5-Ingredient Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken

Enjoy this easy-to-make 5-Ingredient Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken on sandwiches, in dips, salads, sliders, or pizza! This tangy, tender chicken has just the right amount of spice and has so many uses! It’s a must-make on game day, for parties, or a weeknight meal.

Turn slow cooker buffalo chicken into Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip served with celery and carrot sticks or Buffalo Chicken Pizza!

Crock pot buffalo chicken being served with a wooden spoon out of a black crock pot.

In This Post

Why I Love This Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe

Easy slow cooker buffalo chicken has just 5 ingredients making it the perfect last-minute weeknight meal idea and a great choice for game day.
It requires no prep work since all you do is put everything in the crockpot and let it cook!
This creamy buffalo chicken with sour cream can be used to make sliders and wraps, added to celery sticks, or turned into buffalo chicken dip.

What Is Buffalo Chicken?

First, buffalo sauce is a vinegar-based hot sauce made with butter for richness. It became famous in Buffalo, NY, from a 1964 recipe for buffalo wings—something the entire New York area is now known for. Now, buffalo chicken refers to buffalo sauce with any cut of chicken.

Pin This Recipe

Ingredients For Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken

Ingredients used for crock pot buffalo chicken. Buffalo sauce, chicken breast, butter, ranch seasoning and sour cream.

Chicken Breasts – I like skinless chicken breasts because they are ready to go directly into the slow cooker. Boneless skinless chicken thighs can also be used.
Ranch Seasoning – You can use a premade packet (Hidden Valley Ranch is my favorite) or make your own ranch seasoning. Feel free to add garlic powder, onion powder, or red pepper for extra flavor.
Buffalo Hot Sauce – Use your favorite brand of vinegar-based cayenne-flavored hot sauce.
Sour Cream – This adds creaminess. You can also use Greek yogurt.
Butter – No buffalo chicken is complete without butter to add richness.

Donya’s Success Tips

Don’t use frozen chicken: Frozen chicken is not recommended in the crockpot. The chicken will spend too long in the “danger zone” at room temperature as it thaws and can grow bacteria.
For extra creaminess: You can use half sour cream and half cream cheese. Some buffalo chicken recipes use all cream cheese but I like some tang from sour cream.
Chicken breast vs thighs: I like to use the leaner option, chicken breasts, for shredding because I don’t have to try to remove pockets of fat. But thighs are more forgiving and don’t dry out so easily.

How To Make Buffalo Hot Sauce Chicken In The Slow Cooker

Process shots for cooking buffalo chicken. Seasoning it in the crock pot then adding the buffalo sauce before closing the lid on the crock pot.

Step 1 – Cut the butter into chunks and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the chicken breasts on top of the butter. Make sure to use thawed chicken.
Step 2 – Sprinkle the ranch seasoning over the chicken breasts. Pour a whole bottle of buffalo wing sauce over all ingredients. Place the lid on the crock pot and set the temperature and time.

Shredding of the buffalo chicken in the crock pot with two metal spoons.

The last step – when the chicken is cooked, shred it with two forks. Add in sour cream and mix everything together.

Commonly Asked Questions

Do you have to brown the chicken before slow cooking?

Nope. This boneless, skinless chicken breast recipe is one of my favorite “low-effort” chicken dinners and requires no extra steps.

Is this recipe healthy?

Everyone has their own criteria for what’s healthy, but this recipe is gluten- and keto-friendly.

Can crockpot buffalo chicken be frozen?

Yes, it sure can. Follow the directions for making the recipe. After cooking, let the chicken cool, then place it in a freezer-safe, airtight container or zip-top bag. When ready to use, thaw the chicken in the fridge overnight. Heat it on the stove and enjoy!

Bowl of Buffalo Chicken that was cooked in the crock pot.

How To Use Creamy Pulled Buffalo Chicken

Go classic with it piled on a toasted bun, or make buffalo chicken sliders. Add a few spoonfuls of crispy lettuce, drizzle on homemade Blue Cheese Dressing, and extra blue cheese crumbles.
For a fun twist on pizza, make Buffalo Chicken Flatbread loaded with mozzarella cheese and topped with celery leaves.
Make Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip to enjoy with carrots, celery, and crackers.

What To Serve With Buffalo Chicken

Like my wildly popular Crock Pot Chicken Thighs, this recipe can be served with so many side dishes. My favorites are Blue Cheese Coleslaw and Cucumber and Onion Refrigerator Pickles. It’s also tasty with Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, Mexican Corn Dip, and Smoked Gouda Cheese Grits.

Buffalo Chicken Slider with slaw on a bun.

More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes

If you tried this 5-Ingredient Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!