).
    Storage: Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or the freezer for up to 4 months.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 319kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 19gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 126mgSodium: 930mgPotassium: 262mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 288IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 1mg
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: chicken
    Tried this recipe?Rate it to let me know how it was!

    Food safety tips

    • Cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
    • Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
    • Wash your hands after touching raw meat

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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    About Kelsey Smith

    I am a freelance content writer by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working, you might find me here, sharing comfort food recipes.

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    1. Cathy says

      April 19, 2023 at 8:11 am

      3 stars
      My husband and I love Buffalo Wings and wanted to get that flavor on chicken thighs. The thighs I had were extra large, so I doubled the baking powder/seasoning mixture and they turned out great. However, the sauce was way to hot for me, and even for my hubby. I should have known that using an entire bottle of Tabasco sauce on 4 pieces of chicken would be way too much; I literally couldn't finish my second piece because of the blistering heat. I recommend everyone start with the mild version of the sauce, and add more Tabasco to suit personal taste.

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        April 19, 2023 at 9:55 am

        Hi Cathy, thanks for sharing your experience. This recipe was written using Frank's RedHot, not Tabasco.Tabasco is spicier than Frank's. I will review this recipe, apologies if this was not clear.

        Reply
    2. Cynthia says

      July 17, 2022 at 9:58 pm

      Do these have to be baked? Could I sear/grill them in say a cast iron skillet until done and then toss them in the sauce?

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        July 19, 2022 at 12:28 pm

        Absolutely. I haven't tested those cooking methods, but I believe you would be able to skip the baking powder ingredient. That helps crisp the skin in the oven, but I don't think it would be necessary for the grill or cast iron.

        Reply
    3. Julia says

      November 04, 2021 at 10:02 am

      5 stars
      These were easy to make and turned out really well. The medium heat option was just the right amount of heat for us and using chicken thighs meant that it made a good filling meal. Thank you.

      Reply
    4. Giangi Townsend says

      November 03, 2021 at 12:01 pm

      They look amazing and with the right amount of heat. Printed the recipe to make it for my family. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
    5. Dawn Conklin says

      November 02, 2021 at 11:54 am

      5 stars
      These are the best buffalo chicken thighs ever! Easy to make and I loved the flavor. Will be making these often!

      Reply
    6. Kelsey says

      October 31, 2021 at 8:09 am

      5 stars
      Juicy and just the right amount of heat. Best served immediately.

      Reply

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    Kelsey Smith

    Hi, I'm Kelsey! I am a freelance content writer for college-level textbooks by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working, you might find me here, sharing easy comfort food recipes.

    More about me →

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