Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Crockpot Buffalo chicken is so tender and flavorful! Since it makes a big batch, it’s perfect for a crowd, or to make ahead and freeze.
How long it takes: 10 minutes prep and 4 hours on high, or 6 hours on low
Equipment you’ll need: small bowl, slow cooker
Servings: 12
An Easy Crockpot Meal
The slow cooker is a magical thing, especially for those really crazy days when you’re going to get home right at dinner time after being gone all day, and then somehow you have to find the energy to cook for your family.
It can seem so overwhelming and the crockpot is the perfect solution. This crockpot Buffalo chicken has all the flavor of Buffalo hot wings that you love, but in a fun and delicious sandwich form. Serve it on a bun topped with blue cheese or blue cheese dressing and extra hot sauce.
If you love everything Buffalo, try Instant Pot Buffalo chicken pasta, cheesy crockpot Buffalo chicken dip, or meatless air fryer Buffalo cauliflower “wings”.
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken
Very little hands-on time. This crockpot sandwich recipe is a great one because you just dump everything in the slow cooker and let it cook. It only takes about 10 minutes to prep and then it’s pretty much all hands-off.
A healthier way to enjoy Buffalo chicken. Buffalo chicken sandwiches are a healthy alternative to Buffalo hot wings. Eat it with or without a bun, use a whole wheat or gluten-free bun, or substitute a lettuce wrap or tortilla, whatever works best for you personally! (Be sure to try my Buffalo chicken burgers, too!)
Makes enough for a crowd. Having a lot of people over for a party? This recipe serves a lot; it makes enough chicken to fill at least 12 regular size buns or a lot more slider-size buns. It’s a nice alternative to sloppy Joes or pulled pork. (If you’re looking for more game day ideas, check out my collection of Super Bowl Recipes.)
Freezes well. Because it makes a big batch of chicken, you can put the extra in the freezer for a future dinner.
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken: Use both thighs and breasts for the best results. You’ll need approximately one and a half pounds of each. If your chicken is frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before putting it in the crockpot.
- Onion & bell pepper: Any type of onion you happen to have will work. I usually use a yellow cooking onion. Any color of bell pepper is fine, too.
- Tomato sauce: A large can of tomato sauce makes the meat perfectly saucy. Look for no-salt-added tomato sauce. It tastes the same as regular tomato sauce but there’s a huge difference in sodium content.
- Hot pepper sauce: Frank’s RedHot sauce is a good choice but there are plenty of options. Use your favorite.
- More seasonings: Worcestershire sauce adds umami and depth to the sauce, along with yellow mustard, dark brown sugar, and garlic powder. You can use other types of mustard but I find that yellow mustard provides the best tangy flavor for Buffalo chicken.
- Cornstarch: Since crockpot recipes tend be somewhat juicy, a little bit of cornstarch takes care of that problem.
- Blue cheese, optional: Garnish the Buffalo chicken sandwiches with crumbled blue cheese or blue cheese dressing.
How To Make Crockpot Buffalo Chicken
Prep the chicken. Remove the chicken from the package and put it in the crockpot. If the thighs seem to have excess fat, use a sharp scissors to trim it off if you want.
Chop the veggies. Chop an onion and a bell pepper. For a sandwich filler, it’s better if the veggies are a small dice instead of a rough chop, so use your knife skills and get the pieces nice and small. Add the veggies to the crockpot with the chicken.
Make the sauce. In a small bowl, stir up the sauce ingredients (except the cornstarch). Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir it up so the chicken is coated with the sauce.
Slow cook. Put the lid on the slow cooker, plug it in, and set it for either High or Low, depending on how long you have. It will take 3 to 4 hours on High, and 6 to 7 hours on Low.
Shred the chicken. Once the chicken is really tender (test it with a fork), remove it from the slow cooker and put it on a large plate or cutting board. Let it cool slightly so you can handle it. In addition, remove about a half cup of the sauce and set it aside to cool. Using two forks, shred the chicken. It should be super tender and shred very easily. Put the chicken back into the crockpot as you go.
Thicken the sauce. The sauce that you removed should be cooled off to room temperature by now. (If it’s too warm, the cornstarch may form lumps.) Stir in the cornstarch until the mixture is nice and smooth. Add the sauce back to the crockpot and simmer it on High until it thickens.
Serve. Put a good scoopful of the Buffalo chicken on a bun and top with crumbled blue cheese or blue cheese dressing. Add an extra drizzle of hot sauce, if you like.
Serve the sandwiches with air fryer French fries or air fryer sweet potato fries. Crisp celery sticks are a must!
Cooking Tip
If you’re not ready to serve dinner yet, just cover the crockpot and keep it on Warm until you’re ready. It will be fine for at least an hour.Make a bowl meal. Add a scoop of the Buffalo chicken to a bowl with a grain of your choice, chopped greens, celery, green onions, tomato, and avocado. Drizzle blue cheese dressing on top.
Add it to pasta. Stir warm Buffalo chicken into hot cooked pasta. Garnish with additional blue cheese and drizzle with hot sauce.
Wrap it. Substitute a tortilla or flatbread for the bun, or make it a lettuce wrap. Consider it a Buffalo chicken taco or burrito.
Make Buffalo chicken pizza. Spread your pizza crust with hot sauce or Buffalo sauce. Arrange Buffalo chicken evenly over the sauce. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese, or blue cheese (or both!). Additional toppings could include thinly sliced red onions, cooked bacon crumbles, or diced jalapeños.
Recipe Variations
- Use all white meat or all dark meat. This crockpot Buffalo chicken recipe uses a combination of dark and light meat. The dark meat gives it more flavor. However, if you’re dead set against one or the other, the recipe will turn out fine if you substitute breasts for thighs or vice versa.
- Adjust the spice level. Don’t care for spicy foods? Reduce the amount of hot sauce. This recipe is very mild so you might love it the way it is. Can’t get enough spice? Add more! Or choose a spicier hot sauce, like a habanero hot sauce.
- Not a fan of blue cheese? Try drizzling ranch dressing over the chicken on your sandwich.
- Make a salad instead. Try my Buffalo chicken salad which can also be eaten on a bun, bread, croissant, wrap, or on lettuce. It’s perfect for a summer get-together.
Head start: If you really want to speed things up in the morning, prep everything the night before. Dice the onion and pepper and refrigerate in a covered bowl or resealable bag. Prep the sauce and place that in a bowl in the refrigerator. In the morning, just put the chicken in the crockpot, add the veggies and sauce, turn it on and walk away.
Refrigerate/Freeze: Leftover Buffalo chicken can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to six months. For freezing, divide the chicken into freezer containers or freezer bags and label. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating for best results.
Reheat: Warm the chicken up in a saucepan or skillet on the stove, or in a microwave safe container in the microwave, until heated through.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #6 or Meal Plan #78. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week!
More Slow Cooker Sandwiches
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (excess fat trimmed off)
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 yellow onion, diced small (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced small (about 1 cup)
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) tomato sauce (low sodium or no-salt-added)
- ¼ cup hot pepper sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar (light brown sugar will work, too)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- salt and pepper, to taste
To serve:
- 12 hamburger buns (or 24 slider buns)
- blue cheese, for garnishing
Instructions
- Place chicken, chopped onions, and red pepper into a large (6-quart) slow cooker.1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 yellow onion, diced small , 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
- In a medium bowl, mix tomato sauce, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire, mustard, brown sugar, and garlic powder.1 can (14.5 ounces) tomato sauce, ¼ cup hot pepper sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pour over chicken and stir well to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours, or on LOW 5 to 6 hours, or until chicken is very tender.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker; place on platter or flat bowl; cool slightly. Turn slow cooker to HIGH.
- Remove ½ cup of the sauce; let cool.
- Shred chicken with two forks and return meat to slow cooker.
- When reserved sauce has cooled to room temperature, whisk in cornstarch until no lumps remain. Add to slow cooker and stir well. Cook on high for about 10 minutes or until mixture has thickened slightly. Taste, add salt and pepper, if needed.2 tablespoons cornstarch, salt and pepper, to taste
- Serve with buns, additional hot pepper sauce, and crumbled blue cheese.12 hamburger buns, blue cheese, for garnishing
Notes
- Make it spicier: Increase the amount of hot pepper sauce, or serve extra sauce on the side.
- Optional dressing: Blue cheese dressing can be used instead of blue cheese crumbles. If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, consider substituting ranch dressing.
- Yield: The number of servings can vary quite a bit depending on how much you pile onto each bun.
- Storage: Leftover Buffalo chicken can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to six months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating for best results.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
I saw this recipe in my inbox today and went out and bought the few items I needed. I also looked up Rachel’s Cole Slaw Recipe and the combination was so good! Thank you for endless delicious recipes. We are never disappointed :)
Your comment brought a smile to my face! I even read it to my husband and kids. :) So glad you like the recipes!
I know, I love Everyday Food! I get so excited when it arrives in the mail.
I am a buffalo chicken and spicy fan…this is right up my alley! I'm going to try this soon! Everyday Food has some awesome recipes!