Did I ever tell you about when Morgan and I met? You see, a mutual friend played matchmaker and invited us both on a ski weekend. One night, we were paired up to cook dinner, and a make-your-own taco bar was the plan. As we ran around the local market gathering ingredients, out of all the choices available (and there were lots), we both grabbed a bottle of “Kick Yo’ Ass Hot” Sauce. Kismet? Maybe. It definitely got us laughing, especially since neither of us had heard of it before. Spicy foods–the first item in a long list of things we have in common. Lucky for us, this week’s #SundaySupper is all about cranking up the heat, so I’m bringing these Skinny Buffalo Chicken Strips. Amy over at Kimchi Mom is hosting.
Loaded up on hot sauce, hitting the slopes!
Anyway, you’d laugh if you ever saw all the bottles of hot sauce in our refrigerator. There are at least a dozen different varieties of hot sauce on the door at any given time, no lie. I even have a bottle of bacon hot sauce. Yes, bacon hot sauce. My favorite, though, is Sriracha sauce, which goes with just about everything. There’s only one mistake on the door–Dave’s Insanity, which apparently requires at least temporary insanity to enjoy. Even Morgan won’t eat it, and he douses *everything* with hot sauce.
Don’t worry, though, there’s no hot sauce in this recipe, insane or otherwise. These chicken strips are super simple to prepare, plus the leftovers make a great snack. There’s not much in the way of measuring going on here–basically, once the strips are marinated, I spread them out on a baking sheet and sprinkle a generous amount of the seasonings on both sides. There’s no salt in this recipe, however, you’re certainly welcome to add salt if you want. I find that loading up on other seasonings is a great way to help reduce your sodium intake. Plus cayenne has myriad health benefits, including boosting the metabolism and aiding in digestion. Low-fat, low-sodium, and guilt-free… what more could you want?
Wash and dry the chicken breasts, then cut them into strips–I usually get about 4 to 5 short strips out of each. Then place the chicken strips in a Ziploc bag along with the water, vinegar, and cayenne pepper. Seal and smush around (yes, that’s the technical term!) so that the cayenne is thoroughly mixed into the liquid. Refrigerate for about 30-40 minutes.
Once the chicken is done marinating, spread evenly on a large baking sheet, and generously season on both sides with the remaining herbs/spices.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until done.
Serve with a salad or a light side such as this quinoa tossed with spinach and garlic. Or do like Morgan–chop up the meat, and make a buffalo burrito with it!
Here’s the printable version:
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp cayenne pepper
- Dried oregano
- Garlic powder
- Ground Cumin
- Chili Powder
- Cut the chicken into strips/medium sized pieces--I usually get about 4-5 small strips out of each piece.
- Place the chicken in a large ziplock bag, and add the vinegar, water, and cayenne pepper. Smush around so the cayenne distributes evenly in the liquid, then seal the bag, and place in the fridge for about 40 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Arrange the chicken pieces on a large baking sheet. Liberally sprinkle the remaining seasonings over the chicken pieces. Flip the pieces over, and sprinkle the other side with the seasonings.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until done.
Let’s see what other hot dishes the others have cooked up!
Snappy Starters & Snacks
Hatch Chile, Grape & Grilled Onion Salsa from Shockingly Delicious
Spicy Tempeh Chips from The Urban Mrs
Sriracha Popcorn from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Cheese, Smoked Paprika and Fennel Crackers from What Smells So Good?
Baked Banana Pepper Poppers from Daily Dish Recipes
Spicy Black Bean and Corn Stew from Mama’s Blissful Bites
Caldo de Camaron y Pescado (Shrimp & Fish Soup)Â from girlichef
Bajia with Tomato and Chili Chutney from My cute bride
Shredded Buffalo Chicken Salad from Casa de Crews
Sriracha and Parmesan Fries from Mess Makes Food
Smoky Salmon Chowder from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Hummus with Spicy Turkish Ezme Salad from Neighborfood
Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppedew Peppers from Healthy. Delicious.
Tofu Hariyali Kebabs-(Tofu Kebabs in Cilantro Sauce) from Soni’s Food
Fiery Main Dishes
Spicy Stuffed Mexican Peppers from Peanut Butter and Peppers
Jalapeno Popper Fettuccine Alfredo from Chocolate Moosey
Baked Tilapia en Escabeche from La Cocina de Leslie
Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings with Two Dipping Sauces from Runner’s Tales
Chorizo and Scallop Skewers from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
Buffalo Chicken Pizza from Cookin’ Mimi
Thai Cashew Chicken from Doggie at the Dinner Table
Skillet Jambalaya from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Firecracker Chicken from Juanita’s Cocina
Spiced Turkey Burger Patties from Cook the Story
Aubergine and Chickpea Curry from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
Savory Tomato & Poblano Pie from An Appealing Plan
Venison Mole Rojo from Curious Cuisiniere
Za’atar Chicken with Fattoush from Food Lust People Love
Crispy Oven Fried Buffalo Chicken Tenders from In The Kitchen With KP
Skinny Buffalo Chicken Strips from Webicurean
BBQ Chicken Pizza with Poblano Peppers and Pepitas from The Wimpy Vegetarian
Spicy Thai Beef Salad from Magnolia Days
Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Spicy Lemon Paprika Chicken Thighs from Family Foodie
Searing Sauces & Seasonings
Homemade Buffalo Sauce from Growing Up Gabel
Whole grain Mustard recipe – Moutarde à l’ancienne from Masala Herb
Homemade Sriracha Sauce from kimchi MOM
Zesty Sweets & Sips
Cinnamon Streusel Scones from Killer Bunnies, Inc
Fiery Pomelo from My Other City By The Bay
Cinnamon Monkey Bread from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Cinnamon Peanut Butter Skillet Blondies with Ice Cream from Vintage Kitchen Notes
Goldilocks and the 3 Asian-Fusion Bars from NinjaBaking.com
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{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks so yummy! I’ve usually just made something similar and tossed in a hot sauce, vinegar combo after baking but I need to try your method, next!
What a gorgeous sight! It’s Sunday night here and I am craving your spiced baked chicken strips. yum =P
I am not always a huge hot sauce person, but I love Buffalo. What a great healthier way to get that flavor.
These look fabulous. I’m a big fan of Buffalo chicken but have never made it this way.
Falling in love over hot sauce! <3
Me want, me want!! I can definitely identify with your fridge full of hot sauces – I have three kitchen shelves dedicated to hot sauces and hot spices! And I agree about that Dave’s Insanity stuff. The first time I tried it, I’d never heard of it, but my other half had. So he purposely didn’t tell me just how hot it is, and I put about a quarter sized dollop of it on a slice of pizza. It was not pretty… Though my hubby got a good laugh and story out of it! 🙂
Your house must smell SO good when you make these! I know my stepfamily would go nuts!
Vinegar and spice, omg I love this marinade! It´s always good to agree on food with your other half, makes life much easier, at least in one aspect!
Love the cayenne and spices in your chicken strips!!Looks absolutely delicious and crispy just the way I like them to be 🙂
Oh, I love it! I love the looks of that quinoa salad!
I like hot stuff but that Dave’s Insanity Sauce is a killer. I have to mix a few drops of it into other sauces/salsas.
Nice skinny recipe for the chicken strips. Much better than the breaded and fried ones. The flavors come through more too.
Such a cute story. I have to say it makes life easier when you and your partner have similar tastes in food.
That sounds like love at first hot sauce bottle sighting! 😉 My husband and I are both spicy food lovers as well. Sriracha is used a lot more often that ketchup in our house!
Love it Anne that you didn’t just throw some hot sauce on and call it buffalo. Nice flavor profile.
How much of the other seasonings did others use? Don’t want to over season. Thanks!
I don’t usually measure for this, but if I were to guess, it’s probably about 2 tsp each of the garlic powder, cumin, and oregano, then about 2 tbsp of the chili powder. Since there’s no salt in the recipe, I do tend to over-season to make up for that (because if you under-season, it’ll be pretty bland 🙂
How much of each of the other spices?
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I don’t really measure but make sure everything is coated well. It probably works out to be about two teaspoons of each of the spices except for the chili powder, which is about two tablespoons. Hope this helps!
Just Decent, and a little too hot for my liking. Still plan to try other recipes on the site.
Sorry it was too hot! Definitely adjust the pepper level as you see fit!
Made this last night and it was DELISH! Thank you
So glad you enjoyed it!
Skinny Buffalo Chicken Strips
3 T of cayenne sounds like a lot. How hot is this?
Hi Jacqueline! To me, it’s just right–but that probably depends on whether you’re used to spicy foods. Since the cayenne is part of the marinade, most of it will remain in the marinade when it’s drained off, but if you’re concerned about the heat, start with 1 tbsp, then work your way up the next time you make it!
This looks delicious but I can’t have cider vinegar right now. Can I use red wine vinegar instead (that and balsalmic are the only two I can have right now).
Hi Shanna! Sorry I missed your comment! Yes–I’ve used red wine vinegar when I didn’t have the cider vinegar around, and it works out well. I probably wouldn’t use balsamic though!
This recipe is pretty spicy, but if you dip it in the ranch, it cools down the heat leaving the delicious flavors. I served red Quinoa separate from a peach/kale/ goat cheese salad on the back of Aldi’s red quinoa package for those on a no carb diet. I would soften the heat for company, but it definitely spiced up our evening.
Hi Susan! Glad you enjoyed them–this is one of our favorites at home. I guess we’ve gotten used to the spice level–I think you’re right for company you might want to tone it down, maybe go with 2 instead of 3 tbsp of cayenne in the marinade. The rest of your meal sure sounds yummy! -Anne
Wow! This looks amazing! I should try this. Thank you for sharing.
Wow! Thank you for sharing this recipe. This looks so delicious. My family would surely love this. This is indeed a great idea for dinner.
Enjoy!
This was just perfect. Served it cauliflower mash and had an amazing low carb Sunday lunch.
Glad to hear! We sometimes keep them on hand for a light but satisfying snack!
Thanks for sharing your fantastic idea of buffalo chicken recipe. Great presentation as well.
You’re welcome, enjoy! These are a favorite here!
Wow! This looks amazing! I should try this. Thank you for sharing.
Read more: https://www.beautifulquickly.com/best-anti-aging-foods-for-younger-looking-skin/
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