In search of a simple weeknight dinner, these easy sheet pan baked buffalo chicken thighs are it! Thighs are seasoned with a homemade spice blend and coated in buttery homemade buffalo sauce. Baked until tender and sliced for bowls, wraps, salads, and more! We like these served over steamed rice with shredded lettuce, fresh herbs, avocado, and ranch dressing.
This sheet pan chicken is great for meal prep, chicken thighs are budget friendly and have very little prep involved. Plus the homemade buffalo sauce is buttery and perfectly spiced. You might also like my high-protein buffalo chicken dip or these buffalo chicken egg rolls!
Find all of my easy weeknight chicken recipes here or check out all of my dinner recipes for more inspiration!
What Makes This Recipe Special
- One pan meal: Easy sheet pan recipe means minimal cleanup.
- Big flavor: Coated in a homemade buttery buffalo sauce that bakes right in, save some for dipping!
- Juicy chicken thighs: Crispy edges with tender, flavorful meat make a budget friendlly meal.
- Weeknight-friendly: Quick prep and bake time make it doable any night.
- Versatile serving: Great with salad, rice bowls, sandwiches, wraps, or roasted veggies.
How To Serve Buffalo Chicken Thighs
These chicken thighs are super versatile and come in handy for many recipes from sandwiches and wraps to salads and bowls. Try some of these ideas for balanced dinners or meal prep:
- Slice for wraps or serve whole on a chicken sndwich
- Serve over rice or quinoa with shredded lettuce and ranch or blue cheese
- Add slices to a pizza with mozzarella and extra buffalo sauce
- Chop up an add to fresh salads
Key Ingredients
This chicken dish is made of simple ingredients and can easily be customized, if an ingredient can be substituted you will find it below along with any additional notes.
- Chicken: Use boneless skinless chicken thighs for the most tender, juicy texture. Boneless chicken breasts can also work.
- Buffalo sauce: make my homemade buffalo sauce (recipe below) with hot sauce, butter, a touch of maple or honey, and some seasonings or use store-bought buffalo wing sauce.
- Seasonings: I use garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Oil: Just a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil helps the chicken roast and crisp up in the oven.
- Optional toppings: Crumbled blue cheese, ranch dressing, sliced green onions, shredded letuce, or a handful of chopped parsley or dill can take it to the next level.
How to Make The Buffalo Chicken
Let’s talk a little about how to make the Easy Sheet Pan Baked Buffalo Chicken Thighs (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick Overview:
- Make buffalo sauce.
- Season an dbake chicken thighs.
- Drizzle with remaining sauce, slice, and enjoy!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl combine garlic powder, salt, chili, cayenne, and black pepper.
- In a small sauce pan combine butter, hot sauce, maple syrup, and half of the seasoning mix from above. Heat over medium heat, stirring often for 5-6 minutes or until the butter has melted and the mixture begins to bubble and thicken.
- Line chicken thighs in a single layer on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and season with the remaining half of the seasoning mixture. Drizzle half of the prepared buffalo sauce over the chicken thighs, leave the other half for serving.
- Bake chicken at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken thighs temp at 165 degress internally. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before slicing.
- Serve sliced chicken thighs over steamed rice, Drizzle with the extra buffalo sauce and serve with shredded lettuce, green onions, and ranch or blue cheese.
More Weeknight Chicken Recipes
Helpful Kitchen Gear
- Sheet Pan: I love these USA Pan half sheet pans for sweet and savory dishes. They clean up nicely and have lasted for years.
- Instant Pot: I always use my Instant Pot for perfectly steaming rice, amongst many other things!
- Chefs Knife: Shun is my go to for kitchen knives, this chefs knife is useful for several kitchen tasks.
- Small Saucepan: This cute enemal sauce pan is the perfect size for whipping up sauces or heating up soup.
Recipe Variations
- Crispy Panko Topping: Sprinkle seasoned panko breadcrumbs over the chicken before baking for a crispy finish.
- Veggies: Toss in baby potatoes, sliced bell peppers, or broccoli on the sheet pan for a full meal.
- Buffalo BBQ Blend: Mix equal parts buffalo and BBQ sauce for a smoky flavor combo.
- Spicy Buffalo Melt: In the last few minutes of baking, top each chicken thigh with a slice of mozzarella and broil until bubbly.
- Wrap It Up: Slice and serve the chicken in wraps with shredded lettuce, ranch, and extra sauce.
Helpful Tips & Questions
Yes! Boneless, skinless chicken breasts work well too. Just keep an eye on the cook time—they can dry out faster than thighs, so check for doneness around the 18–20 minute mark.
This dish is super versatile—try it with a chopped salad, roasted veggies, rice, or even wrapped in a tortilla for easy buffalo chicken wraps.
Absolutely! The chicken reheats well. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to crisp things back up.
Yes, just make sure to use two sheet pans or space the chicken out well so it roasts instead of steaming.
Easy Sheet Pan Baked Buffalo Chicken Thighs Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
- 2 tsp Chili powder
- 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 4 tbsp Salted butter
- 1/2 cup Hot sauce , such as Franks Red Hot
- 1 tbsp Maple syrup, or honey
- 3 1/2 – 4 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- Shredded lettuce, green onion, ranch or blue cheese, for serving
- Steamed rice , for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl combine garlic powder, salt, chili, cayenne, and black pepper.1 tbsp Garlic powder, 1 tbsp Kosher salt , 2 tsp Chili powder, 1 tsp Cayenne pepper, Fresh cracked black pepper
- In a small sauce pan combine butter, hot sauce, maple syrup, and half of the seasoning mix from above. Heat over medium heat, stirring often for 5-6 minutes or until the butter has melted and the mixture begins to bubble and thicken.1 tbsp Maple syrup, 4 tbsp Salted butter , 1/2 cup Hot sauce
- Line chicken thighs in a single layer on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and season with the remaining half of the seasoning mixture. Drizzle half of the prepared buffalo sauce over the chicken thighs, leave the other half for serving.3 1/2 – 4 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken thighs , 2 tbsp Olive oil
- Bake chicken at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken thighs temp at 165 degress internally. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before slicing.
- Serve sliced chicken thighs over steamed rice, Drizzle with the extra buffalo sauce and serve with shredded lettuce, green onions, and ranch or blue cheese.Shredded lettuce, green onion, ranch or blue cheese, Steamed rice
Notes
Nutrition
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