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This easy Buffalo Chicken Thighs recipe gives tender, juicy chicken thighs an instant upgrade thanks to everyone’s favorite hot sauce. A short ingredient list and quick prep makes it ideal for busy weeknights!
If you have a family that likes a little heat with their dinners, this recipe for Buffalo chicken thighs is destined to become a fast favorite—not only for that irresistible flavor but also because it is so easy.
You probably have almost everything you need to make them in your kitchen—just grab a package of chicken thighs, sauce them up, and bake!
This recipe uses the oven, but you can find air fryer instructions in my post on Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs.
Ingredients
This recipe has:
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs – One of my favorites from Butcher Box
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- Buffalo wing sauce – I use Frank’s Red Hot.
- Olive oil
- Seasonings – Garlic powder and oregano.
- Unsalted butter – Melt this in the microwave or in a small pan on the stovetop.
Step By Step Instructions
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Stir together 1/3 cup of the wing sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, and oregano in a deep bowl.
Add the chicken to the bowl and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 36 hours.
Preheat your oven to 425˚F degrees.
Use tongs to remove the chicken from the marinade. Arrange the chicken thighs smooth-side-up on a rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment or foil.
Bake uncovered for 22-25 minutes on the middle rack, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165˚F degrees.
For browned chicken, broil on high for 3-5 minutes after the chicken has finished cooking.
Combine the remaining Buffalo wing sauce and melted butter. Brush the mixture onto the finished chicken thighs. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then serve.
RECIPE VARIATIONS & OPTIONAL ADDINS
- Drizzle the chicken with ranch or blue cheese dressing before serving to tame the heat a bit and add a creamy element to your Buffalo chicken thighs.
- Crumbled blue cheese is also a delicious addition to this recipe. Scatter it over the chicken thighs just before serving.
- You can use the Buffalo sauce for chicken breasts if you prefer; simply adjust the cooking time, since chicken breasts cook faster.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT
Storing Leftovers: Store fully cooled leftover Buffalo chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating Leftovers: You can reheat them in the air fryer at 350°F for 2-3 minutes. Alternatively, you can place the chicken thighs on a baking sheet and heat them in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
Freezing Leftovers: You can freeze these Buffalo chicken thighs for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating according to the instructions above.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS RECIPE
You can’t go wrong with a side of celery and carrot sticks with some ranch dressing!
Of course, if you want to make these Buffalo chicken thighs more of a meal, Instant Pot Potato Salad, cool Greek Yogurt Coleslaw, Oven-Roasted Frozen Broccoli, or Air Fryer Potatoes are fantastic options.
PRO TIPS/RECIPE NOTES
- Use a rimmed sheet pan to keep the marinade from spilling into the oven.
- I strongly recommend using foil or parchment on the pan; this will keep the marinade from smoking in the oven.
- If you have time, let the chicken sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before baking. This helps it cook more evenly.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to test each thigh. The internal temp can vary depending on the thickness of the chicken.
- No thermometer? It’s not ideal, but you can also check for doneness by poking into the thickest part of the chicken; when the juices run clear, it’s done cooking.
- If you’re using bone-in chicken thighs, increase the cooking time by 4-5 minutes. The safe cooking temperature of 165˚F remains the same.
More chicken recipes you’ll love
Buffalo Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce, divided
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter {melted}
Instructions
- Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Set aside.2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- Combine 1/3 cup of the wing sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, and oregano in a deep bowl.2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce, divided, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp garlic powder
- Add chicken and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 36 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425˚F degrees.
- Using tongs, remove the chicken from the marinade and place smooth side up on a sheet pan lined with parchment or foil.
- Bake uncovered for 22-25 minutes on the middle rack, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165˚F degrees.
- {optional} Broil on high for 3-5 minutes after the chicken has finished cooking to brown the tops of the chicken thighs.
- Combine the remaining 3 tbsp of buffalo wing sauce and the melted butter and brush on top of the finished chicken thighs.2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Make sure the sheet pan you use has a rim. This keeps the marinade from spilling into the oven.
- When we tested this recipe without putting foil/parchment on the pan, the marinade caused a lot of smoke in the oven. I strongly recommend using foil or parchment.
- If you have the time, let the chicken sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before baking.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to test each thigh. The internal temp can vary depending on the thickness of the chicken.
- If you’re using bone-in chicken thighs, increase the cooking time by 4-5 minutes. The safe cooking temp of 165˚F remains the same.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great timing! I wanted to try something new, and I had taken chicken out of the freezer.
As usual, I did not follow the instructions properly. The short version is that you can pan fry it, too.
I made the marinade exactly as written (except that I halved it since I was cooking for two), including the recommended Frank’s Red Hot.
I used breasts, but the ones I bought were not the same size so I flattened them out a little. Until they were both a uniform thickness, if that makes any sense. And I just cooked them in a frypan. After letting them marinate for about an hour, I put the breasts in a hot (a bit under ‘medium’ heat) frying pan, topped with the remaining marinade, since I did not want to do that step at the end of adding butter and brushing the remaining marinade on the cooked chicken. I covered the pan and let it cook. After about fifteen-ish minutes, flipping it half way through, it was cooked (I always test with a thermometer), I removed the lid and turned the heat down a little and let the sauce cook down while preparing the sides (maybe five minutes), flipping the meat a few times to make sure any remaining marinade/sauce coated the chicken.
Now, here is the part where I suck as a reviewer. I have not had a proper sense of smell since mid-November, so I cannot taste my food as well as I should. What I *could* taste was spicy, but yummy. My husband said that he liked it. Which is great because a lot of new recipes get: ‘it’s not bad, but I won’t be sad if I never eat this again’. This one is a keeper.
Lots of changes, but I’m glad the base recipe was a winner for you! I truly do love when people use my base recipe as a guide and then make it their own.
Sorry about the lack of sense of smell; that sounds rough! You’d only suck as a reviewer if you made a ton of changes and then gave it 1-star. LOL.