Baked Buffalo Chicken

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This baked buffalo chicken breast is a flavorful meal that tastes like the classic buffalo chicken flavors we all know and love. Instead of shredded like my buffalo chicken salad, this recipe bakes chicken breast whole with a butter and buffalo sauce, then tops them with blue cheese and green onions. You might already have everything you need to make this in your kitchen! Drizzle it with a bit of blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing if you’re feeling extra.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for oven baked buffalo chicken, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

• Chicken Breasts – I prefer organic chicken breasts (delivered right to my door!), but you can use any boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Boneless chicken thighs would also work great.
• Hot Sauce – I like classic buffalo sauce, but regular Frank’s Red Hot Sauce or any spicy buffalo wing sauce will work great.
• Spices – Garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
• Butter – Keeps the chicken juicy and adds flavor. Use unsalted butter.
• Blue Cheese – Buy block of blue cheese for freshest flavor or crumbles for convenience. If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese or cheddar cheese are great alternatives.
• Green Onion – For garnish and flavor. Chives are also a good alternative.

How To Make Buffalo Chicken In The Oven

This section shows how to bake buffalo chicken breast, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

1. Season. Pat chicken with paper towels. Season both sides with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
2. Mix buffalo sauce. Heat butter and buffalo sauce in a small bowl in the microwave until melted and whisk until smooth. (It’s also fine to heat on the stove if you prefer.

3. Brush. Place the chicken breasts into a large baking dish (this one is a great size!), so the pieces are not touching or just barely touching. Transfer 1/4 cup of the buffalo sauce mixture to a separate small bowl (this will prevent contaminating the rest of it with the raw chicken). Brush a thin layer of the buffalo sauce mixture from the small bowl over the chicken.

TIP: We add some of the sauce before baking and some towards the end.

Doing it this way prevents all the sauce from running off.

4. Bake. Cover the dish with foil and bake until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees F.
5. Add more sauce. Remove the foil. Brush the partially baked buffalo chicken breasts with the remaining buffalo sauce and top with blue cheese crumbles.

TIP: Add a probe thermometer before returning to the oven.

A probe thermometer (pictured above — you can get it here) will beep once your desired internal temperature is reached (160 to 165 degrees F), so your buffalo chicken recipe will come out perfectly juicy.

6. Finish. Bake for another few minutes, until the chicken is cooked through or internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees F. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes (the temperature will rise another 5 degrees while resting — it should reach 165 degrees F).
7. Serve. Serve with sliced green onions, and if desired, spoon any sauce from the bottom of the pan over the chicken.

Storage Instructions

• Store: Keep leftover chicken in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• Reheat: Reheat the chicken in a 350 degree F oven for best results, or microwave for a faster option. You may want to whisk together some extra buffalo sauce and melted butter mixture for serving after reheating.
• Freeze: Freeze chicken breast (preferably without cheese) in an airtight container for 2-3 months.

What To Serve With Buffalo Chicken

You can definitely keep it simple and serve this buffalo chicken recipe with some carrot and celery sticks, and call it a day. I served mine with green goddess salad (minus the chicken), pictured above, and the green goddess dressing was surprisingly delicious drizzled on the chicken as well.

If you want a separate side, potatoes are a popular “regular” option or try one of these healthy side dishes:

Sauteed Broccoli

Roasted Zucchini

Roasted Broccoli And Cauliflower

Sauteed Asparagus

More Buffalo Chicken Recipes

If you like this baked buffalo chicken breast recipe, you might like some of these other recipes with buffalo sauce:

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats

Baked Buffalo Wings

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

5 from 23 votes

Baked Buffalo Chicken

This EASY baked buffalo chicken breast makes for a quick and easy dinner that's packed with flavor. You only need 6 ingredients!

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Total: 35 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

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• 4 8-oz Boneless skinless chicken breasts ▢
• 1 tsp Sea salt ▢
• 1/2 tsp Garlic powder (optional) ▢
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper ▢
• 1/2 cup Buffalo sauce ▢
• 1/4 cup Unsalted butter ▢
• 1/2 cup Blue cheese (crumbled) ▢
• 1 medium Green onion (green parts only, sliced) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).

2. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season both sides with sea salt, garlic powder (if using), and black pepper.

3. In a small bowl in the microwave, heat the buffalo sauce and butter, until melted. Stir until smooth. (If you prefer not to use the microwave, you can melt the butter on the stovetop instead and then add to the buffalo sauce in a large bowl.)

4. Place the chicken breasts into a large stoneware baking dish or onto a lined baking sheet, so that the pieces are not touching. Transfer 1/4 cup of the buffalo sauce mixture to a separate small bowl. Brush a thin layer of the buffalo sauce mixture from the small bowl over the chicken. Cover the baking dish with foil.

5. Bake the buffalo chicken for 22-27 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F (68 degrees C).

6. Remove the foil. Brush the remaining buffalo sauce mixture over the chicken. Top with blue cheese.

7. Return the chicken to the oven, uncovered, for 2-4 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the chicken internal temperature reaches 160 to 165 degrees F (it will rise a few more degrees during resting, so I find that baking to 165 makes it too dry, but up to you what you feel comfortable with.)

8. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes (internal temperature should reach 165 degrees F.)

9. To serve, top with sliced green onions. If desired, spoon more sauce from the bottom of the baking dish over the chicken.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 buffalo chicken breast

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 336

Fat 22.3g

Protein 54.7g

Total Carbs 1.1g

Net Carbs 0.9g

Fiber 0.2g

Sugar 0.2g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keywords: baked buffalo chicken, buffalo chicken breast

Calories: 336 kcal

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