Buffalo Ranch Chicken Legs
Serve crunchy Buffalo Ranch Chicken Legs instead of wings, and get to the real meat of the matter!! They're delicious and can be made in an oven or air fryer, and they are a tasty main course, too!!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 254kcal
Equipment
- foil optional
- chef's knife optional for cutting veggies
- cutting board optional for cutting veggies
Ingredients
- 12 each chicken legs
- 3 cups buttermilk (or buttermilk alternative of 3 cups milk and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar)
- ½ cup dry ranch seasoning
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce or to taste
- carrot sticks optional for serving with legs
- celery sticks optional for serving with legs
- ½ cup blue cheese dressing or your favorite dip
Instructions
- Add the chicken legs into a large gallon-size zip lock bag and pour the buttermilk over the legs. Close the bag and allow the legs to marinate in the buttermilk (or buttermilk alternative) for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- If air frying, preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 degrees Celsius) for 5 minutes. If using a regular oven, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) for 15-20 minutes.
- Cover a baking sheet with foil (optional) and add the rack to the pan. Spray the rack liberally with cooking spray and set aside.
- Drain the buttermilk from the chicken legs (discarding the marinade), and pour the dry ranch seasoning into the bag with the marinated chicken legs. Shake and massage the chicken legs in the bag so the ranch seasoning evenly coats all the legs. *Note - additional dry ranch seasoning may be added if desired.
- Use tongs to place the legs onto the prepared pan and bake as follows:Air fryer - 20 minutes ~ Oven - 25 minutes
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and whisk in hot sauce to taste.
- Remove the legs and brush each leg with the melted butter and hot sauce mixture before returning the legs to finish cooking until they reach the internal temperature of 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer ~ (approximately 5-7 additional minutes in the air fryer and 10-12 additional minutes in the oven).
- Serve hot or at room temperature along with carrot and celery sticks and the blue cheese dipping sauce.
Video
Notes
One serving = two legs
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Legs may be frozen after cooking. Cool completely and store in an airtight freezer container or bag for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 1945mg | Potassium: 174mg | Fiber: 0.01g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 554IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 0.2mg
