Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: These Buffalo chicken bites are tender, juicy, and tossed in a buttery hot sauce that delivers just the right amount of kick. With only 10 minutes of prep time, this recipe is ideal for quick weeknight dinners, meal prep, and game-day snacking!
How long it takes: 20 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large bowl, skillet
Servings: 4
Weeknight Buffalo Fix!
If you’ve made my fan-favorite chicken bites or my newer garlic butter chicken bites, you already know how much I love a good bite-sized chicken situation.
So naturally… I had to give them a buffalo twist.
These are the same super easy, juicy chicken bites (crispy on the outside, tender on the inside), but tossed in that classic buttery buffalo sauce — a little spicy, a little tangy, and very hard to stop eating.
What makes them special:
- Pantry ingredients. Aside from the chicken and maybe the hot sauce, I bet you have everything you need to make these Buffalo chicken bites in your kitchen already!
- Super quick. These buffalo chicken bites require just 10 minutes of EASY prep and 10 minutes of cooking, so they’re doable for even the busiest days. Chicken bites are always my go-to on crazy evenings.
- Incredibly versatile. Serve the chicken in bowls, wraps, tacos, or salads. Instead of messier wings, consider serving Buffalo chicken bites as part of a classic Buffalo-style appetizer spread with celery, carrots, and blue cheese dressing.
Ingredient Notes
You’ll find the full ingredient list in the recipe card, but here are some notes on what you’ll need.
- Cornstarch: The cornstarch is what helps the chicken get a fantastic crispy crust.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, kosher salt, and ground black pepper make that crispy crust delicious!
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Cut the chicken into small, even pieces so they’re all finished cooking at the same time.
- Olive oil: For cooking the chicken.
- Butter: Adds richness and a velvety texture to the sauce and helps mellow the heat.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic gives the sauce a little extra oomph.
- Hot sauce: Frank’s RedHot is the classic choice, but you can really use any hot sauce you like. (This is a great recipe to use up those random hot sauce bottles you have in the pantry!)
- For serving: Celery sticks and ranch or blue cheese dressing are the perfect cooling contrast.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Bites
Mix the seasoned coating. Combine the cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl with enough room to add the chicken.
Cut the chicken into bites. Slice the chicken into half-inch wide strips, then cut those strips into half-inch pieces. It’s important to cut the chicken into evenly-sized pieces so they cook evenly, and get done at the same time.
Season the chicken. Add the chicken bites to the bowl with the cornstarch mixture and toss to coat.
Start cooking. Warm the olive oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat and once it’s shimmering, add a single layer of the diced chicken. (Assuming you’ve used a large skillet, you should be able to fit all the chicken in the pan without having to cook in batches.)
Make the chicken crispy. Let the chicken cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until you get a golden crust on the bottom. Then stir and cook 5 to 6 minutes more, continuing to stir occasionally. You want to make sure all the bites are completely cooked through. They should feel fairly firm when you press them, not squishy. Sometimes I slice into one or two to make sure they’re cooked all the way through, and not pink inside.
Add the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter, garlic, and hot sauce. Stir until the butter melts and the chicken is saucy.
Serve. Plate your Buffalo chicken bites with celery sticks and ranch or blue cheese dressing, or use them to make one of the meal ideas below.
Serving Chicken Bites
- Meal bowls: Layer the chicken over Instant Pot brown rice or Instant Pot quinoa, and add your favorite accouterments. (I’d go with creamy slices of avocado, pickled red onions or pickled cauliflower, crumbles of blue cheese, and a drizzle of ranch!).
- Wraps or pitas: Tuck the chicken into warm tortillas or pita bread with crisp shredded iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced red onions, blue cheese crumbles, and ranch.
- Salads: Give your Cobb salad a twist by using Buffalo chicken bites! You can also add them to bagged salads to make a main course salad.
- Stuffed potatoes: Make your Instant Pot baked potatoes or air fryer baked potatoes into a complete meal by adding this chicken along with other toppings.
- Buffalo tacos: Use the chicken as a taco filling with traditional Buffalo pairings like blue cheese and ranch, along with lettuce and diced tomatoes.
- Vegetarian: If you have that one person in your family who’s a vegetarian, these air fryer Buffalo cauliflower bites will make them very happy (and they might not be the only who enjoys them!).
Refrigerate: Store leftover Buffalo chicken bites in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator for quicker and more even reheating (and to lessen the chance of rubbery chicken when it’s reheated!).
Reheat: Warm up the bites in a skillet for a few minutes until warmed through, or heat them in the air fryer. If you’re short on time, you can reheat in the microwave, but the chicken may get a little tough and chewy, especially if you overheat them. Buffalo chicken bites aren’t bad served cold, either.
More Buffalo Chicken Recipes
Buffalo Chicken Bites
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
For serving:
- celery sticks, ranch, and/or blue cheese dressing
Instructions
- Combine cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- Dice chicken evenly into small pieces, about ½ inch. I like to cut it into long strips, about ½ inch wide, and then make horizontal cuts, about ½ inch apart. Add chicken to bowl with cornstarch mixture and toss until chicken is evenly coated.16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced chicken in a single layer.
- Cook without moving the chicken bites for 3 to 4 minutes so a golden crust forms. Stir and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes more (see note).
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add butter, garlic, and hot sauce. Stir until the butter melts and the sauce coats the chicken, about 1 minute.1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 2 cloves garlic, minced, ¼ cup hot sauce
- Serve immediately with celery sticks, and ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Notes
- Pro tip: Take the butter out of the refrigerator to soften before you start the recipe. Prep the garlic and measure out the hot sauce, too, so they’re ready to add when the chicken bites are finished cooking. This will help you avoid overcooking the chicken bites.
- Check for doneness: Because the chicken bites are quite small, it’s hard to get an accurate reading with an instant read thermometer. Press lightly on the chicken bites; they should feel fairly firm, not squishy. If you’re not certain, slice one or two open to make sure they aren’t reddish pink in the center.
- Serving suggestions: Try adding buffalo chicken bites to meal bowls, salads, wraps, or roasted vegetables. Add them to your favorite bagged salad for an easy meal. They make a popular appetizer, served with celery sticks and blue cheese dip.
- Storage: Leftover buffalo chicken bites will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. They can be reheated in a skillet, or briefly in the air fryer. They tend to get overcooked and chewy in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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