Kristin Maxwell
Last updated on
Cheesy Baked Buffalo Chicken
This Cheesy Baked Buffalo Chicken is tender and juicy, with a big kick of heat that’s cooled by creamy, melted cheeses.
With only three simple ingredients, this Buffalo Chicken Bake recipe is delicious and full of flavor. It pairs well with simple sides like Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes and Oven Roasted Broccoli.
The Best Baked Buffalo Chicken
Buffalo Chicken Wings are delicious and fun, but they are messy! If you’ve ever wanted to get all that buffalo wing flavor into a healthy meal that your family will want to eat, this is it. This baked buffalo chicken recipe is healthy and delicious with bold flavors and creamy cheeses.
Chicken breasts are topped with buffalo wing sauce, mozzarella and blue cheeses and baked to tender juicy perfection. All the flavor of your favorite wings without the mess. You can serve them as a meal, or cut them up and make buffalo chicken wraps or lettuce wraps.
Baked Buffalo Chicken Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – 4 breasts usually fits well in a 9×13-inch baking dish. You want them to be as even in size as possible, so you may need to lightly pound them or cut thicker pieces in half.
- Buffalo Sauce – Look for Frank’s red hot brand Buffalo Wings Sauce; the buffalo sauce is already prepared and is different than a regular cayenne pepper sauce. Or, you can make your own sauce using hot sauce and melted butter in a pan on the stove top. A 1:1 ratio works well but you can adjust the heat lever however you like.
- Salt & pepper
- Mozzarella cheese – freshly grated off the block.
- Optional ingredients for garnish and serving – Blue cheese crumbles, sliced green onions and ranch dressing.
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat and Prep. Always start by preheating your oven; in this case to 400 degrees F. Prep chicken breasts by lightly pounding so they are even in thickness. Place the meat in a large ziploc bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a mallet, a rolling pin or even a heavy bottom skillet, gently pound the larger sides out until they are all about the same thickness. This will ensure that your chicken cooks evenly.
- Assemble. Place the breasts side by side in a large baking dish. They can be touching, but should not be overlapping. Pour a good amount of Buffalo Sauce over the chicken then top with shredded Mozzarella cheese. Buy the big ball of Mozzarella and shred it yourself – don’t use pre-shredded as it is coated in preservatives that will prevent melting.
- Bake. Bake the chicken at 400 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes. Test with a meat thermometer that should register at 165 degrees when the chicken is fully cooked. This may take a little less or a little more time, depending on the size.
- Garnish and serve. Sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles (totally optional but I personally love them) and sliced green onions before serving. We like to also serve extra buffalo sauce and ranch dressing on the side.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken dinner goes well with starchy sides like Fluffy Mashed Potatoes, Perfect Baked Potatoes, or Easy Baked Potato Wedges. It’s also delicious with a simple side of pasta or Buttered Noodles.
I like adding some veggies – Frozen Vegetables (so easy and with one simple trick they taste so good) or some roasted asparagus. A nice Wedge Salad with Ranch or Blue cheese dressing is a great pairing as well.
Or, go traditional wings style and serve with carrot and celery sticks.
Expert Tips
- Spray the dish with nonstick cooking spray before add the chicken for easy clean up.
- I don’t find it necessary to season the chicken since buffalo sauce and the cheese have big, bold flavor. But you could season with a little salt, pepper and garlic powder if you like.
- I prefer to use chicken breasts, but chicken thighs would work just as well.
- Feel free to switch up with your favorite cheeses. If I’m out of Mozzarella, I’ll use cheddar cheese or white cheddar instead.
- Want to turn this into a veggie dish? Try swapping out the chicken for some cauliflower. Just make sure to blanch the cauliflower first.
Frequently Asked Questions
  Where does Buffalo sauce come from?Â
Buffalo sauce was first served at a small family bar and restaurant in Buffalo, New York. It’s known as the home of the original chicken wing, and is still open today.
What kind of Buffalo Sauce Should I Use?Â
The best buffalo chicken deserves the best hot sauce. My favorite, and the only one I use is Frank’s Red Hot. It’s got an amazing flavor and is the right amount of heat. Buffalo wing sauce doesn’t just belong on chicken, my husband even dips his pizza in it!
You’ll also some these other buffalo recipes:
- Buffalo Chicken Nachos – shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, green onions and melty cheese baked with tortilla chips.
- Buffalo Chicken Salad – makes great chicken wraps!
- Buffalo Chicken Sandwich – A giant, messy, and most delicious sandwich.
- Buffalo Chicken Dip – All the flavor in an easy to make, easy to eat dip.
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Buffalo Baked Chicken
This Cheesy Baked Buffalo Chicken recipe is tender and juicy, with a big kick of heat that’s cooled by creamy, melted cheeses. It’s an easy, 3-ingredient baked chicken recipe that is delicious and full of flavor.
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 medium sized breasts)
- 1/2 cup buffalo hot sauce
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup freshly shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup Blue cheese crumbles optional
- Sliced green onions for garnish (optional)
- Ranch dressing for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place chicken breasts in a large ziploc bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap and lightly pound until they are of even thickness.
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cookie spray. Place chicken breasts in the dish side by side.
- Pour buffalo sauce on top of the chicken (use more or less to your taste).
- Top evenly with shredded Mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and registers 165 degrees on a meat thermometer. (Depending on the thickness of the meat, this could take a few minutes longer).
- Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve garnished with blue cheese crumbles and sliced green onions.
Notes
*Blue cheese fans can add blue cheese crumbles before baking so they will melt with the mozzarella – so yummy!
Nutrition
Serving: 5ouncesCalories: 269kcalProtein: 38gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 1063mgPotassium: 613mgVitamin A: 295IUVitamin C: 2.6mgCalcium: 164mgIron: 0.7mg
Can you shred the chicken and make it into a dip?
You can – but you can also just make my Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe!
Love your recipes!! My go to site for sure 🙂
Thank you Alan! Love the comment.