Buffalo Chicken Thighs + Lemon-Almond Green Beans
Crisp thighs tossed in classic butter-and-hot-sauce buffalo, with lemony almond green beans finishing at the same time.
Why it works: The thighs crisp dry and get tossed in classic equal-parts butter and hot sauce afterwards, and lemon-butter almond beans cool the heat.
Fine-tuned settings
Starting point from our kitchen. Check your manual. Cook to the safe temp.
Settings source: Ninja DZ201 & DZ302 Smart Finish charts; USDA 165°F
Sources: Ninja Foodi 2-Basket Air Fryer DZ201 Quick Start Guide · Ninja Foodi XL 2-Basket Air Fryer DZ302 Quick Start Guide · USDA FSIS Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart · FoodSafety.gov Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures
The 'Any air fryer'/'Any slow cooker' fallback is general guidance, not from a chart.
Ingredients
- 1.25 lb boneless skin-on chicken thighs (4–5 oz each)
- 1 tsp kosher salt (half if table salt)
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp Frank's RedHot (or similar)
- 5 tbsp butter, melted, divided
- 24 oz green beans, trimmed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- ½ cup blue cheese or ranch, for dipping
Steps
- Pat the thighs dry and season with ¾ tsp salt and the garlic powder. Zone 1, skin side up.
- Toss the green beans and almonds with oil and the rest of the salt. Zone 2.
- Set the zones as shown in your settings and press Smart Finish.
- Whisk the hot sauce with 3 tbsp melted butter; toss the cooked thighs in it (165°F or higher).
- Toss the beans with the remaining 2 tbsp butter and the lemon juice. Serve with dip.
Safe temperature
165°F. Cook to the safe temp for your protein.