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    Buffalo Chicken Thighs with Greek Yogurt Ranch

    October 29, 2023 by Lauren Leave a Comment

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Buffalo Chicken Thighs with Greek Yogurt Ranch is seriously good, and a total must-try!

    Hero image: buffalo chicken thighs with rice and greek yogurt ranch.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients you'll need...
    • Step-by-step process (with photos)
    • How to make Greek yogurt ranch
    • How to make homemade buffalo sauce
    • Substitutions + variations
    • Storage + reheating
    • FAQs
    • Related recipes
    • Buffalo Chicken Thighs with Greek Yogurt Ranch
    • Let's connect?

    Often when you think of buffalo chicken, you think boneless-buffalo wings, some celery and carrots, and a creamy dipping sauce.  This recipe is KIND OF like that, but not really.  My vision for these buffalo chicken thighs are more: simple weeknight dinner, rather than game-day style.

    Overall, I’d say the goal was achieved! These chicken thighs are first coated in some lightly seasoned flour, then baked until crispy, tossed in some buffalo sauce (you can buy it or make it yourself), and served over rice (or a salad/bowl) and topped with some bright, zingy, greek yogurt ranch! 

    Last week I made this Copycat Chick-fil-A Zesty Buffalo Sauce, and that is what I used in this recipe.  You can go ahead and make a batch of it for yourself, or just use good ‘ol store-bought.  You can get Frank’s Buffalo Sauce right here. 

    I’ll be adding the recipe for the CFA Copycat Zesty Buffalo Sauce in the notes section of the recipe card below for your convenience and reference! 🙂

    Ingredients you'll need...

    Ingredients needed to make buffalo chicken thighs on a sheet pan.

    For the chicken:

    • Chicken thighs - trimmed + cut into 1-inch cubes. 
    • Flour - for dredging the chicken. 
    • Spices - (garlic powder, salt and pepper) for seasoning the flour just a little bit. 
    • Olive oil - as needed for drizzling on top of the chicken bites. 
    • Buffalo sauce - (make it yourself or store bought) I’ll add a recipe for homemade buffalo sauce in the notes section of the recipe card. 
    • Green onions - totally optional for garnish, but they taste great and they look great piled on top of the finished dish.

    For the Greek yogurt ranch:

    • Greek yogurt - full fat, unsweetened Greek yogurt for the best results. 
    • Cilantro - chopped, for herb-y flavor. 
    • Garlic powder - for flavor. 
    • Lemon juice - fresh is best, for some zing. 
    • Onion powder - for the classic “ranch” flavor. 
    • Paprika - for flavor, trust me on this one.  I never make ranch without it, and now you won’t either!
    • Kosher salt - just a pinch. 
    • Pepper - just a pinch for some flavor.

    Step-by-step process (with photos)

    Flour with chunks of chicken thighs being coated.
    Close up of chicken thighs on a sheet pan.
    Process shot of chicken on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
    Process shot of chicken on a sheet pan.
    Ranch dressing process shot.
    Process shot of finished ranch dressing.

    Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. 

    Toss the flour and spices together.  

    Dredge each chicken thigh into the flour mixture and place onto a parchment-lined, lipped baking sheet (not touching).  Repeat this process until all of the chicken is coated.

    Liberally drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes.  Flip them, and bake for another 5-10 minutes (or until they have a golden brown crust).  

    ***While the chicken bakes, make your Greek yogurt ranch (see below).

    Process shot of chicken on a sheet pan.
    Process shot of chicken.
    Process shot.

    Remove them from the oven and toss with ½ cup of buffalo sauce.  Return to the oven and bake for 3 minutes (just enough for the sauce to bake onto the chicken pieces). 

    Buffalo chicken thighs with rice and green onions in a blue bowl.

    Garnish with green onions and serve over rice, with salad, or bowl-style with Greek yogurt ranch!

    How to make Greek yogurt ranch

    How to make greek yogurt ranch dressing infographic (with text overlay).

    To make the Greek yogurt ranch, simply whisk all of the ingredients together (see the infographic above or the recipe card below for exact measurements.

    How to make homemade buffalo sauce

    Zesty Buffalo Chicken Sauce in a mason jar with a label.
    • ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
    • 2 tbsp butter
    • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tsp dijon mustard
    • ½ tsp garlic powder
    • ½ tsp white sugar 

    In a saucepan over low heat, whisk all of the ingredients together until they’re melted. 

    Once melted, remove from the heat and allow it to come to room temperature.  

    Store in a mason jar in the fridge for 2 weeks. 

    Buffalo chicken thighs with chopped green onions over rice.

    Substitutions + variations

    If you’d like to make some substitutions, I recommend treading carefully, as I haven’t tested this recipe with a ton of them.  

    However, here are a few that will work:

    • Flour - you can swap it out for cornstarch or arrowroot powder. 
    • Olive oil - you can spritz the chicken with cooking spray instead of drizzling olive oil.  Additionally, you can swap out the olive oil for peanut oil. 
    • Greek yogurt - you can use mayonnaise or do ½ and ½. Sour cream also works.

    Variations (mostly to the buffalo sauce):

    • Garlic buffalo sauce: add minced garlic to the recipe for a more complex, garlicky flavor. 
    • Honey buffalo sauce: add a tablespoon of honey to your buffalo sauce.
    • Buffalo ranch: after you make the zesty buffalo sauce, cool it down to room temperature and mix in 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing. 
    • BBQ buffalo sauce: after you make and cool the zesty buffalo sauce, stir in 2 tablespoons of bbq sauce.  (This is delicious, by the way!)
    • Cajun buffalo sauce: add a teaspoon of cajun spice blend to the buffalo sauce. 
    Buffalo Chicken Thighs in a bowl with rice and greek yogurt ranch.

    Storage + reheating

    You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.  

    To reheat, you can heat the chicken in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes (or until warmed through).  Or you can reheat them in the oven on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. 

    FAQs

    What’s the best way to serve buffalo chicken thighs?
    You can serve them over rice, in a bowl (rice + roasted veggies), or just dip them right into the sauce and eat them nugget-style. 

    Are buffalo chicken thighs spicy?
    Yes, these are spicy.  Being spicy is kind of the appeal of buffalo sauce, if you’re not into a little kick, then this may not be the recipe for you.  However, they’re not THAT spicy.  Frank’s Buffalo Sauce isn’t as spicy as say, Tabasco sauce.

    Related recipes

    If you love sheet pan dinner and spicy-sweet flavor, you'll love these related recipes!

    • chick-fil-a copycat zesty buffalo sauce in a labeled mason jar.
      Copycat Chick-fil-A Zesty Buffalo Sauce
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    Chicken thighs in buffalo sauce with greek yogurt ranch.

    Buffalo Chicken Thighs with Greek Yogurt Ranch

    Buffalo Chicken Thighs with Greek Yogurt Ranch are seriously good and a total must-try!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 35 minutes mins
    Total Time 40 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 396 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    FOR THE CHICKEN THIGHS

    • 5 chicken thighs cut into 1-inch cubes
    • ½ cup flour
    • 1 tsp garlic powder
    • ½ tsp kosher salt
    • ½ tsp pepper
    • Olive oil as needed
    • ½ cup buffalo sauce make it yourself or store bought *see notes.
    • Green onions for garnish

    FOR THE GREEK YOGURT RANCH

    • ¾ cup greek yogurt
    • 1 tbsp cilantro chopped
    • 1 tsp garlic powder
    • 1 tsp lemon juice
    • ½ tsp onion powder
    • ¼ tsp paprika
    • 1 pinch kosher salt to taste
    • 1 pinch pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    FOR THE CHICKEN THIGHS

    • Preheat your oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit.
    • Toss the flour and spices together.
    • Dredge each chicken thigh into the flour mixture and place onto a parchment-lined, lipped baking sheet (not touching). Repeat this process until all of the chicken is coated.
    • Liberally drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes. Flip them, and bake for another 5-10 minutes (or until they have a golden brown crust).
    • Remove them from the oven and toss with ½ cup of buffalo sauce. Return to the oven and bake for 3 minutes (just enough for the sauce to bake onto the chicken pieces).
    • Garnish with sliced green onions.

    FOR THE GREEK YOGURT RANCH

    • In a bowl, whisk together the greek yogurt, cilantro, garlic powder, lemon juice, onion powder, paprika, kosher salt and pepper.
    • If it’s too thick for your liking (this will depend on the brand of greek yogurt you’re using), you can add a little bit of unsweetened milk (of your choice) to the ranch. I recommend doing this 1 tsp at a time because you don’t want it to get watery.
    • Cover it and place it into the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.

    Notes

    Homemade Buffalo Sauce
    • ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
    • 2 tbsp butter
    • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tsp dijon mustard
    • ½ tsp garlic powder
    • ½ tsp white sugar 
    In a saucepan over low heat, whisk all of the ingredients together until they’re melted. 
    Once melted, remove from the heat and allow it to come to room temperature.  
    Store in a mason jar in the fridge for 2 weeks.  
    Storage + Reheating
    • You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.  
    • To reheat, you can heat the chicken in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes (or until warmed through).  Or you can reheat them in the oven on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 140mg | Sodium: 1344mg | Potassium: 388mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 182IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Let's connect?

    Be sure to Pin this recipe (click on the image below) and follow me on Pinterest!

    Buffalo Chicken Thighs with cilantro garnish Pinterest Pin.

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    About Lauren

    Lauren is the freelance writer, photographer, and recipe developer behind Shutter + Mint. Thanks for stopping by!

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    Hi, I'm Lauren! Shutter + Mint is a food blog I created to help you create easy, practical recipes at home. Thanks for stopping by!

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