Buffalo chicken is a savory, not too spicy quick dinner for the whole family. You can control the heat by how long you marinate the chicken in the sauce. These high protein chicken thighs are perfect on an outside grill or cooked inside as well.
Why this recipe is just so good....
- While I love my recipe for Keto Buffalo Chicken Wings, I always think of them as an appetizer or snack for game day. These chicken thighs have a delicious buffalo flavor and pack a lot of healthy protein in each thigh.
- Options, who loves options!!?? The heat and spiciness of the chicken will be determined on whether you brush on the marinade, let it soak for 15-30 minutes or up to 2 hours or more. If you love spicy, let your chicken marinate for 2-3 hours before you cook or grill them.
- If you don't have that much time or only want a mild Buffalo flavor, then just brush on the sauce and it won't be too spicy.
Ingredient Notes
- The buffalo sauce is balanced with a little sweet chili sauce. The combination of sweet and spicy is really good.
- I also experimented with substitutions for the sweet chili sauce and hot sauce. If your grocery doesn't carry these items or you want MORE options, try some honey or sugar free "honey" substitute or marmalade. Sriracha is an excellent substitute for Buffalo sauce. The idea is to balance the spicy with a bit of sweet. It makes a delicious marinade for chicken.
Step by Step Directions
- Combine the hot sauce, sweet chili sauce and spices in a bowl and whisk well.
- If you want to just use the sauce to brush over the chicken, don't marinate. Just mix the sauce and brush over when ready to grill. The USDA does not recommend using the sauce to brush the chicken after it's been used to marinate the chicken unless it is boiled first to kill any bacteria
- Place thighs in pan or bowl and pour sauce over them.
- Cover and put in refrigerator to let sauce marinate the chicken thighs. Two or three hours is more than enough to let the flavor absorb into the chicken. But you can marinate them overnight.
- Remove thighs from marinade. Drain the marinade and bake in a 400°F oven for 30-40 minutes. To grill the thighs on an outdoor BBQ, cook chicken over medium high flame until a meat thermometer registers 165°F. Flip the chicken once during cooking.
FAQ
That's why we love this recipe! The flavor can be adjusted depending on how long you marinate the chicken. The longer it sits in the sauce, the deeper the flavor. And you can add more sweet chili sauce or even some sugar free bbq sauce to the hot sauce to balance out the spiciness.
Chicken thighs pack a lot of protein in each piece of meat. For a 4 oz. uncooked thigh, there is 130 calories and 22 grams of protein! And there are no carbohydrates in chicken thighs so they are a healthy, low carb and keto friendly food. I always prefer to keep the carbs lower, so the sauce that I choose reflects that.
For larger cuts of meat it is recommended to allow the food to rest and let the juices redistribute back into the meat. For small pieces such as thighs, I would allow just 5 minutes or so.
Try these other delicious chicken recipes!
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Buffalo Chicken Thighs
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 7 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Chicken thighs are marinated in a spicy and tangy sauce and grilled quickly on an outdoor bbq or baked in your oven. Using chicken thighs is a great way to create a delicious, high protein meal.
Ingredients
- 1.75 lbs. skinless ,boneless chicken thighs (about 7 pieces)*
- ½ cup hot sauce ( I used Frank's brand)
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce *
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Combine marinade ingredients.
- Place thighs in a glass dish or bowl and pour marinade over.*
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Remove from refrigerator, drain marinade and let chicken come to room temperature.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake in oven for 30-40 minutes.
- Test with a meat thermometer. The thighs should register 165°F.
- Or if you want to grill the thighs:
- Brush a little oil on grill and heat on medium high flame.
- Place thighs on grill and let them cook for about 5 minutes before turning. Turn heat down to medium and cook the other side for about another 5 minutes. Test with thermometer.
Notes
*You can also use bone in, skin on thighs. The will take a few minutes longer in the oven to cook.
* For substitutions, you can use regular sweet chili sauce or bbq sauce, if carbs are not a concern. Or try sugar free "honey" or regular honey, sugar free or regular orange marmalade. The idea is to balance the spicy with a bit of sweet. It makes a delicious marinade for chicken.
*Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes or up to overnight. The longer the chicken sits in the sauce, the deeper the flavor. Make sure to drain the thighs before grilling and don't reuse the marinade for basting.
*If you want to baste the thighs, separate a ¼ cups of marinade before pouring over the chicken. Use that to baste.
Kalyn says
We did the longer marinade for a spicier buffalo flavor, and these came out great! Would definitely make again
Deb Belsha says
Spicy is good! Thank you!