Baked Firecracker Chicken
These Baked Firecracker Chicken Thighs are brushed with a sweet and spicy firecracker sauce. All you need is 5 ingredients and less than 1 hour to make this dish from start to finish!
Love chicken thighs? Then you need to try my Tandoori Chicken and my Vietnamese Caramel Chicken!
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Homemade Firecracker Chicken Thighs
Firecracker sauce is one of my favorites! I first introduced you guys to this amazing sauce with my Slow Cooker Firecracker Meatballs and my 20 Minute Firecracker Salmon. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. The sauce is made up of equal parts buffalo sauce and brown sugar with a splash of soy sauce. Simple and delicious!
My Firecracker Sauces pairs perfectly with these crispy baked chicken thighs. I like to serve these with a side of rice and broccoli.
Firecracker Chicken Ingredients
I love this 5-Ingredient Baked Firecracker Chicken recipe because all you need to make it are some budget-friendly bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and some pantry staples:
- Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Thighs: You can substitute boneless chicken thighs or breasts. Just make sure to shorten the cooking time.
- Buffalo Sauce: You can’t make firecracker sauce without buffalo sauce! I love using Franks hot sauce, but feel free to use your preferred brand.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds a nice sweetness to the sauce. I like brown sugar for the notes of molasses.
- Low-Sodium Soy Sauce: If you don’t have low sodium soy sauce you can substitute regular soy sauce with a splash of water. Coconut aminos can be used too!
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Are used for a little kick. If you want the sauce to be milder omit the red pepper flakes.
How To Make Baked Firecracker Chicken
- Prepare the Firecracker Sauce by whisking together buffalo sauce, brown sugar, and soy sauce.
- Brush the sauce onto the chicken thighs, and bake until fully cooked.
- Broil for an additional 1-2 minutes to brown and crisp up the skin. I like to reserve some of the sauce and heat it up to serve with the chicken.
- Garnish with red pepper flakes for an added kick. I love to serve this chicken with a side of rice and a vegetable. Enjoy!
What To Serve with Baked Firecracker Chicken
- Fettuccine Alfredo
- Roasted Potatoes
- Risotto
- Mashed Potatoes
- Salad
- Spicy Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions
- Store leftover baked chicken thighs in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat leftover chicken in the oven or air fryer to re-crisp the skin. Otherwise, you can reheat it in the microwave until warmed through.
- While you can freeze these baked chicken thighs, we don’t recommend it unless you plan to bake or air fry them when reheating.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes To Try
- Easy Chicken Marsala
- The BEST Chicken Parmesan
- Easy Chicken Shawarma
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
- Easy One Pan Bourbon Chicken
- Easy Thai Chicken Satay
Baked Firecracker Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs bone in and skin on
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl combine buffalo sauce, brown sugar and soy sauce
- Add the chicken thighs to the prepared pan. Brush half the sauce on the chicken.
- Bake until the chicken reaches 175 degrees, 30-40 minutes. Half way through cooking brush with the remaining sauce. You can also reserve some sauce and heat it up to serve with the chicken for dipping!
- Turn the broiler on high and cook until the skin gets browned and crispy, 2-3 minutes.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!