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BBQ Buffalo Chicken Thighs with Wedged Ranch Salad

Deborah
Delicious chicken with amazing buffalo sauce...and a most amazing ranch dressing!!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
  • 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
  • 12 whole chicken thighs
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 150g unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 125ml Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wings sauce or Tabasco sauce see Notes
  • gherkins/pickles to serve

For the wedged ranch salad (see Notes):

  • 100g mayonnaise
  • 100g soured cream
  • 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • a handful of dill finely chopped
  • a handful of flat-leaf parsley chopped
  • 1 iceberg lettuce
  • a handful of hazelnuts toasted and roughly chopped

Instructions
 

  • Mix together the salt, sugar, paprika, garlic granules and oregano in a small bowl, put the chicken thighs into a baking dish, sprinkle over the salt-and-spice mix and rub into the chicken really well. Leave to marinate for 1 to 4 hours.
  • Heat the barbecue to medium high with the coals banked up one side, or with one of the gas burners on high with the others off (see Notes to oven cook). Put the chicken thighs, skin-side down, over the coals for 5 to 10 minutes or until golden and charred, then move to the indirect heat side and cook for another 35 to 40 minutes with a lid on, turning and moving every 5 minutes until cooked through.
  • Meanwhile, whisk the mayonnaise, soured cream, white wine vinegar, garlic granules, Worcestershire sauce, herbs and some seasoning in a bowl, then chill. Wedge the lettuce and chill.
  • Melt the butter in a small pan, fry the chopped garlic gently for 3 to 4 minutes or until it smells fragrant, then tip in the Frank’s or Tabasco sauce. Pour out into a large bowl. When the chicken is cooked, tip into the buffalo sauce and toss really well. Serve immediately with the wedged lettuce smothered in ranch dressing and sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts, and pickles on the side.

Notes

  • Make ahead - the chicken needs to be marinated for 1 to 4 hours, so once it's prepared and in the fridge, make the ranch dressing and keep it in the fridge until it's needed.   The hazelnuts can be toasted, chopped and then set aside in a small bowl.   The buffalo sauce can also be made in advance and left in the small pan it's made in, to be reheated for when it's needed at step 4.
  • The first time we made the recipe we didn’t have enough Tabasco sauce (my bad!) so used Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wings sauce instead – the buffalo sauce was delicious. Try it both ways!
  • To oven cook the chicken thighs, heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put the thighs into an oven tray, skin-side up, drizzle lightly with oil and roast for 45 minutes until charred and cooked through. Remove and toss with the buffalo sauce (step 4).
  • This BBQ buffalo chicken thighs with wedged ranch salad recipe is easily adapted if you’re cooking for less or more people.   We’ve made it just for the 2 of us.
 
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Keyword barbecue, BBQ, buffalo chicken, caprese salad, Frank's Red Hot Wings Buffalo Sauce, lettuce wedge, ranch dressing