This easy game day appetizer combines classic buffalo wing flavors with cool creaminess in an easy dip made in the crockpot. Perfect for any party, serve it up with chips or celery sticks and watch everyone go back for seconds!
This is one of my Dip recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
Let’s talk appetizers. Party food is, simply put, the BEST food out there! Probably one of the most quintessential party foods are chicken wings… with buffalo flavor being the most popular. I love a great chicken wing, but sometimes I don’t want all the mess.
Most of you have probably had a version of this buffalo chicken dip recipe before… I know I have. At parties, and even on the appetizer menu at many restaurants, it’s quite the popular dip!
Now you can make this restaurant quality dip recipe at home! And it couldn’t be more simple.
This recipe has been hanging around on the website since 2018, and has been updated with additional information and photos. The recipe however, remains the same 🙂
How to make buffalo chicken dip in the crockpot?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Mix. The great thing about this recipe is that there’s no specific order, just add the ingredients and give it a good stir.
- Transfer to slow cooker. I like to give the insert a light spray with cooking spray, but it’s not required.
- Top with cheese. For the gooiest cheese, shred your own, but in this recipe, pre-shredded cheese will work just fine.
- Slow cook. This doesn’t take super long, just a couple of hours to heat it through.
- Garnish and serve.
Helpful Tip!
You can use either traditional hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot), or buffalo wing sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot buffalo wings). We much prefer the buffalo wing sauce, but of course this is your dip, so use what you love most.
Variations of this recipe
- Ranch – ranch dressing is a classic flavor to pair with buffalo chicken, but if you’re not a fan, you can omit it, and just add an equal amount of additional sour cream.
- Chicken – if you’d like a thicker dip, feel free to use up to an additional 1 – 1.5 cups of shredded chicken.
- Spicier – the heat level of this dip is completely up to you, so for a spicier dip, use an extra hot variety.
- Milder – conversely, to reduce the heat, use a mild variety.
- Baked – while I love the convenience of cooking this dip in the slow cooker, if you’d prefer a baked version, check below the full recipe in the “chef tips” section for all the info.
FAQ’s
The best option would be to use a shredded rotisserie chicken (or make your own version of rotisserie chicken at home!). My grocery store even sells them pre-shredded for convenience! Other options would be to cook chicken and shred it yourself, use leftover chicken, or even canned if you don’t have any other other options.
Yes, this dip can be frozen, in a freezer-safe container, for up to 3 months. Thaw, then reheat as desired. However, there could be a little separation of the dairy, so make sure to give everything a good stir before reheating.
Making buffalo chicken dip ahead of time
The great thing about this appetizer is that it can be made ahead of time!
Just assemble it, cover, and refrigerate for a day or two.
Then heat it up per the recipe, and enjoy!
Storage
Leftover dip should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 3-5 days.
My Favorite Slow Cooker!
I had this crockpot for a while now, and I really love how it cooks. The locking lid feature is amazing for taking foods to potlucks or other gatherings!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 16 oz cream cheese (full fat is best) softened
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup sour cream (full fat is best)
- 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles divided
- 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken is great for this)
- 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 3 green onions sliced (for garnish)
- fresh parsley minced (for garnish)
- additional blue cheese crumbles (for garnish)
Instructions
Assemble
- In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, ranch dressing, sour cream, 1/4 cup of the blue cheese crumbles, chicken, buffalo wing sauce and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Stir to combine well.
- Lightly spray a 3 quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer mixture to slow cooker and top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.
Cook
- Cover and cook on LOW for 2-3 hours, until hot and bubbly.
Serve
- Sprinkle with remaining blue cheese, green onions and parsley (if using). Serve hot with tortilla chips or celery sticks.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- Recipe makes approximately 6 cups.
- To double this recipe, double all the ingredients and cook in a 6 quart or larger slow cooker on LOW for 3-4 hours.
Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip:
- Mix up the recipe as directed, but instead of transferring to a crockpot, transfer to a lightly greased shallow baking dish, like a deep dish pie pan or 2-3 quart baking dish.
- Bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
- Garnish as desired and serve hot.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Erin says
Looks absolutely delicious! I would love to make this!
Sandra says
This is the best chicken dip recipe! Perfect for anything!
Beth says
This is one of the bet dips I’ve ever tried. I love the classic buffalo chicken flavor. It’s fantastic for our game days.
Kimberly says
You’re speaking my language with this one! Going to get this simmering pronto and then dive in!
brandon says
so much garbage on this page. just show recipe
The Chunky Chef says
Well you have two options. First option, buy a cookbook. Second option, hit the “jump to recipe” button that literally takes you right to it. 🙂
Hannah says
What could I use in place of the Blue cheese if I’m not a fan of Blue cheese?
The Chunky Chef says
You could either leave it out, or substitute with crumbled feta cheese 🙂
Petal says
Can you be more rude?
Mamma Bear says
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes ignore this clown. Clearly somebody can’t read or is incapable of hitting the jump to recipe button located at the very tippity top. 😅😆
Erin R says
This dip is epic! We used rotisserie chicken the first time. Super duper delicious! But we’re wanting to use raw chicken breast because we weren’t able to find the pre cooked while on vacation. Do you think we could combine all the ingredients and cook this longer and then shred it? Thanks in advance!
Amanda says
So happy you enjoyed the recipe! I think that would work well, although it would be a bit more liquid-y since the chicken will give off juice as it cooks.
Terri says
I make this dip almost every week!! It’s so good! Sometimes I put it in a crockpot, but more often, I just stick it in the oven. I have stomach issues and it’s hard for me to eat protein. So with the chicken shredded, and the cheddar and cream cheese, it works for me!! And it’s delicious!!!
Terri says
I’ve tried many recipes for buffalo chicken dip, but this one, by far, is the absolute best!!! I did put mine in the oven, instead of a crockpot. This version has twice as much cream cheese than others I’ve tried. And this is the first time sour cream was in the recipe. I will use this recipe from now on……….absolute deliciousness!
Fiona says
Hi,
For this recipe, how much of a 3qt crockpot does it fill up to?
Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t measure it exactly, but that’s a 3 quart slow cooker in the photos, so you can see how full it is.
Alex says
Thanks to Mark for that “dumb” question about making ahead of time (’cause I had the same dumb question).
Kim Coronado says
How many batches do you think it will take to fill a 4.5 quartz crock pot? I’m having a potluck and want to make sure it will be enough for everyone.
The Chunky Chef says
Without making that size batch myself, I can’t guarantee this, but I would think about 3 batches.
Siera says
I substitute it blue cheese with feta and used ranch and omg big big hot
Laura Wynohrad says
How many batches do you think would it take to fill a large crockpot? I’m making this for graduation party this weekend. Want to feed 160 people, not sure how many crockpots I’ll need???
The Chunky Chef says
I would think about 3 batches would fill a large 6-7 quart crockpot. I’m just estimating here, but I’d say 4-5 large crockpots would be what’s needed to feed that many people. Assuming everyone coming likes buffalo chicken dip and will eat it 🙂
Anne says
Tried it — excellent recipe!!
Lee Anne says
I took this to a Super Bowl party and I was a big hit. I made an extra half recipe and glad I did. Next time I’ll double it. However, I didn’t have the blue cheese, but it was still awesome. I will definitely be making this again.
N says
This recipe is epic. I add more heat to it and using fresh cooked shredded chicken is the way to go. Whole family couldn’t get enough.
Sal says
💙👍
Lily says
This is an awesome recipe! I brought it to a party at a friend’s house and it got rave reviews. There was none left at the end of the night! My crockpot unexpectedly died on me before I could get the dip in there, so I just baked it in a casserole dish at 350 for about 20 minutes and it still came out perfect. This dip is pretty mild, so I would suggest adding a little more hot sauce if you like it with a little more kick. Will definitely make this again!
Nancy Caprio says
Delicious flavor in this dip, however mine ended up being very thick. What could I have used to thin it out?
The Chunky Chef says
Hmm, it’s supposed to be fairly thick, but not so thick that it’s not scoop-able. I’m glad you liked the flavor though! You could try increasing the ranch or sour cream a bit, along with a bit more hot sauce. Or you could add a bit of chicken broth.
M says
Can I cook this on high for 1 hr Instead of low for 2?
The Chunky Chef says
I think that would work just fine.