Buffalo Chicken Skewers with Blue Cheese Yoghurt
These buffalo chicken skewers are grilled until juicy, then brushed with buttery hot sauce and served with cool blue cheese yoghurt. The contrast of smoky chicken, tangy heat and creamy finish makes this an easy BBQ recipe when you want sharp flavour without extra fuss.
Ingredients
- 800 g boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 3 to 4cm pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 red onion cut into chunks
- 1 celery stalk cut into thick slices for skewering, optional
- 8 to 10 metal skewers or bamboo skewers soaked in water
For the buffalo sauce
- 80 ml hot sauce
- 40 g unsalted butter melted
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp honey
For the blue cheese yoghurt
- 120 g Greek yoghurt
- 50 g blue cheese crumbled
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp milk if needed to loosen
- 1 small garlic clove very finely grated
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
Season the chicken
- In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper until evenly coated.
- Thread the chicken onto the skewers, alternating with chunks of red onion and celery if using. Leave a little space between the pieces so the heat can circulate.
Make the buffalo sauce and blue cheese yoghurt
- In a small bowl, whisk together the hot sauce, melted butter, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and honey until smooth. Set aside.
- In another bowl, mix the Greek yoghurt, blue cheese, lemon juice, grated garlic and chopped chives. Add a splash of milk if you want a looser texture. Season with black pepper and chill until needed.
Prepare the BBQ
- Preheat the BBQ for medium-high heat, around 200 to 230C at grill level. Clean the grates and oil them lightly. Set up one direct heat zone and one cooler zone.
- If you’re using charcoal, wait until the coals are mostly grey and settled. This recipe is simpler than some, though a steady fire still makes life much easier.
Grill the chicken skewers
- Place the skewers over direct heat and cook for 3 minutes per side, turning as they take on colour. Once they’ve picked up some char, move them to the cooler side and cook with the lid down for another 5 to 7 minutes.
- When the chicken is almost done, brush the skewers generously with buffalo sauce and return them to direct heat for 30 to 60 seconds per side. Brush again and cook until the chicken reaches 74C internally.
Serve with blue cheese yoghurt
- Let the skewers rest for 3 to 5 minutes, then spoon or drizzle over some of the blue cheese yoghurt and serve the rest on the side.
- I like finishing them with extra chives and a few cracks of black pepper. The cool sauce against the warm buffalo chicken is exactly the point.
Notes
Chicken thighs are my preference here because buffalo sauce works best when the meat underneath stays juicy and a bit rich. Chicken breast can work, though it dries more easily and doesn’t give you quite the same forgiving margin on the BBQ. The simple dry seasoning on the chicken is deliberate. Buffalo sauce is the main character, so I keep the base fairly clean and let the coating do the talking.
For the sauce, use a hot sauce you actually enjoy because its flavour comes through clearly. Some are more vinegary, some are more peppery and some are a bit salty. Blue cheese can be as strong or as mild as you like. I tend to use one that crumbles easily and has a proper savoury edge, though not one so aggressive it takes over the whole plate.
Nutrition
Calories: 436kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 34gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 178mgSodium: 980mgPotassium: 690mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 980IUCalcium: 126mgIron: 2.2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!