cooking · Recipe
Cold Pan Chicken Thighs with Creamy Buffalo Sauce
From a video by Steel Pan Guy · 3 min watch
Chicken thighs seared starting in a cold stainless steel pan for perfectly rendered fat and crispy skin, finished with a quick creamy buffalo pan sauce made from the fond.

Source video — Steel Pan Guy on YouTube
From the creator
Total time
~30 minutesEstimated by Unreel from the recipe steps — the creator didn't state this.
Hands-on
~25 minutesEstimated by Unreel from the recipe steps — the creator didn't state this.
Servings
~1 servingEstimated by Unreel from the complete recipe.
Difficulty
EasyEstimated by Unreel from the recipe steps — the creator didn't state this.
Extraction confidence: high
Auto-generated from the video and rewritten in our own words. Double-check quantities against the source before cooking.
Ingredients
Ingredients scaled to 1 serving
- chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- all-purpose seasoning, to taste
- white wine
- heavy cream
- buffalo hot sauce
- butter, cold
Preparation
- Step 1Place skin-on chicken thighs into a completely cold stainless steel pan. Turn the heat to the high end of medium-low immediately. Be patient and allow 5-10 minutes for the fat to slowly render; do not disturb the chicken while it is stuck to the pan.
- Step 2Turn on vent and open windows as the rendered chicken fat may smoke. Do not scrape or force the chicken; wait until it naturally releases and effortlessly unstucks from the pan (an additional 2-3 minutes).
- Step 3Season the top (flesh) side of the chicken with salt, pepper, and all-purpose seasoning (or favorite seasoning).
- Step 4When the skin releases effortlessly, flip the thighs. Cook on the second side until the internal temperature reaches about 170°F, then remove gently to preserve the crispy skin.
- Step 5With the fond remaining in the pan, deglaze with a little white wine. Scrape up the fond with a spoon.
- Step 6Add a little heavy cream, some buffalo hot sauce, and cold butter. Stir to combine into a sauce. Continue until the sauce is thickened enough to leave a trail behind when stirred.
- Step 7Pour the creamy buffalo sauce over the rested chicken thighs. The result is tender meat with ultra-crispy, even skin.
Notes
- Works best on stainless steel for even cooking and visible fond; other pans like cast iron or nonstick will not produce the same results.
- Do not force or scrape the chicken while it is stuck; it will release naturally when ready.
- Use chicken stock instead of wine if preferred for deglazing.