Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken
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It’s SO EASY to make Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken that can be shredded and used for sliders, wraps, tacos, pasta, or dips! You only need 3 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!
Table of contents
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 to meal prep 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 my trusty slow cooker to make a batch of the saucy chicken.
Once the buffalo chicken has been slow cooked and shredded, it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen 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 recipes!
Ingredients
- Boneless or bone-in chicken breasts or chicken thighs – feel free to use your favorite type of chicken for this recipe.
- Buffalo sauce – I’m loyal to Frank’s RedHot buffalo wing sauce, but feel free to use your favorite brand of buffalo sauce.
- Chicken wing seasoning – It only takes 5 minutes to whip up this easy 6 ingredient spice blend that adds so much flavor to this slow cooker buffalo chicken recipe. If you don’t have the chicken wing seasoning, I recommend using 1 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon chili powder + 1 teaspoon garlic powder to season the chicken. You can also use ranch seasoning for a more mild flavor, or a combination of ranch seasoning and cayenne pepper for a mild-to-medium flavor.
Instructions
- Rub the chicken with chicken wing seasoning, or a combination of ranch seasoning and cayenne pepper. If you prefer less spice and the flavor of ranch, use the latter.
- Place the seasoned chicken in a slow cooker. Pour buffalo sauce over the chicken.
- Set the cook time on the slow cooker to 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 ¼ cup buffalo sauce and toss everything together.
Frequently asked questions
- Is buffalo chicken spicy? This crockpot buffalo chicken recipe is on the mild to medium scale. If you want it more on the mild side, omit the cayenne pepper and only use ranch seasoning for the rub. If you want it on the spicier side, use the chicken wing seasoning and add an extra ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. 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 the chicken breasts have slow cooked in a crock pot, they should easily shred apart. Use one fork to hold the breast and another to pull the chicken apart into shreds. You can also use meat claws to shred the chicken. It’s a nifty $9 kitchen tool that makes shredding chicken, pork or beef so easy!
Recipe notes
- One pound of chicken will give you approximately 2 cups of shredded chicken. Chicken breasts and thighs vary in size greatly. When determining how much shredded chicken you’ll need for a recipe, I recommend going by weight NOT the number of breasts or thighs.
- This recipe can be made with 1 pound of chicken, or up to 6 pounds of chicken, using a 7 quart Crock Pot. If making the recipe with 1 pound of chicken, cut the seasoning and buffalo sauce in half. If doubling or tripling this recipe to make 4 or 6 pounds of chicken, you’ll want to double or triple the amount of seasoning and buffalo sauce.
- Cooked, shredded chicken will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the shredded chicken in an airtight container, like a freezer bag, for up to 6 months.
- To make creamy buffalo chicken, stir in ½ cup ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing, after you’ve cooked and shredded the chicken.
Ways to use it
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 of buffalo chicken and 5 minutes to make this recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Cheesy Penne – the most popular recipe on the blog combines pasta, buffalo chicken, cream cheese and blue cheese dressing! You’ll need 2 cups of buffalo chicken and 29 minutes to make this recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Bites – for those who love an easy, cheesy appetizer, these are for you! You’ll need 1 cup of buffalo chicken and 25 minutes to make this recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Baked Pasta – this tested and PERFECTED recipe is guaranteed to be a family favorite! You’ll need 3 cups of buffalo chicken and 29 minutes to make this recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins – the ultimate appetizer, combining the flavor of buffalo chicken wings with potato skins! You’ll need 1 cup of buffalo chicken and 1 hour and 10 minutes to make this recipe.
- 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 of buffalo chicken and 30 minutes to make this recipe.
- 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 of buffalo chicken and 20 minutes to make this recipe.
- 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 of buffalo chicken and 40 minutes to make this recipe.
- Mini Buffalo Chicken Tostadas – a fun spin on buffalo chicken nachos, where every tortilla chip gets piled high with buffalo chicken and cheddar cheese! You’ll need 3 cups of buffalo chicken and 13 minutes to make this recipe.
- 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 of buffalo chicken and 10 minutes to make this recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Taco Ring – saucy buffalo chicken and cheese, wrapped up in buttery crescent rolls, life doesn’t get much better my friends! You’ll need 3 cups of buffalo chicken and 35 minutes to make this recipe.
- Pull Apart Buffalo Chicken Rolls – for the ultimate game day snack! You’ll need 1 cup of buffalo chicken and 20 minutes to make this recipe.
For each of these recipes, when made with the Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken, you do not need to toss extra buffalo sauce with the chicken. The above time to make each recipe is in addition to the time needed to make the Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken.
To make a simple meal with the shredded buffalo chicken, simply pile it on toasted buns. Top it with shredded cheddar cheese, and add any other toppings you like. I always add shredded carrots, sliced onions, and shredded lettuce.
With so many delicious ideas, which one will you try first? Comment below and let me know!
More recipes with buffalo sauce
If you’re also a super-fan of buffalo sauce, you have to try all of these delicious recipes!
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, or chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons chicken wing seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 1 cup buffalo sauce, divided
Instructions
- Rub the chicken with the chicken wing seasoning, then place it in a large Crock Pot. 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
- You can replace the chicken wing seasoning with 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning + 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or 1 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon chili powder + 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- One pound of chicken will give you approximately 2 cups of shredded chicken. Chicken breasts and thighs vary in size greatly. When determining how much shredded chicken you’ll need for a recipe, I recommend going by weight NOT the number of breasts or thighs.
- This recipe can be made with 1 pound of chicken, or up to 6 pounds of chicken, using a 7 quart Crock Pot. If making the recipe with 1 pound of chicken, cut the seasoning and buffalo sauce in half. If doubling or tripling this recipe to make 4 or 6 pounds of chicken, you’ll want to double or triple the amount of seasoning and buffalo sauce.
- Cooked, shredded chicken will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the shredded chicken in an airtight container, like a freezer bag, for up to 6 months.
- To make creamy buffalo chicken, stir in ½ cup ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing, after you’ve cooked and shredded the chicken.
Nutrition Facts
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