I finally perfected my Slow Cooker Buffalo Dip with shredded chicken, cream cheese, ranch, cheddar, and buffalo sauce, and there’s a simple trick that makes it impossibly silky, so keep reading to find out.
I never thought a slow cooker could make something this dangerously addictive, but here we are. My Buffalo Chicken Dip Crock Pot Recipe is creamy and tangy in a way that makes you want to hide the spoon.
I use cooked shredded chicken and cream cheese, and it turns into this silky dip that somehow feels both simple and slyly impressive. It looks innocent until the first scoop, then things get loud fast.
Sometimes i leave it on low all afternoon, other times i toss it on last minute, both ways it somehow works and people keep coming back for more.
Ingredients
- Cooked shredded chicken: Lean protein that fills you up, little carbs, keeps dip hearty and satisfying.
- Cream cheese: Adds creamy tang, heavy in fat and calories, but makes texture dreamy.
- Ranch dressing: Herby, creamy binder, adds calories and sodium, gives cool balance to heat.
- Sour cream: Softens heat, adds slight tang, some protein and fats, keeps it smooth.
- Buffalo sauce: Spicy, vinegary kick that brings heat not sweetness, low calorie but high sodium.
- Shredded cheddar cheese: Sharp taste and melty pull, packed with protein and calcium, adds richness.
- Blue cheese crumbles (optional): Salty, punchy flavor, strong aroma, small amounts boost tangy complexity.
- Green onions (optional): Fresh, mild bite, adds color and light onion flavor with few calories.
Ingredient Quantities
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (about 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts)
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (like Frank’s RedHot)
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles optional
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 green onions optional
How to Make this
1. Shred 3 cups cooked chicken and set aside, soften 8 oz cream cheese by leaving it at room temp or zap it in the microwave 20 to 30 seconds so it’s easy to mix, it’s easiest that way.
2. Spray the crockpot or line it with a slow cooker bag, put the softened cream cheese in the pot then add 1/2 cup ranch dressing, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup buffalo sauce, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, stir until mostly smooth.
3. Add the shredded chicken and 1 1/2 cups of the 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar to the cream cheese mixture, if you’re using blue cheese stir in half of the 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles now.
4. Cover and cook on low for 1 to 2 hours or on high for 30 to 60 minutes until everything is hot and bubbly, give it a good stir about halfway through so nothing sticks, if the chicken was hot it’ll come together faster so check early.
5. Once it’s melted and smooth, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar and the rest of the blue cheese crumbles on top, put the lid back on for 5 to 10 minutes to let the top melt.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning or add a little more buffalo sauce if you want more heat, or a splash of ranch if it’s too spicy.
7. Chop 2 green onions and scatter them on top for color and a fresh bite, you can also add extra blue cheese if you love it.
8. Serve warm with tortilla chips, celery sticks, carrot sticks, crackers or toasted baguette, keep the crockpot on warm during the party and stir every now and then so it stays creamy.
9. Leftovers store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, reheat in the crockpot on low or in the microwave in 30 second bursts stirring between until piping hot.
Equipment Needed
1. Slow cooker or crockpot, 3 to 4 quart size or larger for cooking and keeping warm
2. Microwave safe bowl or small plate to soften the cream cheese quickly, if you dont want to wait
3. Two forks or a stand mixer with paddle to shred the cooked chicken, stand mixer makes it way easier
4. Measuring cups and measuring spoons for the ranch, sour cream, sauce and spices
5. Rubber spatula and a large mixing spoon for stirring and scraping the pot
6. Cheese grater for shredding sharp cheddar if you arent using pre shredded cheese
7. Sharp knife and cutting board to slice the green onions
8. Serving spoon or ladle plus oven mitts or potholders to handle the hot crockpot lid
FAQ
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Cream cheese (8 oz). Swap with 1 cup full fat Greek yogurt, preferably strained. The dip will be tangier and a bit thinner so drain the yogurt or stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons softened cream cheese to thicken if you want.
- Ranch dressing (1/2 cup). Use 1/2 cup blue cheese dressing for a stronger tang, or make a quick ranch by mixing 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt with 1 teaspoon dried dill, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Buffalo sauce (1/2 cup). Make your own with 1/2 cup hot sauce plus 2 tablespoons melted butter to mimic that classic buffalo taste and mouthfeel. Taste and add more butter if you want it milder.
- Blue cheese crumbles (1/2 cup, optional). Replace with extra shredded cheddar for milder flavor, or use 1/2 cup crumbled feta or chopped gorgonzola for a different tangy bite.
Pro Tips
– Cube the cream cheese and warm it in short bursts in the microwave so it blends smooth with the ranch and sour cream. If you dump cold cream cheese in it will stay lumpy and nobody likes that.
– Warm and pat dry your shredded chicken first, especially if it was refrigerated. Cold or soggy chicken lengthens cook time and can make the dip watery, so zap it a minute or two or toss it in a hot skillet to lose the chill.
– Use full fat dairy and don’t overcook it. Low fat stuff separates easier, and cooking too long makes the texture grainy. If it gets too thick just stir in a little milk, extra ranch, or reserved buffalo sauce until it loosens.
– Taste and adjust at the end, not the start. Cheeses and sauces vary a lot, so add salt, heat, or extra ranch a little at a time. For parties, put extra cheddar on top at the end and let it melt, or broil it quick for a golden crust, then sprinkle chopped green onions for a fresh bite.
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe
I finally perfected my Slow Cooker Buffalo Dip with shredded chicken, cream cheese, ranch, cheddar, and buffalo sauce, and there's a simple trick that makes it impossibly silky, so keep reading to find out.
8
servings
426
kcal
Equipment: 1. Slow cooker or crockpot, 3 to 4 quart size or larger for cooking and keeping warm
2. Microwave safe bowl or small plate to soften the cream cheese quickly, if you dont want to wait
3. Two forks or a stand mixer with paddle to shred the cooked chicken, stand mixer makes it way easier
4. Measuring cups and measuring spoons for the ranch, sour cream, sauce and spices
5. Rubber spatula and a large mixing spoon for stirring and scraping the pot
6. Cheese grater for shredding sharp cheddar if you arent using pre shredded cheese
7. Sharp knife and cutting board to slice the green onions
8. Serving spoon or ladle plus oven mitts or potholders to handle the hot crockpot lid
Ingredients
3 cups cooked shredded chicken (about 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts)
8 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buffalo sauce (like Frank's RedHot)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles optional
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 green onions optional
Directions
- Shred 3 cups cooked chicken and set aside, soften 8 oz cream cheese by leaving it at room temp or zap it in the microwave 20 to 30 seconds so it's easy to mix, it's easiest that way.
- Spray the crockpot or line it with a slow cooker bag, put the softened cream cheese in the pot then add 1/2 cup ranch dressing, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup buffalo sauce, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, stir until mostly smooth.
- Add the shredded chicken and 1 1/2 cups of the 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar to the cream cheese mixture, if you're using blue cheese stir in half of the 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles now.
- Cover and cook on low for 1 to 2 hours or on high for 30 to 60 minutes until everything is hot and bubbly, give it a good stir about halfway through so nothing sticks, if the chicken was hot it'll come together faster so check early.
- Once it's melted and smooth, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar and the rest of the blue cheese crumbles on top, put the lid back on for 5 to 10 minutes to let the top melt.
- Taste and adjust seasoning or add a little more buffalo sauce if you want more heat, or a splash of ranch if it's too spicy.
- Chop 2 green onions and scatter them on top for color and a fresh bite, you can also add extra blue cheese if you love it.
- Serve warm with tortilla chips, celery sticks, carrot sticks, crackers or toasted baguette, keep the crockpot on warm during the party and stir every now and then so it stays creamy.
- Leftovers store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, reheat in the crockpot on low or in the microwave in 30 second bursts stirring between until piping hot.
Notes
- Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 120g
- Total number of serves: 8
- Calories: 426kcal
- Fat: 32.9g
- Saturated Fat: 18.8g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Polyunsaturated: 1.3g
- Monounsaturated: 6.3g
- Cholesterol: 102mg
- Sodium: 750mg
- Potassium: 200mg
- Carbohydrates: 6.3g
- Fiber: 0g
- Sugar: 3g
- Protein: 25.9g
- Vitamin A: 1250IU
- Vitamin C: 0.5mg
- Calcium: 125mg
- Iron: 1mg
