This easy 3-ingredient slow cooker buffalo chicken is delicious in sandwiches, sliders, or wraps; in tacos or quesadillas; and on top of salads, pizzas, or baked potatoes!
Table of Contents
If you love easy Crock Pot chicken recipes, be sure to try this Crock Pot chicken stew, this cozy Crock Pot chicken with gravy, this Crock Pot pulled bbq chicken, and this slow cooker shredded chicken, too!
This Crockpot Buffalo Chicken is So Easy!
We can all appreciate those quick meals that come together with minimal prep time and just a handful of pantry staples. Slow cooker buffalo chicken is one of those gems, since it’s a crowd-pleasing option that only requires about 5 minutes of prep and 3 basic ingredients. It’s a great solution for family dinners, but it’s also a popular appetizer for Super Bowl parties, holiday gatherings, tailgates, and more. Just keep it warm in the Crock Pot and let your guests help themselves!
A Few Important Tips and Ingredient Notes
- You can use boneless, skinless chicken breast or boneless, skinless chicken thighs — whichever you prefer. I’ve shown white meat chicken breast here, but dark meat tends to stay juicier over the long cooking process.
- Buffalo wing sauce is spicy. If you want a more mild option, look for “mild” buffalo wing sauce (we use Frank’s Red Hot brand).
- If you’d like to control the sodium in your dish, use a homemade Ranch seasoning blend and limit the amount of salt that you add.
- Every slow cooker runs at a slightly different temperature (which is why the recipe gives you general time ranges rather than exact times). Since my slow cooker tends to cook at a relatively high temperature, I find that the meal is best when cooked on HIGH for about 2 hours or on LOW for about 4 hours. That keeps the chicken moist and juicy, and prevents it from drying out. The meat is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Just get familiar with your pot and adjust accordingly.
How to Make Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
This easy buffalo chicken recipe comes together quickly, making it an ideal solution for busy weeknights or hosting large gatherings. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Place the chicken in a slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the ranch seasoning on top.
- Add a bottle of buffalo wing sauce.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.
- Shred chicken with two forks, stir it back into the sauce, and serve! It’s great on slider buns with lettuce and a drizzle of ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.
Serving Suggestions
Pile the shredded buffalo chicken on hamburger buns or little slider buns (we love sweet Hawaiian rolls or potato rolls as a contrast to the savory, spicy meat). You can also use it on pizza, nachos, tacos, salad, or offer the tender, flavorful meat on its own with your favorite side dishes. It’s a great recipe to use for meal prep, as you can make a large batch at once and it stores well.
We love crockpot buffalo chicken alongside carrots and celery sticks with Ranch dip, stuffed in an oven baked potato, Duke’s homemade mac and cheese, Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn, on a buffalo chicken pizza, this dump-and-bake vegetable casserole with rice, a green bean casserole with frozen green beans, an iceberg wedge salad, Arkansas green beans, or easy coleslaw dressing.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- How to Store: Leftover buffalo chicken will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To extend the life of your pulled chicken, store the leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Freezer Meal: You can also freeze the raw ingredients together in a large Ziploc freezer bag if you’re prepping a batch of freezer meals. Thaw the bag in the refrigerator overnight, and then dump everything from the bag into a slow cooker when you’re ready to cook the meat.
- How to Reheat: Place the cooked chicken and sauce in a saucepan on the stovetop. Cover with a lid and warm over low heat, just until the meat reaches the desired temperature (stirring regularly). You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave for about 1 minute.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
Ingredients
- 2-2.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 (1 ounce) packet dry Ranch salad dressing and seasoning mix (such as Hidden Valley)
- 1 (12 ounce) bottle buffalo wing sauce (such as Frank's RedHot mild)
- Optional (for creamy texture): 8 ounce block of cream cheese, cubed and softened at room temperature
- Optional garnish: sliced green onions or chopped fresh herbs
- Optional, for serving: slider rolls or sandwich buns; tortilla chips; taco shells or tortillas; baked potatoes
Instructions
- Spray the bottom of a slow cooker lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Place the chicken in the slow cooker; sprinkle the ranch seasoning on the meat. Pour the buffalo wing sauce over top.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Shred the chicken with two forks and give everything a good stir so that the meat is well combined with the sauce. Taste and season with kosher salt and extra ground black pepper, if desired.
- Optional: For a creamier, more mild consistency, add the cream cheese to the slow cooker at the very end, stir, cover, and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cream cheese melts and incorporates into the sauce.
- Garnish with chopped fresh herbs or sliced green onions and serve!
Notes
-
- Buffalo wing sauce is spicy. If you want a more mild option, look for “mild” buffalo wing sauce (we use Frank’s Red Hot brand).
-
- If you’d like to control the sodium in your dish, use a homemade Ranch seasoning blend and limit the amount of salt that you add.
-
- Every slow cooker runs at a slightly different temperature (which is why the recipe gives you general time ranges rather than exact times). Since my slow cooker tends to cook at a relatively high temperature, I find that the meal is best when cooked on HIGH for about 2 hours or on LOW for about 4 hours. That keeps the chicken moist and juicy, and prevents it from drying out. Just get familiar with your pot and adjust accordingly.
Nutrition
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe Variations
- Scale the recipe to suit the size of your group. For instance, cut the ingredients in half to cook just 1 lb. of chicken, or double all of the ingredients to feed a larger group.
- If you’re looking for other ways to enjoy buffalo chicken, don’t miss this buffalo chicken casserole, a dump-and-bake buffalo chicken pasta, this buffalo chicken dip crescent ring, Crock Pot buffalo chicken chili, and these crispy baked chicken wings.
- For a sweet twist, swap out the buffalo sauce and use a bottle of bbq sauce instead.
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
Crock Pot Chicken and Noodles
2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo
2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins
Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken
4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Simple and easy! And if you love buffalo sauce like I do, you’ll obviously love this. Just be aware, there’s a lot of sodium in this, so you need to portion it well.
Thank you, Peter!