Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Thighs
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Thighs are an easy air fryer recipe, made with minimal ingredients! Chicken thighs are quickly marinated in buffalo wing sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and olive oil, and cooked to perfection in the air fryer.
I'm a huge fan of buffalo chicken. Some of my favorite chicken recipes on my blog are my Fried Buffalo Chicken Tacos, Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings, and Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta.
We really love chicken thighs for so many reasons and they pair wonderfully with buffalo sauce. Why do we love chicken thighs so much?! Well for one, they are much more forgiving than chicken breasts. They stay tender even if you tend to overcook your chicken. In addition, they are super affordable. In general, boneless skinless chicken thighs are cheaper than boneless skinless chicken breasts, even when you buy them organic.
Chicken thighs are also super easy to cook in the air fryer. They only need about 18 minutes until they're cooked to perfection!
Looking for a slow cooker chicken recipe? Check out my Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken!
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Minimal Ingredients - this recipe only requires SIX ingredients but is still so flavorful!
- Quick - these buffalo chicken thighs cook in less than 20 minutes.
- Versatile - you can do so many things with this buffalo chicken! You can shred them and put them on nachos, use them in my fried buffalo chicken tacos, chop them up for salads, or in my Buffalo Chicken Sliders. You could also eat them solo with some side dishes like Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts and sweet potato fries.
- Budget Friendly - chicken thighs are a super economical choice for protein. Even organic chicken thighs are very affordable.
Ingredients
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs - the higher fat content in chicken thighs makes these super tender and easier to cook. I typically buy organic smart chicken.
Olive Oil - a little oil helps the marinade stick to the chicken.
Buffalo Wing Sauce - for that classic buffalo chicken flavor.
Garlic Powder and Onion Powder - to give the chicken a bit more flavor.
Butter - combined with the buffalo wing sauce at the end to brush over the cooked chicken.
Variations
Different hot sauce - you can use buffalo wing sauce or really any kind of hot sauce that you like. We use mild buffalo wing sauce because my kids don't like much spice, but if you do - use the spicy kind!
Step by Step Recipe Instructions
Photo 1. Pat the chicken thighs as dry as possible with paper towels. In a large bowl, add the chicken thighs, ½ cup of buffalo wing sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Photo 2. Stir well to evenly coat the chicken. Let it sit for 20 minutes, up to overnight.
Photo 3. Once you're ready to cook, preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F. Grease your air fryer basket and place the chicken thighs in the basket.
Photo 4. Cook for 10 minutes. Flip and cook another 8-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Photo 5. In a small bowl combine the remaining ¼ cup of buffalo wing sauce with the melted butter and stir well to combine.
Photo 6. Brush the buffalo sauce over the cooked chicken. Serve with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
There are SO many uses for this air fryer buffalo chicken thigh recipe! You can serve as is with some blue cheese dressing, carrots, and celery sticks, or you can use it in Buffalo Chicken Dip, in Buffalo Chicken Bowls, in Buffalo Chicken Tacos, Buffalo Chicken Sliders, or Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. You could also use it on a buffalo chicken flatbread, on top of nachos, on a salad, or in a wrap!
Recipe FAQs
It can. They will take about 10-15 minutes longer to cook if you cook the chicken from frozen. They also might not soak up as much of the buffalo marinade when they are frozen, so be sure to brush them well with the buffalo wing sauce after they are cooked.
Chicken thighs should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. I always use a meat thermometer to ensure the meat is cooked to temp.
Definitely. Simply add 5 minutes to the cooking time.
Definitely. If you don't have an air fryer you can bake them instead of air fry. Bake at 425 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Other Air Fryer Recipes to Consider
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs 1.3-1.5 lbs
- ¾ cup buffalo wing sauce divided use
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- Pat the chicken with a towel until it is dry.
- In a bowl, add the chicken, ½ cup of the buffalo sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, and onion powder. Toss well to combine and evenly coat the chicken.
- Let the chicken marinate for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes.
- Flip and cook another 8-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup of buffalo sauce and melted butter.
- Brush over the cooked chicken. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Marinate this chicken for at least 20 minutes, but you can marinate it for as long as 8 hours.
- This is great for meal prep! Make the chicken ahead of time and add it to salads, wraps, etc.!
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees F.
