Wingstop Buffalo Chicken Thighs are crispy, deep-fried, and coated in buttery Buffalo sauce. You can make the best chicken thighs that taste like Wingstop original hot flavor with this easy copycat recipe.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Table of Contents
Why Make Buffalo Thighs Instead of Wings
Chicken wings are great. They’re simple to make, easy to customize, and excellent for sharing. In fact, they’re just about perfect. Well, except for the price.
Years ago, butchers basically gave chicken wings away but today things have changed. If you can even find chicken wings in your local supermarket, pound for pound, they’re almost twice the price as chicken thighs.
With the increased price and limited availability in some places, chicken wings are no longer the ultimate game day food. Enter Wingstop, the flavor experts known for some of the best and most creative chicken wings in town.
The chain created a new brand called Thighstop to sell, well, chicken thighs. But don’t go looking for a Thighstop restaurant in your neighborhood. Brick and mortar Thighstop restaurants don’t exist.
Instead, Wingstop added new items to the menu at existing Wingstop locations. Now you can get regular and boneless chicken thighs in the same place where you buy the chicken wings you already love.
But what if you don’t have a Wingstop near you? There is no need to worry. You can still enjoy the out-of-this-world buffalo-style chickens with this copycat recipe.
Wingstop Buffalo Chicken Thighs Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Chicken thighs with skin and bones
- Margarine
- Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- White vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Canola oil for deep frying
Choose Your Thighs Carefully
Since you are trying to recreate some of the shareability of chicken wings, the best chicken thighs to use for this Wingstop Thighs Original Hot Buffalo recipe are small ones.
Not only will there be more thighs to go around, but they will take a shorter time to cook. You can often find smaller thighs and the best pricing by buying Value Packs.
Don’t be afraid to buy more chicken thighs than you need because chicken thighs freeze well.
Do chicken bones freak you out? That’s okay! You can use boneless chicken thighs instead, but you’ll want to cook them a few minutes less.
How to Make Wingstop Buffalo Chicken Thighs
- Heat canola oil to 375 degrees. Deep fry the chicken thighs in the oil for 13 to 20 minutes, until done (internal temperature is 165 degrees). Transfer the fried thighs to a wire rack to drain.
- While the chicken is frying, combine margarine, Frank’s RedHot Sauce, white vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until all is melted and incorporated.
- Place the cooked thighs in a bowl and pour the sauce over them. Thoroughly coat the thighs with sauce. Serve immediately.
Recipe Variations – Switch Up the Sauce
When it comes to sauce, everyone has a favorite. One of the best things about making these Wingstop thighs at home is that no one needs to compromise.
Serve original hot buffalo style chicken wings to the adults and give the kids something milder. The sauce recipe below is the classic hot wings sauce, but you can substitute one of these other varieties if you want to get creative:
- Garlic-Parmesan Butter Wing Sauce: Melt 1/2 cup of butter or margarine in a saucepan. Remove from the saucepan from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of finely ground parmesan cheese, a teaspoon of garlic powder, and a pinch of black pepper.
- Asian Wing Sauce: Combine a 1/2 cup of butter or margarine and a 1/2 cup honey in a saucepan. Heat over medium-low until the butter melts. Whisk in a 1/4 cup of hoisin sauce and a 1/4 cup soy sauce. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger.
- Sweet Orange Wing Sauce: In a saucepan, whisk together a 1/2 cup of orange marmalade, two tablespoons of soy sauce, a tablespoon of chili sauce, a tablespoon of dark sesame oil, a tablespoon of minced garlic, a tablespoon of honey. While whisking, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat.
Tips for Cooking and Serving Buffalo Style Chicken Thighs
- Always use a thermometer made for frying. Let the temperature come back up to 375-degrees between batches. Remember not to cry too many thighs at once, or they will wind up greasy.
- Cook in an air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 400-degrees. Cook bone-in thighs for 12 minutes and then flip them over and cook for another 8 minutes. Cook boneless thighs for 12 minutes only. There is no need to flip boneless thighs.
- Serve with your favorite sides. Carrots, celery, ranch, and blue cheese dressing are just as essential for thighs as they are for wings!
Check out more chicken recipes on YouTube! And my smoked chicken thighs recipe.
More Wingstop Copycat Recipes
Love Buffalo flavor? Try these recipes!
- Air Fried Buffalo Cauliflower
- Boneless Buffalo Wings
- Buffalo Burger
- Buffalo Meatballs
- Frank’s Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Grilled Buffalo Wings
- Pluckers Wings
Favorite Fast Food Chicken Recipes
Check out more of my easy chicken recipes and the best fast food recipes here on CopyKat!
Wingstop Buffalo Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- Canola oil for deep frying
- 2 pounds chicken thighs with skin and bones, small to medium-sized
- 1/2 cup margarine (you can use butter if you prefer)
- 3/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a deep fryer, heat the oil to 375°F. Deep fry the chicken thighs for 13 to 20 minutes, depending on their size, until they reach 165°F. When chicken thighs are done, remove them from the fryer and transfer to a wire rack.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce by combining the margarine, Frank’s RedHot Sauce, white vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until all is melted and incorporated.
- Place the cooked thighs into a bowl and pour the sauce over them. Thoroughly coat the thighs with sauce, and serve immediately.
Leave a Reply