Grilled Buffalo Chicken is the the perfect solution - super easy grilled chicken recipe that is fast AND flavorful! It takes less than 30 minutes to grill up the buffalo chicken breasts.
One of the best parts about this grilled chicken recipe? No marinating time is needed! Just season the chicken, brush with buffalo, and grill! Doesn't get any quicker and easier than that.
Serve the buffalo grilled chicken breasts along with your favorite veggies or potatoes. Some favorites are baked potatoes, crispy air fryer potatoes, and air fryer garlic broccoli. I also love chopping up these chicken breasts and serving in a salad! It's also great in a sandwich or wrap.
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Ingredients You'll Need:
You just need some staple spices and a buffalo sauce to season the chicken breasts. Here's what you need:
- Chicken Breasts - Use boneless, skinless breasts. It's up to you on the size - you can even use thin sliced breasts.
- Buffalo Sauce - this is not the same as hot sauce. You can buy it at the store or make your own.
- Spices - Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Salt, and Pepper
- Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing - for serving
- Sliced Green Onions - for serving
How to Grill Chicken Breasts
To grill chicken breasts, after you have seasoned or marinated your chicken get your grill preheating. Get your grill set up for direct heat cooking (direct heat means the food goes over the flames). Heat your grill to medium-high (450-500 degrees F). Once the grill is preheated, add your chicken breasts, close the lid, and cook for 4-5 minutes per side.
The cook time will vary greatly depending on how thick or thin your breasts are. You'll know the chicken is ready to flip when it releases easily. If it’s sticking to the grill, that means the chicken doesn’t have a good sear and isn’t ready to flip. The goal is to only flip the chicken once - this gives you the best grill marks!
I recommend letting grilled chicken rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. This results in juicy and moist chicken breasts as the juices have time to redistribute.
Direct vs Indirect Heat
What does it mean when a grilling recipe says "direct heat" or "indirect heat"? When a recipe says to set up your grill for 'zone grilling' that means you should have both a direct and indirect heat zone.
- Direct Heat - This means the the cooking is done directly over the flame. Direct heat is best when you want good grill marks and a nice char. It's higher heat than indirect
- Indirect Heat - This means that the cooking is done next to the flame. Indirect heat is best for cooking food lower and slower. For chicken, it's a good option if your chicken is well browned on the outside from the direct heat, but not cooked yet in the middle (this happens with really thick chicken breasts). You can move the seared chicken to the indirect side of the grill to finish cooking without burning the outside.
Recipe Tips!
Making Grilled Buffalo Chicken is super easy, but check out my tips for the best results!
- Pat Chicken Dry - Pat the chicken dry before seasoning. Drying meat is important in order to get a good sear vs steaming the chicken.
- Pound the Chicken - No matter how big your chicken breasts, I recommend pounding the chicken with a meat mallet (or a rolling pin) so that the breasts are an even thickness. I like to place the chicken on a cutting board and then laying a piece of plastic wrap over to keep the chicken juices from flying everywhere.
- Substitute Chicken Thighs - You can swap in boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the breasts. The cook time may vary, so use the internal temperature (165 degrees F) to gauge when the chicken is cooked.
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Grilled Buffalo Chicken
Grilled Buffalo Chicken is the the perfect solution - super easy grilled chicken recipe that is fast AND flavorful! It takes less than 30 minutes to grill up the buffalo chicken breasts.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Grilling, Main
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup buffalo sauce, plus more for serving
- Sliced Green Onions, for serving
- Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat Grill - Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (450-500 degrees F.)
- Season Chicken - Mix together the spices in a small bowl. Pat dry the chicken breasts and sprinkle both sides with the spices. Brush the chicken breasts, on both sides, with the buffalo sauce.
- Grill Chicken - Place the prepared chicken on the preheated grill, over direct heat, and close the lid. Grill for 5-8 minutes per side (the time will depend on the thickness of the breasts). The chicken is ready to flip when it releases easily from the grill. For best results, use a thermometer to tell when the chicken is cooked (165 degrees F.)
- Serve - Remove the chicken and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. If desired, serve with additional buffalo sauce, ranch or blue cheese, and sliced green onions.
Notes
Leftover chicken can be stored in the fridge for 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast
- Calories: 297
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 922.2 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.7 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 38.4 g
- Cholesterol: 124.1 mg
Keywords: How To Grill Chicken Breasts, Grilled Buffalo Chicken, Grilled Chicken Recipe
Katie says
I chopped the chicken up and had in a salad and it was so good!
★★★★★