Buffalo Chicken Bites (no breading)

If you love the flavor of buffalo chicken wings but want a lighter, healthier version, you will love these easy buffalo chicken bites without the breading and no frying.

My family loves everything with buffalo sauce whether it be buffalo chicken wings, buffalo chicken pizza, or buffalo chicken dip. In full disclosure, I am not a huge chicken wings fan so I came up with a way to enjoy the flavor of the chicken wings…but a lighter version.

These sauteed buffalo chicken bites are cooked in a skillet and tossed with buffalo sauce. The buffalo sauce is elevated by adding some melted butter and a touch of sugar to balance out the tangy buffalo sauce.

We serve it with homemade ranch dressing, fresh carrots and celery and sometimes even some waffle fries. Give me anything to dip in ranch dressing and I am a happy girl but buffalo and ranch together just hits different. It is absolutely delicious and such an easy dinner recipe or snack.

Ingredients:

It is so easy to whip up these simple buffalo chicken bites. All of the flavors of buffalo wings without frying or breading the chicken.

• Chicken Breast — I suggest using boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces.
• Salt and Pepper — I like to toss the chicken breast in salt and pepper before cooking in the skillet to infuse seasoning into the chicken.
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Paprika
• Buffalo Sauce — I use Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce in this recipe.
• Butter — This helps to add richness to the buffalo sauce and balances out the strong vinegar tanginess.
• Brown Sugar — This adds a touch of sweetness for a slightly sweet and tangy sauce. If you want it to be less sweet, reduce the sugar amount.
• Oil — this is used to cook the chicken. If you want to omit the oil, you can use non-stick cooking spray.

How to make No-Breading Buffalo Chicken Bites:

1. Start by cutting the chicken breast into bite-size pieces. Toss in a bowl with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika until evenly coated.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle with olive oil. If you prefer not to use oil, spray with non-stick cooking spray. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked through. The cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of the chicken breast.
3. In a small pot or in a microwave safe bowl, heat the buffalo sauce, butter, and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Toss with cooked chicken coating each piece with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes to allow the sauce to coat the chicken.
4. Serve with ranch dressing, bleu cheese dressing, carrots, and celery or with mashed potatoes or smashed potatoes.

Substitutions and Variations:

For extra freshness, sprinkle fresh scallions on top of the buffalo chicken bites.

If you don’t want to use brown sugar, you can substitute honey instead. I would suggest using 2 Tablespoons of honey.

If you don’t want to saute the chicken in oil, spray the large skillet with non-stick cooking spray.

If you love buffalo flavor, check out my flavorful Buffalo Chicken Chili Recipe, my easy Buffalo Chicken Dip, or simple Buffalo Chicken Sliders.