Keto Buffalo chicken with paprika mayo and butter-fried cabbage

Keto Buffalo chicken with paprika mayo and butter-fried cabbage

Everyday deliciousness, pure and simple. Juicy chicken thighs, buttered cabbage, plus a flavored mayo — either spicy or not-so-spicy. It's an easy keto meal that you'll make again and again.

Keto Buffalo chicken with paprika mayo and butter-fried cabbage

Everyday deliciousness, pure and simple. Juicy chicken thighs, buttered cabbage, plus a flavored mayo — either spicy or not-so-spicy. It's an easy keto meal that you'll make again and again.
USMetric
4 servingservings

Ingredients

Buffalo chicken
  • 2 tbsp 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp 2 tbsp hot sauce
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp salt
  • 2 lbs 900 g chicken thighs (bone-in with skin)
Butter-fried green cabbage
  • 1½ lbs 650 g green cabbage
  • 1 oz. 28 g butter
  • salt and pepper
Paprika mayonnaise
  • ½ cup 120 ml mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp paprika powder
  • ½ tsp ½ tsp hot sauce
  • salt and pepper
This recipe has been added to the shopping list.

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
  2. Mix olive oil, garlic powder, hot sauce, and salt in a large bowl. Add chicken thighs and stir to cover; alternatively, brush the mixture all over the thighs.
  3. Place the chicken in a greased baking dish with the skin side up. Bake in the oven for about 40-50 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. If you use a thermometer it should read 165°F (75°C) when ready.
  4. In the meantime, shred the cabbage finely with a knife or food processor.
  5. Melt butter in a skillet and fry cabbage over medium heat until soft and golden brown around the edges. Salt and pepper to taste.
  6. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, paprika powder, and hot sauce or tabasco. Combine well.
  7. Serve the chicken and cabbage with a dollop of flavored mayonnaise and perhaps an extra dash of hot sauce if you like, enjoy.

Tips

It doesn't always have to be cabbage. Feel free to try this meal with any sautéed low-carb vegetable, even endive!

For hot sauce you can use tabasco or sriracha sauce. Feel free to add more or less, depending on how spicy you like it.

Recommended special equipment

Food processor.

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💬 Have you tried this recipe?

What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

54 comments

  1. Sue McAllister
    what hot sauce do you suggest!?
    Replies: #10, #18
  2. Tanja
    I used Harissa paste.
  3. Jill
    Is there any way to find out the net carbs instead of a percentage in these meals? Although the percentage of what I have eaten and plan to eat is low, the actual carb count may be over what I need! Help!
    Reply: #4
  4. Peter Biörck Team Diet Doctor
    Hi Jill!

    Net carbs (gram) is given per serving at the bottom in the Nutritional info box.

  5. Nicole
    Do we leave skin on for this one?
  6. Amber
    May I ask how the 8g carbs were determined? I am having trouble getting that number in my calculations, so I am concerned that I am adding my net carbs wrong.
    Reply: #7
  7. Meredith
    Is it possible 8 carbs is total, not net?
    Reply: #8
  8. Peter Biörck Team Diet Doctor
    Hi Meredith!

    We always use Net carbs.

    Is it possible 8 carbs is total, not net?

  9. 1 comment removed
  10. Rick
    If you’re making Buffalo chicken, it’s gotta be Frank’s hot sauce. Substitute butter for olive oil and add a dash of Worcester sauce.
    Reply: #24
  11. Lynn
    Are there other suggestions if you don’t like “hot” foods?
    Reply: #12
  12. Alison
    It doesn't really come out hot at all. Just peppery really. We like hot here and I added double what the recipe called for. Still wasn't spicy. :)
  13. Grace
    I have two teenage boys. Is it healthy for them to eat keto, or do they need more carbs while they are growing?
    Reply: #14
  14. Neo
    Let them have carbs, full grain and leafy grains, Good for their growth and muscle development, look up IGF-1 and its relationship with carbs if you want more details.
  15. Lynnette
    I am hungry at night, Is ir okay, to eat at night? I stop eating after 8:00 pm
  16. Lynnette
    Is there anywhere, that I can buy almonds bread, all ready made?
  17. Jazz
    Not a fan of “buffalo” flavor... especially spicy. Any recommendations on another substitute?
  18. Kimberly
    The traditional Buffalo hot sauce is Frank’s Hot Sauce, available in most grocery stores. I use butter and a little extra apple cider vinegar.
  19. Darrel
    Another winner! I made this with turkey loins because I had some. Sriracha for the hot sauce. Very easy to make and my daughter even liked it.
  20. Jamal
    So the shopping list didn't specify you had to make your own mayonnaise...only that mayonnaise was required. I used regular mayo on the fact it was clear until I clicked on the hyperlink and only then I found out I had to make my own. I have been using store bought mayo all week! This mishap probably set me back lord knows how many days. Further research shows regular mayo is definitely NOT keto friendly. Clarify in the shopping list next time for future participants
    Reply: #21
  21. Tobias
    You don’t have to make your own mayo. Storebought will be just fine. The link is only there to tell you how to make it if you fancy to do so.
    Just dont buy light mayo or some fancy kind in the store. Just regular plain mayo will do the job.
  22. Bev
    Can someone please help, l am into day three and I am just eating what the week one chanllenge tells me to eat, I don’t have breakfast l have my first meal at about 1or 2 o clock. Is that what l am suppose to do, l don’t understand Marco,
  23. Doris
    Sunday’s dinner and Monday’s lunch gave
    me a lot of leftovers. Today I made half the recipe and have just enough for lunch tomorrow.
  24. Jane
    Agree 100%! And ditch the mayo and serve with some celery sticks and lots of blue cheese dressing. I'm having it with a wedge of iceberg lettuce (with the blue cheese dressing and crumbled bacon).
  25. Dylan
    So I just started on keto and as mentioned above, I didn't realise I was supposed to make my own keto mayo as opposed to store bought. This is the mayo I've been using:
    http://www.bestfoods.co.nz/our-products/real-mayonnaise/
    Will this have an effect on my keto diet and prevent me from entering ketosis?
    Reply: #28
  26. Rachel
    Hi there- is this bone in thighs?
  27. pily
    the recipe for the mayo is meaure by servings . how do i calculate to make a cup?
  28. Teresa
    Dylan you will be fine it's only .02 carbs per serving and same with the sugar content.
  29. Els
    I found lots of 'hot sauces' in the supermarket, but all of them very sugary, so I just bought tabasco. Hope that'll do it.
  30. Els
    Another keeper. The chicken was still a bit pale after 40 minutes, so I turned on the grill until it was nicely browned. Spicy, crispy and juicy... yum!
  31. Norma San Miguel
    Do we use regular butter or ghee?
  32. Larisa Chilton
    This dish is awesome
  33. Sean
    This recipe for one serving calls for 200g chicken thighs, i dont have a scale. How am i to know how many thighs that is? i wanna try this recipe but am not sure how many to use
    Reply: #34
  34. Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    That will very honestly depend on the size of the chicken thighs. Thigh size can vary pretty widely between brand and in different countries. This makes 4 servings, so use as many thighs as you would need to be 4 satisfactory servings. Additionally, most of the time, the meat package will show the total weight on it when you buy it.
  35. Kristie
    Although the paprika mayo tastes better than it sounds with this recipe, if you are a fan of the traditional "buffalo" pairings, make the chicken as directed but sub the mayo sauce for the DD blue cheese dressing: https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/keto-blue-cheese-dressing and then you could also have celery sticks/Romaine lettuce instead of the cabbage. Delish!
  36. Jeanette
    I was actually very surprised at just how good this is! Starting my third week of keto, and have to say, I have only had one recipe that I don’t think I’d make again. The remainder have all been delish!!!
  37. Abdulmajeed Jaffer
    Wow this tastes so good and it's so easy to make!
  38. Jaime Kenyon
    I'm really struggling to understand how it says 8g net carbs for this but when I plug the same recipe into Carb Manager, it says 14g? I AM looking forward to eating this tonight but now I have no carb allowance left for the day. Confused.com :-)
    Reply: #41
  39. lauramb1994
    This was amazingly filling and satisfying. I added a slice of seed bread (another DD recipe) to go with it. Instead of the spicy mayo I made blue cheese dressing (another DD recipe). Very good. Might try making it with traditional wings next time for a real Buffalo wings feel and serve with celery!! Can’t wait!!
    Reply: #40
  40. Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor

    This was amazingly filling and satisfying. I added a slice of seed bread (another DD recipe) to go with it. Instead of the spicy mayo I made blue cheese dressing (another DD recipe). Very good. Might try making it with traditional wings next time for a real Buffalo wings feel and serve with celery!! Can’t wait!!

    Great job mixing it up a bit!

  41. Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor

    I'm really struggling to understand how it says 8g net carbs for this but when I plug the same recipe into Carb Manager, it says 14g? I AM looking forward to eating this tonight but now I have no carb allowance left for the day. Confused.com :-)

    The 8g are net carbs (13g total carbs). Are you looking at total or net in Carb Manager?

  42. Ben Riffey
    I don't like chicken thighs, so made this with breast meat-- Also had bacon grease onhand, and fried the cabbage in that instead of butter. Was amazing, probably my favorite recipe yet. :)
    Reply: #43
  43. Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor

    I don't like chicken thighs, so made this with breast meat-- Also had bacon grease onhand, and fried the cabbage in that instead of butter. Was amazing, probably my favorite recipe yet. :)

    Sounds great! So glad you enjoyed it!

  44. Amber
    Another great recipe! I'm surprised how much my bf (not doing keto) loves these DD meals! He just told me I've turned into a great cook since I started using DD!
  45. Andrew
    can this be frozen?
    Reply: #46
  46. Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor

    can this be frozen?

    The chicken should freeze fine, but I would not attempt to freeze the cabbage. It would be best to make the cabbage fresh.

  47. Sarah Hart
    The chicken was delicious, really tasty, moist and tender, but the cabbage really didn't go, and the paprika mayo just tasted of raw powdery paprika. I'll do the chicken again but serve it with salad or green beans
  48. Linda
    My preference for hot sauce, if you're calling it "Buffalo chicken" is Frank's with butter per the original recipe.

    But I wanted to note that 180º F is way overcooked. The standard temperature for cooked chicken is 165º F. And it takes 30-40 minutes, depending on how big the chicken pieces are.

    A couple of other comments: it's standard to use blue cheese with Buffalo wings, so I'd make a blue cheese mayo or ranch dressing with blue cheese. Maybe do a blue cheese sauce on the cabbage.

    Last, you can freeze the cooked cabbage. It will probably be less crunchy after it's reheated. But it will be safe to eat.

  49. Ellie Cheveralls
    Can I do this with chicken breast not thighs?
    Reply: #50
  50. Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor

    Can I do this with chicken breast not thighs?

    Absolutely! Just be aware that the nutrition percentages would change a bit.

  51. Rebecca
    Absolutely LOVE this meal! This is one of the easiest, tastiest, most satisfying recipes. Simple mix the spice, hot sauce (we only use Frank's Buffalo), and oil, coat the chicken and pop in the oven for 50 minutes! We didn't need the mayo. I use cabbage or asparagus or broccoli as the side with plenty of butter. This is a favorite!
    Reply: #52
  52. Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor

    Absolutely LOVE this meal! This is one of the easiest, tastiest, most satisfying recipes. Simple mix the spice, hot sauce (we only use Frank's Buffalo), and oil, coat the chicken and pop in the oven for 50 minutes! We didn't need the mayo. I use cabbage or asparagus or broccoli as the side with plenty of butter. This is a favorite!

    Sounds great! Thanks for sharing!

  53. Marla
    I make this often since it is an easy and very tasty recipe. Tonight I put the chicken into my Air Fryer and the skin came out so crispy and yet moist inside. In fact - Perfect! I use Louisiana brand Hot Sauce and add Smoked Paprika to the Mayo. Tonight I didn't do the cabbage but air fried/roasted some broccoli with it. Great meal!
    Reply: #54
  54. Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor

    I make this often since it is an easy and very tasty recipe. Tonight I put the chicken into my Air Fryer and the skin came out so crispy and yet moist inside. In fact - Perfect! I use Louisiana brand Hot Sauce and add Smoked Paprika to the Mayo. Tonight I didn't do the cabbage but air fried/roasted some broccoli with it. Great meal!

    Sounds great! Thanks for sharing!

  55. Norma
    This is a very good recipe for chicken that is quick and easy to get into the oven. The only changes I made was to reduce the amount of paprika to 1 tsp as a tablespoon seemed too much and used smoked paprika instead of regular. I also used half mayo and half Greek plain yogurt for the sauce to cut the mayonnaise-y flavor a bit. Will definitely be making this again.

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