This crock pot buffalo chicken is chicken breasts cooked to tender perfection in a mixture of hot sauce, ranch seasoning and butter. Shred this slow cooker chicken and serve it as-is, on a sandwich or as a salad topper.
Buffalo chicken is a classic flavor combination for good reason. Serve up a cheesy buffalo chicken pasta, try some zesty buffalo chicken tacos, or make this super easy slow cooker buffalo chicken.
When I need a super easy dinner with minimal effort, I turn to this crock pot buffalo chicken. It has all the same great flavors as buffalo wings, but with a lot less work.
Table of Contents
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Ingredients
For this recipe you will need chicken breasts, ranch seasoning, butter, buffalo wing sauce, honey, parsley and pepper.
How Do You Make Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken?
Start by placing boneless skinless chicken breasts in a crock pot. Sprinkle ranch dressing seasoning powder and black pepper over the chicken. Pour a bottle of buffalo wing sauce over the chicken, then add sliced butter and a drizzle of honey. Cook on low heat until the chicken is tender. Shred the chicken with two forks. Add more hot sauce if desired, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
- The honey does not make the chicken sweet, it’s used to counterbalance the vinegar and spice in the sauce.
- I prefer to cook this dish over low heat, as I think the chicken comes out more tender that way.
- You can also make this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs if that is what you have on hand.
- Serve your chicken with some hearty side dishes such as green bean fries, sauteed broccolini or Southern mac and cheese.
Quick Tip
I like to use Frank’s Red Hot brand sauce. Look for the sauce labeled as buffalo wing sauce, it has a more well rounded flavor when compared to regular hot sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Traditionally, the term buffalo chicken refers to deep fried chicken wings that are tossed in hot sauce and served with blue cheese or ranch dressing. These days, buffalo chicken really refers to any cut of chicken that’s coated in the characteristic spicy sauce.
Buffalo chicken was invented in Buffalo, New York, which is how it got its now famous name!
Buffalo chicken is a spicy dish because it contains hot sauce. You can use less hot sauce if you’re adverse to spicy food. This chicken is often served with cooling sides to counteract the heat like carrots, celery and creamy dips and dressings.
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Ways To Use Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken
The great part about this recipe is that the chicken has so many uses!
- Baked Potatoes: Top oven baked potatoes with this chicken along with a drizzle of homemade ranch dressing, crumbled blue cheese and sliced celery.
- Pizza: Top a cheese pizza with chicken and blue cheese. Bake and add a drizzle of extra buffalo sauce.
- Mac and Cheese: Stir the chicken into homemade or store bought stovetop mac and cheese.
- Salad: Top salad greens with crock pot buffalo chicken, celery, carrots and blue cheese dressing.
- Sandwich: Make sandwiches with chicken, lettuce and tomato. Or top your chicken sandwiches with a cooling coleslaw.
Flavor Variations
While this dish is delicious as-is, you can customize it to create your own version.
- Creamy: Stir 1/2 cup sour cream and 2 ounces of softened cream cheese into the cooked shredded chicken.
- Chipotle: Fire things up by adding 2-3 minced canned chipotle peppers to the crock pot.
- Cheesy: Stir 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and 1 ounce of cream cheese into the finished chicken. Continue to stir until the cheese has melted.
I love this slow cooker buffalo chicken because it has just a handful of ingredients and is always a big crowd pleaser!
More Recipes For Buffalo Chicken Lovers
Buffalo Ranch Chicken Dip
35 mins
Buffalo Cauliflower
40 mins
Buffalo Chicken Nuggets
30 mins
Buffalo Chicken Sliders
30 mins
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 ounce packet ranch seasoning mix
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 12 ounce bottle buffalo wing sauce plus more if desired
- 6 tablespoons butter sliced
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped, optional
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Coat a crock pot with cooking spray. Arrange the chicken breasts in the bottom of the pot.
- Sprinkle the ranch seasoning mix and pepper over the chicken breasts.
- Pour the buffalo wing sauce over the chicken. Layer the butter slices on top of the sauce.
- Drizzle the honey over the top. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Uncover the chicken and shred with two forks. You can add more hot sauce if desired. Sprinkle with parsley if you like, then serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Be sure to use buffalo wing sauce, as it has a more balanced flavor than buffalo hot sauce.
- You can use ranch dressing mix or ranch dip mix for the ranch seasoning.
Perfection in a crock pot! I love buffalo wings and this made a delightful buffalo chicken and was super easy to make. Thank you!
I just added this to my meal prep for the week. It will be great for my salads.
Wow, this crock pot buffalo chicken recipe sounds absolutely mouthwatering! I love the simplicity of using chicken breasts in the slow cooker, and the combination of hot sauce, ranch seasoning, and butter is a genius idea.
Can you say deeeelicious?! My son loves the tang of the saucey chicken when I made this. I made this and stuffed it in a sandwich while he ate his with rice. So good!
I love that I could set and forget this in the crock pot and it turned out perfectly cooked!! It was super flavorful, tender, and delicious!
This Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken is a game-changer! The slow-cooked perfection allows the flavors to meld into a spicy, tangy, and utterly delicious dish. Whether served on its own, in tacos, or on a sandwich, it’s a foolproof recipe that’s become a spicy favorite in our household. Simply fantastic!
This is great on sandwiches. Thanks!
The crockpot buffalo chicken won over our game day crowd. It’s so easy to make and even easier to serve. It’s a keeper…thanks for sharing!
This was easy, spicy and a fam favorite at our house!! Thank you!
This chicken turned out perfectly! Served them as sliders for a party and everyone loved them.
Loved this recipe (I know, I know I say it about all of your recipes…). We only had boneless skinless thighs, so I am glad you said it was ok to use, and the recipe turned out perfectly fine. All the flavour and super tender chicken. My husband has already asked me to make it again next weekend when his brother is visiting us 🙂
I love how decadent this meal is — the perfect meal for a busy weeknight!
It’s like a flavor explosion in my mouth. The chicken is tender and juicy, and the buffalo sauce has just the right amount of kick. It’s the perfect meal for game days or any occasion!