It’s hard to believe that you can make something so delicious with only 3 simple store bought ingredients. But it’s absolutely true with this easy and quick crockpot buffalo chicken meal!
This shredded buffalo chicken recipe assembles in a matter of minutes. All you need to do is toss everything in the crockpot and walk away.
You’ll come back in a few hours to find the most tender and moist chicken in a silky smooth buffalo sauce. Remove and shred the chicken breasts and add them back into the sauce.
Give it a good stir and you’re done!
This is another one of those super versatile recipes like my Crockpot Salsa Chicken. You’ll find so many great ways you can use this recipe for different meal options.
We ate this buffalo chicken on sandwich buns but you could easily use if for buffalo chicken nachos, buffalo chicken quesadillas, buffalo chicken salads and so much more!
It is buffalo chicken after all so it will be quite spicy. If you have young ones, you may want to cut the heat with a bit of cream cheese to mellow it out a bit.
This recipe also makes for a great party pleaser. You can make it ahead of time and then just reheat it in your crockpot just in time for that special holiday party, picnic or for a snack for the big game day.
I like to make a batch of this buffalo chicken and use it over several days, in several different ways. That pretty much means I only need to cook once but I get great meals over and over and over again without really trying!
Do you have a favorite versatile recipe you like to use in different ways? Do share below, I’m dying to hear all about it!
Ingredients:
- 3 - 5 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 12 oz bottle Franks Red Hot Wings buffalo sauce
- 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
Directions:
- Place chicken breasts into crockpot, pour buffalo sauce over chicken. Sprinkle ranch mix on top. Cover with the lid and cook on low for about 5 hours.
- Remove chicken to a cutting board. Do not discard sauce! Shred the chicken with two forks. The chicken should just fall apart.
- Place shredded chicken back into sauce still in crockpot. Stir to coat chicken.
- Continue cooking shredded buffalo chicken in the crockpot on low for about another hour or until chicken absorbs most of the sauce.
from My Kitchen Apron
how long do you think it would take to make these on high?
To make these on high, I would thaw the chicken breasts first. Depending on the thickness of the thawed chicken breasts, I would say around 3 hours.
Where would I purchase those type of chicken breast from
I usually get those chicken breasts at Walmart.
to cut the heat, do you just add the cream cheese right after you shred with the fork and return to crock pot? and how much? Or could I just add some to the a small portion after all cooking is done for my 3 y/o?
I would add it at the end. Remove the portion you want spicy, cover and set aside. The amount you add will depend on the amout of chicken you’re adding it to. I would start with a few tablespoons at a time. Add it to the warm chicken in the crockpot and stir. Let it melt and combine, taste it and add more if needed.
I add just as much as i think it needs at the end to the portion I eat. I have not tried offering this to a child, its still got a kick after adding cheese.
Do the leftovers freeze good??
yes it does!
Good to know! Thanks Cyndi!
Why not use fresh chicken rather frozen?? Any reason? And would cooking times change?
Either fresh or frozen will work, whatever you prefer. You’ll have to adjust the cooking time a bit. The fresh chicken will cook faster but it will depend on the size and thickness of the chicken breasts.
How many servings does this make?
I’d say at least 6 – 8 servings but it will depend on how you’re using it. My husband and I get two meals out of it with a total of 8 large sandwiches piled high. It would stretch a bit further in tacos, quesadillas or nachos.
I just made these for dinner and it was so easy, my mouth is watering can’t wait to eat! Nice change from eating wings! Thanks for sharing =)
Yea, Christine! Glad you liked them!
Has anyone tried these with chicken that hasn’t been frozen? Just wondering how to adjust the time/heat….THANKS! sounds fabulous!
Hi Tracie. The time would depend also on the thickness of your chicken breasts. I would say thawed on low would take only about three hours tops for an average chicken breast.
My chicken was fresh and i cooked in low for the 5 hours and it’s perfect
So glad you liked it Rachel! It’s so quick, easy and flavorful.
These were great! I used 1.5lbs of mostly thawed boneless slimness chicken breast, the entire packet of ranch powder, a tablespoon of minced garlic and half a jar of franks. They were amazing! I cooked on low for like 5-6 hours I forget and I think they’d been done for awhile. Im going to try it as a dip and mince the chicken more and add the cream cheese too!
So glad you liked them Cyndi! It’s a very vesatile recipe that can be used in so many ways!
Could wings be used in this receipe? I know the cook time would be shorter.
Hi Karen. I’ve never cooked wings in a crockpot before so I’m not sure. Sounds like a good idea though!
A quick easy way to shred the chicken is to throw it into a standing mixer on low with the paddle attatchment!
Great tip Allyson!
Has anyone tried this method with wings?
Forgot to get the ranch seasoning today and just HAD to have this today;so i dumped in some ranch straight out of the bottle(did not measure) and most of a 12 oz bottle of wing sauce.
Anyone else ever use ranch dressing? I may also have to add some cream cheese at the end to please my kids who do NOT like things spicy;)
Hi Alexa. I’m guessing this recipe calls for the ranch packet because it has a stronger, more concentrated flavor. I would have to say the dressing makes it a bit more runny and would take almost a whole bottle. Let us know how this method worked for you.
i also forgot the ranch packet.. does the dressing work?
I just made this dish last night, I used frozen boneless skinless breasts, cooked on high for 4 hrs then switched it to low for an additional 2 hrs. My son’s friends devoured it!
Yea! So glad everyone liked it!
I wonder if you can use canned chicken?
Hi Becky. I don’t see why canned chicken wouldn’t work, but you’ll need several large cans. You’ll also need to adjust the cooking time since the chicken is already cooked. Let us know how it turns out if you try it. Good luck!
Yummy! I made this yesterday and enjoyed some of the leftovers today in a quesadilla.
That’s great Lisa! So glad you’re enjoying it!
I have this in the crockpot right now. Can’t wait to try it. I’m thinking about putting the meat on the bun and adding a little ranch dressing on top!
That’s great Kelly, hope you like it. The ranch dressing on top would help cool the heat a bit since it is pretty spicy!
I have another brand of buffalo sauce… is there a reason that this calls for Frank’s brand? Will others work just as well?
Hi Erin. Any brand of sauce will work, whatever you prefer.
Tastes great… Made a change to shorten the time to 1 hr. I bought two cooked rotisserie chickens from my grocery store and hand pulled it apart put into my crockpot and added the ingredients. Turned out great! We served it with soft flower tortillas and coleslaw! Thank you for posing this one. This is my new football Sunday lunch.
That’s a great shortcut Lee! Glad you like it!
Loved this ! I used your reciepe but added The Sante Fe cooking cream at the end!! Cuts the heat! Delish!!
Great idea Christina!
If I had pretty thick chicken breast that is already thawed do i cook it for three hours on high and than shred it and than cook for another hour in the sauce?
Hi Mamabear. No, just throw everything in the crockpot and cook on low. At about the 3 hour mark, check the chicken. If it’s starting to fall apart, shred it then put it back in the sauce for about another hour. If it’s not falling apart at that time, just continue cooking it until it is. Hope this helps!
got it in crockpot now. looking forward to dinner. making home made calzones gonna stuff one with buffalo chicken and use the rest for tomorrows dinner. not sure what i will make, but what ever it will be im sure it will be great.
many thanks.
Yum, that calzone idea sounds delicious! Hope you like it!
Steve n Ed’s Buffalo sauce is very good also
Hi! It’s actually not safe to start frozen foods in the slow cooker. You should always defrost first because as the food goes from frozen to cooked there is the danger that it will be at an unsafe temperature for too long and food borne illness may result.
Thanks for letting me know Jen. I’ll have to look into this more.
Made this tonight and it was a hit with my kids and husband. It’s a keeper! Thank you!
You’re welcome Cristina! So glad you liked it!
This is pretty similar to how I make my Buffalo Chicken Dip and everyone loves it, never realizing that I don’t actually add the nasty, gloopy, Ranch salad dressing. To make the dip, I boil the chicken first, add to crackpot with 2 bricks of cream cheese, ranch seasoning packet, Frank’s Red Hot, and finely shredded mild cheddar. Then everything is combined with a potato masher and kept on warm while entertaining. It’s a hit and those who have always made it the “traditional” way beg for my recipe 😉
I make that same dip too only I use canned chicken to make it quick and easy. Here’s my Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe. We love it!
I made wings in the crockpot before.. NOT GOOD! the wing sauce was good but the skin was soggy and mushy. Id stick to this recipe.. Which i am cooking now 🙂
Yuck, that sounds aweful Dana! Hope this recipe works out much better for you!
I bought Franks Red Hot sauce instead of buffalo wing sauce by accident. Do you think that would work?
Yep, that should work fine. Hope you like it!
i forgot the ranch packet but just happened to have green onion ranch seasoning packets as well as spicy ranch seasoning packets. which would you recommend? also, if i have 5-6 frozen chicken breasts, would i need any more or any less of the wing sauce? and about how long do i keep it in the slow cooker? hoping to put it together and have it done by the time we get home from church tomorrow.
I would go with the green onion one instead of the spicy since the hot sauce makes it plenty hot. When I made it, it was with about 5 chicken breasts so you should not have to adjust anything. It will take a good 4 – 5 hours in the crocpot depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Good luck and let me know if you liked it!
WHERE did you find a box of Harvestland chicken!?!?!?!?
Hi Ashley. They sell those boxes at my local Walmart. It’s a great deal for less than $10 a box!
Does this freeze well?
Hi Cheryl. I’ve never frozen any so I’m not quite sure. I can’t imagine that you can’t freeze it though.
I have made this and frozen the leftovers. It freezes beautifully. Great recipe
Good to know Sharon, thanks!
Hi,
I would love to make this but we don’t have those ranch packets over here in Asia. What is it? Is there any other substitute for it?
Thanks!
I just got a crock-pot for my birthday and this is the first recipe I tried out. It was AMAZING! My roommate ate it over tortilla chips to make nachos and I put it on a toasted bun for a sandwich, both were delicious! Thanks for sharing, will definitely use this recipe a ton 🙂
I’m so glad you liked it! You should also try the salsa chicken and chicken and gravy crockpot recipes. They are to die for and so easy.
Has anyone tried this with a semi-frozen fryer chicken instead of chicken breasts? I am thinking either the 8 or 10 hour setting on my 4, 6, 8, 10 hour crock pot. I would be turning it on around 7:45 am and get home around 5 pm. Other option is to run home over around noon and start it at the 4 or 6 hour setting. Advice welcome!
what is the calorie count for these wonderful little jewels???
I use boneless skinless chicken thighs….they stay moister and are easier to shredd…turn out great!
Good tip! Thanks Daisy!
Sounds like a great recipe!I don’t have any cream cheese, do you think something like sour cream could balance off a little of the spice?
Thanks Rebecca! You could give that a try. I’d add a little at a time in case I didn’t like it though.
I plan on making these tonight. I am going to sub part of the hot sauce with Tastefully Simple Garlic Parmesan wing sauce. This looks like it will be a keeper recipe!
Mmm, that sounds tasty Cynthia!
this look like it would be delish!!
what would the carb count be per severing if you happen to know?
Thanks for sharing
What if you don’t have a crock pot is there another way to cook it
Making these today for dinner tonight. I think we are going to top the sandwiches with some crumbled blue cheese too 🙂 Thank you for the recipe !!!
Sounds yummy Christine, hope you like them!
Do I need to add water? If so how many cups of water do I need to add?
Nope, no water needed. The chicken juices and hot sauce is enough to keep the chicken moist.
Love this recipe, it is nice and spicy! I used regular hot sauce and my homemade Ranch dry mix (very litte salt) . I served it on warm french bread slices and cole slaw. Thanks for posting such an easy and delicious recipe!
Why do you add the cream cheese?
Hi Erica. The cream cheese helps to make the hot sauce a little thicker and creamier while also toning down the “heat” a bit.
Yummy! Making this soon! What size crockpot is this for? Would a 4 qt or 8 qt work? And i don’t see anywhere in your post about cream cheese. When do you add it?
Hi Charissa. For that much chicken, the 8 qt crockpot would work better.
The cream cheese was just a suggestion and not part of the actual recipe. If you decided you did want to use it to mellow out the heat and make it more creamy, I’d add it at the end after you shred the chicken and put it back into the sauce.
Hope that helps!
Excited to try but I goofed and put in cream cheese first. Will it still be ok?
Hi Debbie. I imagine that it will still be fine. Let us know how it goes.
Just wondering how you serve this, or what to serve it with??
Hi Lori. You can use the buffalo chicken in any way you want. On sandwiches, on nachos, in taco shells, on a salad, etc. When we make it for sandwiches we usually do some quick frozen fries in the oven with maybe some coleslaw.
Does the chicken have to be frozen when it goes in? If so for how long does it have to cook for and at what temperature?
If it can go in unfrozen how long should it be in there for and at what temperature.
Hi Hannah. It’s safest to use thawed chicken. I cook mine on low for 5 – 6 hours depending on thickness of the chicken breasts.