The Best Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
I have two very strong opinions about buffalo chicken dip.
First: make it in a mini crockpot.
Making buffalo chicken dip in the oven is ridiculous. 😂 You get it perfectly hot and bubbly, put it out for everybody, and 20 minutes later you're eating cold cream cheese and wondering if you need to turn the oven back on.
No.
Put it in a mini crockpot, turn it on, and let that little thing do its job. It stays warm through the entire game, party, tailgate—whatever you're making it for.
Second: use canned chicken.
I know.
I KNOW.
This is quite possibly the only recipe I will ever tell you to use canned chicken in.
But somehow it just makes buffalo chicken dip better.
I've made it with regular chicken. I've made it with rotisserie chicken. They're fine.
But for buffalo chicken dip?
Give me the canned chicken.
So if you're looking for an easy crockpot buffalo chicken dip for game day, a party, tailgating or just because you need something really good to eat while you watch football, this is the one.
My Easy Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
You only need a handful of ingredients, and everything goes straight into the mini crockpot.
Ingredients
2 cans chicken, drained
1 block of cream cheese
1 cup buffalo sauce
1 cup ranch dressing
1 cup shredded cheese
For serving: tortilla chips, crackers, celery, carrots—or whatever your people like to scoop buffalo chicken dip with.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Dip in a Mini Crockpot
Drain your canned chicken really well and break it apart.
Add the chicken, cream cheese, buffalo sauce, ranch and shredded cheese to your mini crockpot.
Turn it on and let everything get warm and melty, stirring occasionally until it's completely combined.
And then?
Leave it in the crockpot.
That's the whole point.
Set out the chips and let everybody serve themselves straight from there.
No transferring it to another dish. No putting it back in the oven halfway through the game. No sad, cold buffalo chicken dip sitting on the counter.
The mini crockpot keeps it warm until everybody has scraped the last little bit out.
Why I Use Canned Chicken
Listen, I am not trying to convince you to start replacing perfectly good chicken breasts with canned chicken in your regular dinners. 😂
This is specifically a buffalo chicken dip situation.
Canned chicken breaks down really easily, mixes into the cream cheese and sauce, and gives the dip that texture that—for whatever reason—is just RIGHT.
Could you use shredded rotisserie chicken?
Absolutely.
Would I?
Not for this.
Canned chicken. Trust me.
Why the Mini Crockpot Is the Best Way to Make It
Buffalo chicken dip is supposed to be hot.
That's why I don't understand baking it in the oven and then immediately taking it out of the thing keeping it hot.
Especially if you're serving it for game day.
People aren't sitting down and eating all of the buffalo chicken dip in five minutes. They're grabbing some before kickoff, coming back during the second quarter and somehow standing around the food again at halftime.
A mini crockpot keeps it warm the whole time.
And because it's small, it's perfect for dips. It doesn't take up a ton of room on your counter or food table either.
If you make a lot of dips for parties or football season, a mini crockpot is one of those things you'll use over and over.
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What to Serve With Buffalo Chicken Dip
Tortilla chips are always my first choice.
But you can also put out celery and carrots, crackers, pita chips or even little pieces of toasted bread.
If I'm making this for game day, I usually don't overthink it.
Give me a big bowl of tortilla chips next to the crockpot and we're good.
Can You Make Buffalo Chicken Dip Ahead of Time?
YES—which is another reason this is such a good party recipe.
You can mix everything together ahead of time, refrigerate it and then heat it in the crockpot when you're ready.
That means you're not standing in the kitchen making dip while everybody else is watching the game.
And anything that lets me actually enjoy my own party gets extra points.
The Game Day Dip I Make Over and Over
There are recipes I like to experiment with.
Buffalo chicken dip isn't one of them.
I want it creamy, cheesy, spicy and HOT.
Give me the canned chicken.
Give me the mini crockpot.
Give me a giant bag of tortilla chips.
And please don't make me reheat dip in the oven during the third quarter. 😂
That's it.
Easy. Really good. And one of those recipes people somehow keep standing around until the crockpot is completely empty.
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