Martha Stewart Buffalo Chicken Breasts Recipe

The first time I made Martha Stewart’s Buffalo Chicken Breasts I did not think baked chicken could taste anything like real wings. But the panko coating with hot sauce and mayonnaise crisps up at 425 degrees and the carrots roast right alongside it on the same sheet pan, so dinner is done in under an hour.

This baked chicken breast recipe is one of those Martha Stewart buffalo chicken dinners that just works on a busy fall weeknight. I make it when I want something with a kick but I do not feel like frying, and the blue cheese celery salad on top makes the whole plate feel like a proper meal.

Try More Chicken Recipes:

• Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
• Baked Chicken Wings
• Chicken Parmesan

Why You Will Love This Buffalo Chicken:

• One sheet pan, no frying: Everything goes on a single baking sheet. The chicken and the carrots roast together at 425 degrees, so you are not standing over a pot of hot oil and there is barely anything to wash.
• It actually tastes like wings: The mayo and hot sauce mixture under that panko crust does something I was not expecting. It keeps the chicken moist inside while the outside gets genuinely crunchy. I was skeptical the first time and now I do not make it any other way.
• The salad ties it all together: Blue cheese, celery, and red wine vinegar tossed on top at the end. I know it sounds like a weird addition to a chicken dinner but it is basically a deconstructed wing plate and it works.

Buffalo Chicken Breasts Ingredients

• 4 small boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves (about 1 3/4 pounds total)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup Louisiana hot sauce, such as Frank’s RedHot
• 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1 1/4 pounds large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cups sliced celery stalks, plus 1/4 cup leaves
• 2 ounces mild blue cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
• 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar

How To Make Martha Stewart Buffalo Chicken Breasts

1. Preheat and season the chicken: Set the oven to 425 degrees. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then brush them with 2 tablespoons of the hot sauce. Let them sit for 15 minutes while you prep the rest.
2. Toast the panko: Spread the panko in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven, stirring once, until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Move the toasted panko to a plate.
3. Roast the carrots: Toss the carrots with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread them on the baking sheet and roast until they start to brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
4. Coat the chicken: While the carrots roast, whisk together the mayonnaise and the remaining 2 tablespoons of hot sauce in a shallow bowl. Dip each chicken breast in the mayo mixture, then press into the toasted panko so it sticks on all sides.
5. Bake the chicken with the carrots: Add the coated chicken to the sheet pan with the carrots. Keep roasting until both are cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes more depending on how thick the chicken is.
6. Make the celery salad: Toss the sliced celery and leaves with the blue cheese, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the salad on top of the chicken and carrots.

Recipe Tips

• Toast the panko first: Do not skip this step. Raw panko baked on chicken gets soft and pale. Toasting it separately means it stays golden and crunchy even after the second bake with the chicken.
• Look for small breasts: The recipe calls for small breast halves. If yours are large, I slice them in half horizontally to make thinner cutlets. They cook faster and the coating-to-chicken ratio is better.
• Flip halfway if you want both sides crispy: I started flipping the chicken once about halfway through the final bake. You lose a bit of coating on one side but you get crunch on both, which I think is worth it.
• Adjust the heat level: A quarter cup of Frank’s is medium spicy. I have gone up to a third of a cup when I want more heat. If you want it milder, pull back to 2 tablespoons total.

What I Changed After Making It A Few Times

I swapped blue cheese for ranch dressing on the salad once when I had people over who do not like blue cheese. It was still good but honestly not the same. The sharpness of the blue cheese is what makes the salad cut through all that hot sauce and crispy coating. Without it, it felt flat.

I also started adding more carrots than the recipe calls for because they shrink down a lot in the oven. An extra half pound does not hurt and you end up with more to actually eat alongside the chicken.

What Goes Well With This Buffalo Chicken

The chicken already comes with carrots and a celery salad so you do not need much. Mac and cheese is the easy answer, or creamed corn if you want something softer alongside the crunch.

When it is warm out I skip the heavy sides and do a quick cucumber salad or cold potato salad instead. Something cool and acidic is all you need next to all that hot sauce.

How To Store Leftovers

Keep the chicken and the celery salad in separate containers or the salad turns to mush overnight. Chicken lasts 3 to 4 days in the fridge. I would not freeze this one because the panko goes soft and weird once it thaws.

Reheat on a wire rack at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes so the bottom does not steam and go limp. Or skip reheating entirely. I slice it cold over a green salad with ranch and honestly that is my favorite way to eat the leftovers.

FAQs

• Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts? You can, but the cook time changes. Bone-in thighs take longer and boneless thighs are thinner so they cook faster. I would check them at 8 minutes. Martha wrote this recipe for breasts and the coating works best on their flat surface.
• Do I have to use Frank’s RedHot? Martha calls for Louisiana-style hot sauce like Frank’s because it is vinegary and not too thick. I have tried sriracha once and it did not spread right because it is too paste-like. Stick with a thin vinegar-based sauce.
• What if I do not like blue cheese? Skip it and use crumbled feta or just dress the celery salad with ranch. It changes the flavor but it still works. I know blue cheese is divisive and that is fine.
• Can I prep this ahead of time? You can toast the panko and cut the carrots the night before. I would not coat the chicken early though because the panko soaks up the mayo mixture and loses its crunch. Do that part right before baking.

More Chicken Recipes:

• Almond Crusted Chicken
• Baked Chicken Fingers
• Chicken Schnitzel

Nutrition Facts

(1 serving, serves 4)

• Calories: 610
• Total Fat: 30g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Cholesterol: 130mg
• Sodium: 850mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 28g
• Protein: 52g