Crock pot buffalo chicken dip is so easy to make with just five ingredients including chicken, buffalo sauce, ranch dip, cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese.
Cooking in the crockpot makes this recipe a breeze, just dump the ingredients and cook on high for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally during the process. It's the easiest appetizer to serve with your favorite chips, dip, bread or veggies for the perfect party food.
Crock pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
This is my go-to appetizer for a super bowl party, barbecue, gathering or potluck. It's so easy to make and is the perfect appetizer to feed a large crowd without a lot of effort on your end.
- CHEAP - Ingredients are cheap and easy here. I recommend using a store-bought rotisserie chicken or canned chicken to help keep the recipe budget-friendly.
- FAST - Just dump all the ingredients into a crockpot and cook for a couple of hours. It takes less than 5 minutes to prep!
- FLAVORFUL - Ranch dressing and buffalo sauce are combined to create delicious flavor.
Buffalo sauce lends itself perfectly to appetizers like buffalo chicken wings, our buffalo cauliflower bites, and of course this easy buffalo chicken dip!
Recipe Ingredients
This buffalo chicken ranch dip recipe is made with only 5 ingredients. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need with the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post:
- CHICKEN – For this recipe, I used 2 cups of cooked chicken. You can make your own from cooked shredded chicken breasts, or use a cooked rotisserie chicken from the store and shred it with two forks. You can also use canned chicken.
- CREAM CHEESE – One 8 oz block of cream cheese adds the perfect creamy texture. It’s important to cut it into small cubes to help the cheese melt faster in the crockpot.
- SHREDDED CHEESE – Shredded cheddar cheese adds a sharp earthy flavor and gives the dip that perfect orange color. Feel free to add a layer of extra cheddar cheese just before serving. Some people love to add blue cheese crumbles to their dip for added flavor. I chose not to do this to keep the cost low and use fewer ingredients.
- SPICY BUFFALO SAUCE – I used Franks buffalo sauce. This is what gives the dip that signature hot flavor.
- RANCH DRESSING – Ranch dressing is what gives the dip a creamy mix. It also adds great flavor!
Helpful Tip: This is a great way to use up leftover chicken! Any chicken cut including chicken breasts, thighs or drumsticks can be shredded with two forks and added to the slow cooker.
Serve With
This is one of the easiest appetizers in a crock pot to serve at a party or potluck. Keep the crockpot on the warm setting and stir the dip every 30 minutes to keep it fresh. Guests can scoop the dip from the crock pot onto serving plates and scoop it up using some of the ideas below:
- TORTILLA CHIPS – Serve with a fresh bag of tortilla chips. They are the perfect crunch and
- VEGETABLES – Add sliced carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers, radishes, bell peppers, broccoli and cauliflower.
- CRACKERS – Scoop the dip using your favorite crackers.
- POTATO CHIPS – Grab a bag of ripple chips for a delicious combo.
- BREADSTICKS – They’re small, crunchy and great for dipping!
- GREEN ONION – Sprinkle green onions on top of the buffalo dip just before you serve.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Dip
This is one of the easiest dips to make at home and guests always compliment me on it! That’s why I love making it for a variety of occasions. It truly couldn’t be easier to make, just dump all the ingredients into the crockpot, stir them as they melt and you’re ready to serve!
- PREP – Cut the cream cheese into small cubes. This will make the cream cheese melt so much faster than if it were a big large brick.
- ASSEMBLE – Add all five ingredients to a crockpot including the shredded chicken, cream cheese, hot sauce, ranch dressing and shredded cheese. No need to stir together at this point.
- HEAT – Close the lid and turn the slow cooker and cook on “high” for 1-2 hours or “low” for 3-4 hours. Stir every 30 minutes during the process. Once all the ingredients have melted and can be mixed together it is ready to serve.
How To Store Leftovers
If you’re making this dip recipe in advance, or have some leftovers, here are a few ways to store the dip until needed.
- REFRIGERATE – Leftover dip will keep in your fridge for up to 3-5 days.
- FREEZE – Cream cheese doesn’t always freeze as well and can produce a grainy texture once it thaws, so freeze at your own discretion. Some people (including my husband) don’t even notice the change in texture and will happily eat it, so it’s really a personal preference. You can freeze buffalo chicken dip for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
- REHEAT – To reheat the dip, add it back to the crockpot on low or high setting until reaches the desired consistency. This dip can also be microwaved for 1-2 minutes. Stir before serving.
Appetizers To Serve With
Serve buffalo chicken dip with some of our favorite appetizers to round out your menu. Here are a few ideas:
- DIPS – Serve this cheesy dip alongside our ground beef crack cowboy dip or pink hummus dip and for dessert, sweet-tasting cannoli dip.
- BREAD – Serve with a slice baguette or our garlic parmesan knots, the kid favorite homemade pizza pockets, or twisted pizza breadsticks or the flavorful and easy cheesy garlic baguette sticks.
- CHICKEN WINGS – These are always a party favorite including crockpot barbecue wings, lemon garlic wings, air fryer salt and pepper wings, and the saucy but oh-so-good balsamic glazed chicken wings.
- SIDE DISHES – Try our spinach feta pie, the popular crab stuffed zucchini, filling chicken bacon ranch wraps, a crowd favorite, our sheet pan nachos and cheese.
- ENERGY BALLS – Energy balls are the perfect healthy bite-size appetizer to serve at parties. Our six no-bake energy ball flavors are the perfect recipe to start with. You can also try our carrot cake energy balls or sweet-tasting cookie dough energy balls.
Frequently Asked Questions
This can be caused by the ingredients used in the chicken dip. For example, low-fat cream cheese won’t produce the same results as regular cream cheese. Also, be sure to use the right measurements in the recipe for the hot sauce and ranch dressing. Adding too much can make the dip runny.
It’s important to stir the dip every 30 minutes while it heats up and melts in the crockpot. Repeat this process while serving, stirring the whole mixture occasionally to keep it nice and fresh.
This could be caused by the cream cheese being too cold when it was added to the crockpot. To avoid this, let the dip sit out for a few hours at room temperature to soften before making the dip. Also, if you freeze the dip afterward, this can produce a grainy texture as cream cheese doesn’t always freeze well.
Yes, it will start to thicken as it cools. This is why I like to keep it in the crockpot on the warm setting and have guests scoop a bit onto serving plates to eat. When you keep the crockpot buffalo chicken dip heated, it stays the right consistency. If it thickens too much you can turn the crockpot to the low setting and give the dip a good stir. Turn it down to the warm setting after that.
No, the chicken must be cooked before adding it to the crockpot. You can use shredded chicken breasts, buy a store-bought rotisserie chicken and shred it with two forks, or use two cans of cooked chicken.
This spicy buffalo chicken dip recipe is the perfect chicken appetizer using only 5 simple ingredients. Everything is dumped into your slow cooker and heated for 1-2 hours to create the perfect spicy and creamy dip for chips, veggies and crackers. It's basically the perfect party appetizer!
More Shredded Chicken Recipes
- Creamy Chicken Taco Soup
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Ultimate Chicken Casserole
- Shredded Barbecue Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Lentil Taco Soup
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¾ cups Franks buffalo hot sauce
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- 1 ½ cup shredded cheese
- chopped green onion - for garnish
Instructions
- Cut the cream cheese into small cubes (these will melt easier).
- Add the buffalo hot sauce, ranch dressing, shredded chicken, shredded cheese and cut cream cheese to a crock pot. Seal with the lid and turn to high heat. Cook for 1-2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes until the cheese has fully melted and mix in.
Recipe Notes:
- I used 2 cups of cooked chicken. You can make your own from cooked shredded chicken breasts, or use a cooked rotisserie chicken from the store and shred it with two forks. You can also use canned chicken.
- Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, chips, carrots, celery, radishes, bell pepper, cucumbers or breadsticks.
- Leftover dip will keep in your fridge for up to 3-5 days.
- To reheat the dip add it back to the crockpot on low or high setting until reaches the desired consistency. Or reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Stir before serving.
Nutrition Info
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.
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