Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken


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Skip the wings and make a big batch of shredded crockpot buffalo chicken instead! Pile it onto hamburger buns for an easy dinner or the ultimate game-day feast. Perfect for parties, tailgates, or any time you’re craving bold, saucy flavor.

shredded buffalo chicken in slow cooker with ranch and buns on the side.
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We LOVE using buffalo sauce (Frank’s Red Hot Sauce) in our crockpot for recipes such as our Buffalo 15 Bean Soup, Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Pasta, and our game day favorite slow cooker buffalo chicken dip.

What Kind of Hot Sauce to Use

  • You will want to find a buffalo sauce; Frank’s Hot Sauce is the preferred choice for most.
  • Frank’s Red Hot Sauce is a cayenne pepper sauce that is used in
    “buffalo” flavored recipes. This is the original sauce and is best for any things buffalo flavored.
  • This sauce does have a spicy kick, but adding butter to the sauce, and ranch or blue cheese dressing topped on the final dish can cool the heat.

What you need

chicken breasts, ranch dressing mix, butter and bottle of buffalo sauce.
  • Chicken – Boneless chicken breasts or thighs work the best for shredded chicken though bone-in breasts, thighs or drumsticks will work in this recipe.
  • Ranch Dressing Mix – You can use the salad dressing mix or the dip packet, both work the same in this type of recipe. This is not liquid ranch dressing.
  • Frank’s Red Hot Sauce – Look for the original sauce NOT the premade buffalo wing sauce, for we are adding the butter and seasonings ourselves.
  • Butter – I use an entire stick of salted butter in this recipe. Why? Adding butter softens the spiciness of the hot sauce, this is what restaurants do when they make buffalo wings.
  • {The full recipe is in the recipe card below the photos}

Step-by-Step Directions

Step One: Add the chicken to the slow cooker. Sprinkle over the ranch seasoning. Pour over the buffalo sauce. Place the stick of butter on top.

Step Two: Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.

Step Three: Shred the chicken with two forks and serve!

Variations

  • If you want creamy buffalo chicken, add one eight-ounce package of cream cheese at the beginning of the cooking time. The buffalo chicken is great as a dip if you add cream cheese.
  • Any cut of chicken, such as boneless thighs, bone-in thighs, drumsticks, or breasts, can be used. Turkey can be used as well!
  • To make dairy free, use dairy-free butter and serve with dairy-free ranch dressing.
close up of chicken in buffalo sauce in the slow cooker, with wooden spoon dipping in.

How to serve buffalo chicken:

  • Serve this buffalo chicken on hamburger buns or slider rolls with a side of chips or crunchy carrot and celery sticks. Adding coleslaw to the sandwich gives it an extra layer of texture and flavor.
  • Looking for a heartier option? Spoon it over baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, or even baked sweet potatoes for a delicious twist.
  • For a simple, satisfying meal, serve it over steamed white rice or toss it with cooked pasta.
  • If you’re keeping it low-carb, enjoy it on its own with celery sticks and ranch, or pile it onto lettuce wraps or a low-carb tortilla.

Recipe FAQs

Why add butter to buffalo chicken?

The butter adds flavor and helps tone down the vinegar flavor and the spiciness.

Can I make buffalo chicken into a freezer meal?

You can make buffalo chicken into a meal-prep freezer meal! Before cooking, place the entire recipe in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to three months. When ready to cook, thaw and follow the recipe as written.

How spicy is buffalo chicken?

On a scale of one to ten, buffalo chicken is about a 7. Serving with ranch cools it down a bit.

How to store:

Place in airtight containers or ziplock bags. It will last in the fridge for five days or in the freezer for three months.

Can I use frozen chicken?

I recommend thawing your chicken before adding it to the slow cooker. Some studies suggest that frozen meat will stay in the danger zone too long.

shredded buffalo chicken on bun with ranch and chips

More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes:

close up of chicken in buffalo sauce in the slow cooker, with wooden spoon dipping in.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Recipe

4.72 from 14 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8
This crockpot Buffalo chicken delivers tender, shredded chicken infused with bold, spicy Buffalo sauce. It’s perfect for sandwiches, salads, wraps, or as a versatile meal prep option that’s full of flavor with minimal effort.

Ingredients 
 

  • 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 12 oz. Frank's Red Hot original sauce, (look for the original sauce, not the one labeled wings)
  • 1 oz. ranch dressing packet, dip mix works too!
  • 1/2 cup salted butter, (1 stick)

For Serving:

  • hamburger buns (or slider buns), toasted
  • ranch or blue cheese dressing

Instructions 

  • Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker.
  • Sprinkle over the ranch dressing (or dip) mix.
  • Pour over the Frank's Red Hot Sauce.
  • Add the cube of butter on top.
  • Place the lid of the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
  • When the cooking time is up, take two forks and shred the chicken.
  • Serve over buns and top with ranch or blue cheese dressing. (see my notes below for other serving ideas)

How to Video

Sarah’s Notes

What are other ways to serve buffalo chicken?
  • Serve on rice, mashed potatoes or on a baked potato.
  • Toss with pasta.
  • To make this lower in carbs serve with celery and ranch on the side or serve in lettuce or low carb tortillas.
Must I use the butter?
You can leave it out but note adding the butter cuts on the spiciness and the vinegar flavor.
Can I make this into a freezer meal?
You can make buffalo chicken into a meal prep freezer meal! Place the entire recipe before cooking into a freezer bag. Freeze for up to three months. When ready to cook, thaw and follow the recipe as written.
How to store:
Place in airtight containers or ziplock bags. It will last in the fridge for five days or in the freezer for three months.
Variations:
  • If you want creamy buffalo chicken, add one eight-ounce package of cream cheese at the beginning of the cooking time. The buffalo chicken is great as a dip if you add cream cheese.
  • Any cut of chicken, such as boneless thighs, bone-in thighs, drumsticks, or breasts, can be used. Turkey can be used as well!
  • To make dairy free, use dairy-free butter and serve with dairy-free ranch dressing.
Nutritional values are just for the chicken and sauce (hamburger buns not included in the values)

Nutrition

Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 1802mg | Potassium: 420mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 389IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

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45 Comments

  1. Dana says:

    5 stars
    We made this but used low fat kefir instead of buttermilk powder. I put it on last night and slow cooked it for 8 hours- it was absolutely delicious!

  2. Jeremy Grady says:

    3 stars
    I haven’t used the recipe yet but, but I plan to soon.

    QUESTION:
    Do I have to add Ranch Dressing to it? Does the Ranch play a critical role in the Buffalo Chicken flavoring?

    Thank you.
    ~ Jeremy ~

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      Yes, itโ€™s pretty good component. And helps liquidfy the recipe.

  3. chris says:

    i am a bit of a spicy food weenie, so i use equal parts red hot or buffalo wing sauce and already made ranch dressing. that cools it down enuf so u dont need butter. i put about 3 tablespoons butter in anyway.

    1. chris says:

      (i always sear the chicken first on high heat in a frying pan for a few minutes on each side before putting it in the slow cooker. adds a nice flavor)

  4. Elaine says:

    5 stars
    Nice sandwich for a group of young men!!!

  5. katie says:

    5 stars
    This was delicious, myself husband devoured it! thank you!

  6. Jessica says:

    Hi,

    My question is if I half half of a roasted chicken can I use that instead of raw chicken? Just trying to get two meals out of one chicken lol and if I can how long should I put it in the crockpot and still same recipe you think?

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      You would only need an hour and a half on high most likely.

  7. Rhonda says:

    How well does it freeze after you cook it?

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      Buffalo chicken freezes and thaws well.

  8. MelB says:

    5 stars
    Excellent! Very easy to make, no prep work. I doubled all the ingredients, except for the Franks sauce, used ~1.5 12oz bottles, still very juicy. Served mine on a leaf of lettuce with shredded carrots & bleu cheese crumbles. Served my husband’s on a toasted brioche roll w/ shredded cheese on top. Both were excellent. Will place in our regular rotation. Looking forward to left overs tomorrow, know they’ll be even better!

  9. Alissa says:

    Can I use the wing sauce for this? I got the wrong one

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      I’m sure it will still be good!

  10. Christina Bishop says:

    5 stars
    So delicious, my family loves this recipe, even the kids love it! I have mine in lettuce cups with a few blue cheese crumbles. The others are theirs in a bowl and added a variety of toppings like cheddar cheese, ranch dressing, and my daughter added cream cheese and mixed it up like a dip and ate it with a few tortilla chips. Very versatile and a hit!

    Someone mentioned the recipe being too salty. You could always use unsalted butter to help a little.