Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins

These Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins are the perfect party appetizer. Make them for your next gathering for a total crowd pleaser!

A Note From Teri on This Recipe

We recently made a delicious buffalo chicken salad recently, and as soon as we had it, I knew it would be spectacular on a potato skin.

As a gal that loves a potato, I am loving the trend of stuffed potatoes. But for me, putting everything on top of the potato doesn’t give us enough room for all of the goodness we want to add. Roy suggested that we empty out the potato, use the middle for a fabulous breakfast potato, and make crispy skins for our buffalo chicken potatoes.

This kind of dish takes me back to going to TGI Fridays to have their potato skins. If you’ve never been, it’s a bit of a retro restaurant that had eclectic decor and always made it feel like Friday! And you know what, potato skins are as good today as they were then! Doing these at home takes a bit of prep, but it’s so fun to make with kids or a group.

While these make a great appetizer for a party, you could even enjoy them for a special dinner! It’s packed with protein and vegetables for a perfectly filling meal on its own. Plus, you can do quite a bit of prep in advance. Shred the cheese, make the dressing, cut the vegetables, and make the potato skins, and even make the chicken if you’d like. Crisp up your skins in the oven when you are ready to eat, assemble and enjoy!

Ingredients

• Large egg
• Light olive oil 
• Chopped chives
• Fresh lemon juice 
• Minced shallots
• Apple cider vinegar 
• Garlic clove
• Anchovy, optional 
• Grated lemon zest 
• Kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder
• Buffalo sauce
• Boneless chicken thighs 
• Russet potatoes
• Butter
• Cheddar cheese
• Romaine lettuce
• Carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes 
• Blue cheese crumbles
• Avocado
• Green olives 
• Green onion

Variations

The buffalo chicken is amazing with chicken thighs, but you could use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead. Be sure to adjust your cooking time as needed.

Our new buffalo creamy chive dressing is a superstar. If you have the time, I highly recommend making it and I would double it so you have plenty leftover. If you’re short on time, you could add a bit of buffalo sauce to a blue cheese or ranch dressing instead.

How to Make These Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins

Make Dressing and Bake Potatoes

In a wide mouth mason jar, add the egg and, using an immersion blender, slowly add the olive oil until it emulsifies. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until combined. Refrigerate to allow the dressing to thicken before use. 

Prick potatoes all over with a fork and rub generously with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven until the skin is crispy and the inside is soft, about 60-70 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Make the Buffalo Chicken Thighs

Combine the spices in a large bowl then add the chicken thighs. Toss to coat them with the spice blend and set aside.  In a small saute pan, heat up the buffalo sauce over low heat. Or, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and cook for a minute or so until heated through. 

Heat a skillet or cast-iron pan over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Lower heat to medium and add the olive oil. Cook the chicken thighs, skin side down without moving, for 5-6 minutes or until the skin is golden and crispy.  Once the skin is crispy and golden, flip the thighs and cook for 4-5 more minutes.

Using a spoon or basting brush, top each thigh with about a tablespoon of buffalo sauce and quickly flip them twice. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place on a plate to rest. 

Make the Potato Skins

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them through lengthwise, slicing parallel to the surface the potatoes are on. With a spoon, scoop the potato flesh out of the skins. Brush the inside of the potatoes with butter and season with a little salt and pepper. Return the potatoes to the oven and cook, about 5-7 minutes, until the skin is crispy and flesh is golden. 

Remove the potato skins from the oven and sprinkle with cheddar. Return to the oven until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Remove the potato skins from the oven and place them on a large serving platter. 

Cut the chicken thighs into chunks and place them in a large bowl. Toss with romaine, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, olives, and some dressing. Fill the potato skins with the salad and top each with a few slices of avocado, a sprinkle of green onions, and another drizzle of dressing.

Storage and Reheating

Store leftovers in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat the potatoes in the oven, then add your buffalo chicken salad toppings.

Try These Other Appetizer Recipes

• Loaded Potato Chip Nachos
• Gluten-Free Coconut Fried Shrimp
• Badass Baked Chicken Wings
• Loaded Potato Skins with Spicy Sauce

If you make this Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins recipe, be sure to rate and review the recipe to let me know what you think. And if you want to follow along, head to Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest for more inspiration!

Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins

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• Author: Teri Turner
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 80 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings
• Category: Appetizer
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Make this for a perfect party appetizer or a special dinner!

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Ingredients

For the Buffalo Creamy Chive Dressing: 

•   1 large egg 
•   ¾ cup light olive oil
•   3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
•   2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
•   2 tablespoons minced shallots
•   1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
•   1 garlic clove, grated or pressed
•   1 anchovy, optional
•   ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
•   ½ teaspoon kosher salt
•   4 tablespoons buffalo sauce 

For the Potato Skins: 

•   4 Russet potatoes, scrubbed
•   1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
•   1 teaspoon kosher salt
•   ½ teaspoon black pepper
•   3 tablespoons butter, melted
•   1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

For the Buffalo Chicken Thighs: 

•   1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
•   1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
•   ¾ teaspoon black pepper 
•   ¾ teaspoon paprika
•   6 skin-on, boneless chicken thighs
•   1/3 cup buffalo sauce
•   2 tablespoons olive oil 

For the Salad: 

•   6 ounces romaine lettuce, chopped
•   1 cup julienned carrots
•   1 cup thinly sliced celery
•   ½ cup quartered cherry tomatoes 
•   1/8 cup blue cheese crumbles 
•   ¼ cup sliced green olives
•   1 avocado, sliced
•   1/8 cup sliced green onions

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Make the Buffalo Creamy Chive Dressing. To a wide-mouth mason jar, add the egg and, using an immersion blender, slowly add the olive oil and blend until it emulsifies and thickens. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate to thicken. 
3. Bake the potatoes. Prick potatoes all over with a fork and rub generously with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven until the skin is crispy and the inside is soft, about 60-70 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
4. Raise oven temperature to 475F.
5. Make the Buffalo Chicken Thighs.  Combine the spices in a large bowl then add the chicken thighs. Toss to coat them with the spice blend and set aside. 
6. In a small saute pan, heat up the buffalo sauce over low heat. Or, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and cook for a minute or so until heated through. 
7. Heat a skillet or cast-iron pan over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Lower heat to medium and add the olive oil. Cook the chicken thighs, skin side down without moving, for 5-6 minutes or until the skin is golden and crispy. 
8. Once the skin is crispy and golden, flip the thighs and cook for 4-5 more minutes. Note: the timing on the chicken thighs may vary  depending on the size of each thigh and how many you cook in the same pan. 
9. Using a spoon or basting brush, top each thigh with about a tablespoon of buffalo sauce and quickly flip them twice. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place on a plate to rest. 
10. Make the potato skins. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them through lengthwise, slicing parallel to the surface the potatoes are on. Note: If you start to cut the potatoes and you notice that the skin starts to rip, that means they are still too hot. Wait another five minutes, then cut them. 
11. With a spoon, scoop the potato flesh out of the skins, leaving ¼ inch potato attached to the skin around the edges, saving it for another use. (There’s a few fun ideas for what to do with the flesh in the post!) Brush the inside of the potatoes with butter and season with a little salt and pepper. Return the potatoes to the oven and cook, about 5-7 minutes, until the skin is crispy and flesh is golden. 
12. Remove the potato skins from the oven and sprinkle with cheddar. Return to the oven until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Remove the potato skins from the oven and place them on a large serving platter. 
13. Assemble the Potato Skins. Cut the chicken thighs into chunks and place them in a large bowl. Toss with romaine, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, olives, and ¼ cup of the dressing (or more, if needed). Fill the potato skins with the salad and top each with a few slices of avocado, a sprinkle of green onions, and another drizzle of dressing. 
14. Serve with the remaining dressing on the side and enjoy!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 potato skin
• Calories: 513
• Sugar: 2.5 g
• Sodium: 766.7 mg
• Fat: 43.3 g
• Carbohydrates: 21.6 g
• Protein: 14 g
• Cholesterol: 71.1 mg