Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken
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It’s SO EASY to make Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken that can be shredded & used for sliders, wraps, tacos, pasta or dips! You only need 4 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep time to make this simple, versatile recipe!
You’re going to love this Buffalo Chicken in these recipes for Buffalo Chicken Cheesy Penne and Buffalo Chicken Tacos. This crock pot buffalo chicken recipe is gluten free. Serve it in lettuce wraps or bell peppers for a low carb meal!
I’ve been making this crock pot buffalo chicken recipe for years. It’s perfect for the “Make Your Own Taco Bar” at my annual Super Bowl party. And it’s an easy way to make a large batch of buffalo chicken and use it in recipes throughout the week!
If you’ve been on the blog before, you know that I never shy away from my love of buffalo sauce. Since I add shredded buffalo chicken to dozens of recipes, I like to make it in big batches.
In recent years, I’ve started making Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken, but I also love to use one of my 12 trusty slow cookers (yes, I might have a problem!) to make a batch of the saucy chicken to have on hand.
Once the buffalo chicken has been slow cooked and shredded, it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. If you’re a fellow buffalo sauce fan, you’ll love always having shredded buffalo chicken on hand to add to your favorite recipes!
How to make Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken
- Rub boneless, skinless chicken breasts with ranch seasoning and cayenne pepper.
- Quick Tip! I always use my homemade ranch seasoning mix because I love the flavor & I love knowing exactly what’s in it! But you can also use a packet of Hidden Valley ranch seasoning or any other brand of ranch seasoning found at your local grocery store.
- Place the seasoned chicken breasts in a slow cooker.
- Pour buffalo sauce over the chicken breasts.
- My preferred brand of Buffalo Sauce is Frank’s. It’s flavorful, gluten free, vegan and I can buy it by the gallon on Amazon!
- Set the cooking time on the slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
- Remove the lid and use two forks to shred the chicken breasts in the slow cooker.
- Add an additional 1/4 cup buffalo sauce and toss everything together.
Is buffalo chicken spicy?
This buffalo chicken recipe is on the mild to medium scale. If you want it more on the mild side, omit the cayenne pepper from the seasoning rub. If you want it on the spicier side, double the amount of cayenne pepper in the seasoning rub.
Really want to spice things up? Use Frank’s Xtra Hot Buffalo Sauce, instead of traditional buffalo sauce, in this recipe.
Can you put frozen chicken in the crock pot?
While you can cook frozen chicken in a crock pot, some advise against it because of the time it takes for frozen chicken to come up to a safe temperature in the crock pot. Check out this TODAY article to learn more.
How do you shred chicken breasts?
Once chicken breasts have slow cooked in a crock pot, they should easily shred apart. Use one fork to hold the breast and the other to pull the chicken apart into shreds.
You can also use meat claws to shred chicken breasts. They’re a nifty $12 kitchen tool that makes shredding chicken, pork or beef so easy!
How many calories are in buffalo chicken?
This buffalo chicken recipe contains 182 calories per cup of shredded chicken. It also provides 33 grams of protein and only 2 carbs per cup. This makes it a great high protein, low carb option for those on the keto diet.
If you’re looking for low carb ways to serve this slow cooker buffalo chicken, try tossing it in lettuce wraps with blue cheese crumbles. You can also add it to baked bell peppers, like in this Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Pepper recipe.
What to make with shredded buffalo chicken
Once you have a crock pot full of shredded buffalo chicken, you can use it to make wraps, pasta dishes or sandwiches. Need some ideas? Try these 12 easy buffalo chicken recipes!
- Buffalo Chicken Wrap – this quick and easy wrap recipe is perfect for lunch!
- You’ll need: 1 cup buffalo chicken
- Makes 1 wrap
- Time to make: 5 minutes
- Buffalo Chicken Cheesy Penne – the most popular recipe on the blog combines pasta, buffalo chicken, cream cheese & blue cheese dressing!
- You’ll need: 2 cups buffalo chicken
- Serves 4 people
- Time to make: 29 minutes
- Buffalo Chicken Tacos – for those who love tacos & spicy food, these are for you!
- You’ll need: 2 cups buffalo chicken
- Makes 8 tacos
- Time to make: 29 minutes
- Buffalo Chicken Baked Pasta – this tested AND PERFECTED recipe is guaranteed to be a family favorite!
- You’ll need: 3 cups buffalo chicken
- Serves 6 people
- Time to make: 29 minutes
- Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins – the ultimate appetizer, combining the flavor of chicken wings with potato skins!
- You’ll need: 1 cup buffalo chicken
- Makes 12 potato skins
- Time to make: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls – buffalo chicken + cheddar cheese puts a delicious game day spin on egg rolls! They’re delicious dipped in blue cheese or ranch dressing!
- You’ll need: 2 cups buffalo chicken
- Makes 12 egg rolls
- Time to make: 30 minutes
- Buffalo Chicken Taquitos – this easy recipe is great for an afternoon snack, party app or fun twist on Taco Tuesday!
- You’ll need: 1 cup buffalo chicken
- Makes 6 taquitos
- Time to make: 20 minutes
- Buffalo Chicken Dip Bread Bowl – it’s the dip we all know and love, baked in a bread bowl. Basically, perfection!
- You’ll need: 2 cups buffalo chicken
- Serves 8 people
- Time to make: 40 minutes
- Mini Buffalo Chicken Tostadas – a fun spin on buffalo chicken nachos, where every chip gets piled high with buffalo chicken and cheddar cheese!
- You’ll need: 3 cups buffalo chicken
- Makes 36 mini tostadas
- Time to make: 13 minutes
- Buffalo Chicken Salad Sliders – whip up a big batch of this buffalo chicken salad for lunches throughout the week or to take on a picnic!
- You’ll need: 2 cups buffalo chicken
- Makes 8 sliders
- Time to make: 10 minutes
- Buffalo Chicken Taco Ring – saucy buffalo chicken & cheese, wrapped up in buttery crescent rolls, life doesn’t get much better my friends!
- You’ll need: 3 cups buffalo chicken
- Serves 4 people
- Time to make: 35 minutes
- Buffalo Chicken Sliders – as pictured above
- You’ll need: 3 cups buffalo chicken + 12 Hawaiian rolls + 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles + 1 cup shredded lettuce
- How to prepare:
- Slice each Hawaiian roll in half through the middle.
- Place the lettuce on the bottom Hawaiian roll, then top with the buffalo chicken, blue cheese crumbles & the top half of the Hawaiian roll.
- Makes 12 sliders
- Time to make: 10 minutes
With so many delicious ideas, which one will you try first?
Made this crock pot buffalo chicken recipe and loved it? Be sure to rate it 5 stars below! ↓
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ranch seasoning mix
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup buffalo sauce, divided
Instructions
- Combine the ranch seasoning mix and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
- Rub the spice mixture on the chicken breasts, then place in a slow cooker.
- Cover with ¾ cup of buffalo sauce.
- Slow cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
- Remove the lid from the slow cooker, use two forks to shred the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Add the remaining ¼ cup buffalo sauce to the slow cooker and toss to combine.
Notes
- Once cooked and shredded, this buffalo chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- This recipe is gluten free when using homemade ranch seasoning mix (link in the recipe) and Franks Buffalo Sauce. Some ranch seasoning packets found in the grocery store are also gluten free. Make sure to always read the labels.
Nutrition Facts
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