Buffalo Chicken Thighs
Spicy and tangy, this Buffalo Chicken Thighs Recipe with blue cheese is a dinnertime staple. Great as a weeknight meal, for potlucks, and any other occasion you can imagine. This is one of my family’s favorite easy dinner recipes!
With the taste of buffalo chicken wings and the tender juiciness of chicken thighs, this is bound to be a new favorite recipe. My Keto Chicken Wings are always a hit, but being able to get all the same flavors with heartier chicken thighs is a huge win! It’s easy to eat just one chicken thigh versus several wings.
If you want to wake up your senses, these baked buffalo chicken thighs are sure to do the trick. With their homemade spicy buffalo sauce, they are packed with flavor!
Love this buffalo chicken recipe? Try my Buffalo Chicken Meatballs and Keto Buffalo Chicken Dip next!
Ingredients
- Boneless Chicken Thighs – I always opt for boneless skinless chicken thighs when making this recipe because they cook faster.
- Butter – Melted butter is traditional to buffalo sauce.
- Mayo – Mayonnaise is the key because it helps the sauce stick to the meat better. Plus, it just tastes good!
- Beaten Eggs – Adding a bit of egg also helps the sauce stay on the chicken.
- Hot Sauce – Any of your favorite hot sauces will work for this recipe.
- Seasonings – For the herbs, I like to use a combination of garlic powder, lemon pepper, and onion powder. If your lemon pepper seasoning does not have added salt, you can add some. It should have black pepper.
- Blue Cheese Crumbles – They are optional, but I love that extra tangy goodness they bring!
See quantities in the recipe card.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Thighs
Step One: Warm the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step Two: Grease an 8×8 pan or rimmed sheet pan and place chicken thighs onto the pan. Bake them for 20 minutes.
Step Three: Prepare the sauce by mixing together the butter, mayo, eggs, hot sauce, and seasonings in a small bowl.
Step Four: Remove the liquid from the pan with the chicken after it’s cooked for 20 minutes. Then pour the buffalo sauce on top. Bake the coated chicken thighs for 5-10 more minutes or until the chicken has reached 160 degrees when checked with a meat thermometer in the thickest part.
Don’t want to bake this recipe? Try these cooking methods instead:
- Cast Iron Skillet – Brown the chicken in a cast iron skillet and then add the sauce and transfer to the oven to finish cooking.
- Air Fryer – Air fry the chicken in the air fryer basket until fully cooked and the top with the sauce and blue cheese when serving. This converts pretty easily to an air fryer chicken thighs recipe.
- Instant Pot – Brown the chicken on the saute setting and then cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes. Drain the cooking liquid. At this point, you can shred the chicken, if desired. Add the sauce and turn back to saute for a few minutes. Make sure the chicken is 160 on an internal thermometer. Serve with the crumbled blue cheese.
- Grilled – Grill the chicken thighs and then serve with the sauce and blue cheese.
Step Five: Add the blue cheese crumbles on top. Serve, and enjoy!
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. They will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can freeze the cooked chicken for 3-4 months. To reheat, thaw and then bake or heat in the microwave.
Common Questions
Can I Use Chicken Breasts?
Yes, you technically can use chicken breasts in any chicken recipes, but I don’t prefer them. Chicken thighs are harder to overcook because they are so forgiving. Using chicken breasts could lead to drier meat. If you do decide to make this recipe with chicken breasts, keep a close watch on the temperature and make sure you don’t overcook them for the best results. I try to pull chicken breasts out of the oven when the internal temperature reaches 158 degrees and let them rest to reach 160.
Is It Okay To Use Bone-In Chicken Thighs?
Yes, you can use bone-in chicken to make the buffalo thighs if you choose to. Bone-in oven baked chicken thighs are going to take a little bit longer, so you will need to cook them for 40 minutes before adding the sauce.
If you use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs make sure to get the chicken skin crispy before you add the sauce. The best part is always the crispy skin. I normally broil mine for 2-3 minutes to really get that desired effect for crispy buffalo chicken.
What Kind of Sauce Can I Dip the Chicken In?
These spicy chicken thighs are so good with the homemade buffalo sauce, you don’t actually need to dip them in anything. However, you could use more wing sauce, ranch dressing (or my Buttermilk Ranch Dip), or Keto Blue Cheese Dressing. They are super delicious and would be great with this dish. If you are serving a lot of people, I like to set out a few sauces in case people want to try various flavors.
What Do You Serve With Buffalo Chicken Thighs?
Honestly, the options are pretty endless with this meal idea! They go with almost everything. Our favorite sides are Cheesy Cauliflower Rice, Keto Creamed Spinach,
Broccoli Nuggets, or Loaded Cauliflower Casserole.
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Buffalo Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
Creamy Buffalo Sauce:
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tbsp mayo
- 2 tbsp beaten egg
- 2 tsp hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
Topping:
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Place the chicken thighs in a greased 8×8 pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the sauce.
- After the chicken has baked for 20 minutes drain the cooking liquid. Top with the sauce. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is 160 when checked with a meat thermometer.
- Sprinkle the tops iwth the blue cheese crumbles, if desired, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally Published March 31, 2021. Revised and Republished January 14, 2026.
My husband will not eat mayo. Do you think this will work if I just eliminate it? Or is there a substitute to help the sauce stick? These do sound delicious.
I would swap in cream cheese, plain greek yogurt, or sour cream.