Buffalo Chicken Crock Pot Sandwiches

If you’ve been following along for a while, you know that I am OBSESSED with buffalo chicken dip. We make it for appetizers so often.

When we started making it, it was one of those classic, “What do we serve as an appetizer that everyone likes?” dishes.

And then one day, I had a crazy idea…what if I made it in my crock pot and served it for dinner?! These crock pot buffalo chicken sandwiches were the result.

They’re so good and SO easy.

Ingredients needed for Easy Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches:

• chicken breasts
• one bottle of Frank’s buffalo sauce, a block of cream cheese
• a packet of ranch seasoning

Why This One Works on Busy Days:

These crock pot buffalo chicken sandwiches are the ultimate crock pot meal. There’s nothing to stir and nothing to think about.

Throw everything in, put the lid on and walk away. Then when you’re ready for dinner, give it a shred and stir and serve.

They are a regular on our list of crock pot recipes for pool days. I throw them together in the am and by the time we come back and everyone is ready for dinner (about 6pm), dinner is ready to go too.

It’s a win-win.

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Crock Pot Sandwiches:

• Place chicken breasts into slow cooker, arranging them as flat as possible. Pour Frank’s hot sauce over chicken. Place cream cheese (uncut) over chicken, which will melt and cook. Top with contents of ranch seasoning packet. Cover and cook for about 6-7 hours on low or 3-4 on high. Try not to lift the lid during cooking as this releases the moisture and will make the chicken take longer to cook.
• When done, use two forks to shred chicken right in the crock pot. Mix well so everything is shredded and mixed up. At this point everything should be combined into an orangey creamy sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary, such as a little salt or a little more buffalo sauce. Serve over a toasted bun immediately.
• We like to serve some carrot and celery sticks on the side too. With some ranch or blue cheese dressing this dish is complete. The veggies help cut through some of the spice and add a nice crunch. Trust me…your kids will inhale these in about 10 minutes.

Five Ways to Serve It Differently

Serve it with coleslaw. The cool, creamy crunch of slaw goes great with the heat of buffalo chicken sandwiches.

Spoon the slaw right onto your sandwich, or serve it on the side.

Serve it with fries. Baked fries are the easiest option.

Or serve them alongside some chips.

Make a topping bar. Serve the chicken and let everyone build their own sandwiches.

Set out shredded lettuce, crumbled blue cheese, sliced avocado, pickled jalapeños, ranch, hot sauce…etc. for a build-your-own party.

Add some blue cheese to the shredded buffalo chicken recipe: Stir blue cheese into the shredded chicken mixture for a sharper flavor. You can also serve it on the side.

Make it less spicy. To do this, use half of the buffalo sauce and add in enough chicken broth to reach the same liquid amount.

That way, little ones and spice-shy family members can enjoy this recipe too.

Other Ideas: Try these Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls using this chicken. Top baked potatoes with the chicken, make Buffalo Chicken Nachos, or wrap them up in flour tortillas to make Buffalo Chicken Wraps.

The possibilities are endless!

Four Ways to Use Leftover Buffalo Chicken

Turn it into sliders. Make a large batch of this shredded chicken and put it on Hawaiian rolls instead of regular sandwich buns.

Then you’ve got some hot chicken sliders which are perfect for a potluck or party!

Switch up the dressings: Change the dressing up. I like using a blue cheese dressing packet instead of ranch.

I think it goes really well with the buffalo sauce in this recipe.

Make a meal: Sunday, make lots of shredded chicken and save a little bit for Monday’s sandwich. On Tuesday, make buffalo chicken wraps.

On Wednesday, take a handful of shredded lettuce, throw it in a bowl, add the buffalo chicken and call it a salad (it will still taste good on day 3!). Dinner will be delicious and you will thank yourself for being prepared.

Freeze leftovers: This shredded buffalo chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Storing leftover shredded chicken: Store leftover shredded chicken in a lidded container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat by warming gently on the stove top or in the microwave.

If the meat appears dry, add a splash of water or buffalo sauce.

Other Uses for Leftovers

Here are some other ways you can use up your leftovers.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza – spread buffalo chicken mixture on a prepared pizza crust or naan bread. Add mozzarella and a little ranch and bake at 400 F until the cheese is melted.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos – Add buffalo chicken to mini flour tortillas along with lettuce and avocado. Drizzle with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers – Place the buffalo chicken in the bell pepper halves and sprinkle on top some shredded cheese. Place in oven at 375F for 20-25 minutes.

Buffalo Chicken Salad – Place on top of romaine some warm or cold buffalo chicken, celery, blue cheese crumbles, and halved cherry tomatoes and some ranch. This will make for a yummy and somewhat healthy salad!

How to Make It Lighter

Try using Neufchatel, or reduced-fat cream cheese for this recipe. It will reduce the amount of fat without changing the flavor.

The texture may be slightly more liquidy, but once it’s melted there’s no way you’ll know. Serve the filling in romaine hearts instead of on buns or over cauliflower rice for a light and low-carb option.

Buffalo Chicken FAQ

Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?

Yes, use 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs. Chicken thighs have a higher fat content so they’ll be even more juicy.

They also shred very easily.

Can I use a different buffalo sauce?

You can but the results will be a tad different. My recipe is based on the taste of Frank’s Buffalo Sauce.

Other brands have more of a vinegar taste and/or are hotter. I would suggest tasting it first to get an idea of how much to use.

• Do I need to add any liquid besides the sauce? No. The chicken will release a lot of liquid and there’s no need to add any additional liquid besides the buffalo sauce. Adding more liquid will just water down the buffalo sauce.
• Can I make this in the Instant Pot? You can. Add all of the ingredients to the IP then cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow to naturally release before opening. Remove chicken, shred, add back in and stir together before serving.
• What buns work best? Any sturdy buns work great. I like to use brioche buns or pretzel rolls. Hamburger buns from a bakery are great. Be sure to toast the buns before topping with the saucy buffalo chicken. Otherwise, the buns get a bit soggy.

I highly recommend using brioche buns because they hold the saucy buffalo chicken really well. Their mild, slightly sweet flavor is the perfect compliment to the tangy buffalo chicken mixture.

• Is this spicy? This is a personal preference. I use an entire bottle of the sauce and it does have a kick but most adults love the flavor. If you have kiddos or anyone in the family that does not like spicy foods then you could use half of the bottle of buffalo sauce and fill the rest of the bottle with chicken broth to use in place of the entire bottle of sauce. Those that like spicy foods can always add some hot sauce at the table.

Frank’s Buffalo Sauce is a MUST. It’s what gives buffalo chicken its perfect flavor.

Other Easy Crockpot Dinners

Crock Pot Beef and Noodles – chuck roast is simmered in beef broth then shredded. Served over thick egg noodles. It’s hearty and delicious.

Crockpot Ravioli Casserole – only 4 ingredients and they’re layered, not stirred. Great way to serve pasta!

Taco Crescent Bake – seasoned taco meat is spread over crescent roll crust. It’s topped with a creamy layer then crunchy chips.

Buffalo Chicken Dip, the appetizer that inspired this recipe.

Inspired by my Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe, these Buffalo Chicken Crock Pot Sandwiches are SO GOOD. Shredded buffalo chicken piled high on hamburger buns and ready to devour.

Lay chicken breasts in bottom of slow cooker. Stir together Frank’s Hot Sauce, cream cheese and Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning.

Pour over chicken breasts. Cook for 7 hours.

When ready to serve, shred chicken with two forks. Stir together then serve over toasted hamburger buns.

• Toppings: top with blue cheese, ranch, celery, red onion…anything you’d like.

Add all ingredients into a slow cooker, pouring buffalo sauce over the chicken to coat. Top with cream cheese and a sprinkle of ranch seasoning.

Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Once cooked, the meat should shred easily with a fork.

Shred with 2 forks directly in the slow cooker and stir to combine into an even, orange, creamy mess. Taste and add more salt or buffalo sauce as desired.

Serve immediately piled high on a bun with toppings of choice. Enjoy!

If you’re looking for the classic buffalo wing flavor, use Frank’s buffalo sauce.

Buffalo chicken is better if you can slow cook on LOW. The longer, lower-temperature cooking makes the chicken juicier.

But if you’re in a rush, cook it on HIGH.

Avoid lifting the slow cooker lid. This allows heat and moisture to escape.

Be sure to toast the sandwich buns so they don’t get overwhelmed by the saucy chicken.