Buffalo Chicken Dip
This Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe is an easy classic that features three different layers of flavors including chicken (use canned or rotisserie!) mixed with your favorite buffalo sauce (I always go for Frank's RedHot!), cream cheese, ranch dressing and, of course, lots of cheese!
While I love wings, I always lean toward flavors like honey barbecue, teriyaki, or garlic parmesan. I've never been a big fan of the buffalo wings so I was never compelled to make (or even try!) this dip.
However, when I tried this buffalo dip recipe for the first time at a friend's party over 10 years ago, I loved it! I was sold immediately and had to have the recipe. It’s a perfect anytime party appetizer, game day appetizer, and I guarantee it will be on repeat during football season.
The combination of the hot sauce with cream cheese, ranch, and all that cheese was just phenomenal. Plus, it's EASY!
The Ingredients
- Chicken - My friend’s original recipe calls for boiling and shredding fresh chicken breasts, however you can substitute canned chicken or use a rotisserie chicken to significantly cut down on prep time (see recipe notes below for exact amounts).
- Buffalo Sauce - Use your favorite, but Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce is always my go-to!
- Ranch Dressing - Many buffalo purists will not agree with using ranch dressing (I use Hidden Valley Ranch, by the way), and you can absolutely use blue cheese dressing instead if you'd like.
- Cream Cheese - If you prefer to make this without cream cheese, you can substitute sour cream or Greek yogurt. No need to melt it, simply whisk or stir it into the ranch dressing.
- Cheese – I use a combination of sharp cheddar cheese and Monterey jack, but you can use any combination of your favorites – mozzarella cheese, blue cheese crumbles, Colby jack, pepper jack.
Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip
Baking it in the oven is how the original recipe is written. There are three simple steps for making it this way:
- Combine shredded chicken with a bottle of hot sauce. Spread in a baking pan.
- On the stove, melt together cream cheese and a bottle of ranch dressing. Pour over the hot sauce-infused chicken.
- Spread a combination of shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses over the top and pop it in the oven!
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
Making this dip in the crock pot is a fantastic way for serving it at a party or for a big crowd.
Simply add all of the ingredients (cube the cream cheese) to a 4 to 6-quart slow cooker, stir to combine, and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, stirring once or twice, then switch to the keep warm setting.
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What to Serve With It
If you're wondering what goes well with buffalo chicken dip or what to dip into it, the possibilities are endless! Here are some of our favorites:
- Tortilla chips
- Potato chips
- Fritos scoops
- Crackers
- Veggies (celery sticks and carrot sticks are a favorite)
- Toasted baguette slices
- Top with sliced green onion or chives for an extra pop of color
Recipe Tips
- The Layers: This dip was originally written as a layered dip, but you can stir everything together before baking if you'd prefer. Some reviewers have mentioned that the layer of cheese on top is too thick and while I haven't had that issue, it would be just as delicious with everything mixed together!
- Make-Ahead: Prepare the dip up to one day in advance, cover, and refrigerate. Add 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time when ready to bake.
- Storing Leftovers: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove over low heat. You can also use leftover dip as a filling for some amazing quesadillas, sandwiches, and sliders!
- Freezing: You can freeze this dip for up to 3 months in an airtight container or in a baking dish covered tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then cook as desired in the oven (remove coverings) or transfer everything to the slow cooker.
If you've never made it before, and even if you don’t care for buffalo chicken wings, I beg you to give this a try! It deserves a spot in your party recipe repertoire. Everyone goes NUTS over it! It's especially great for watching sports, a Super Bowl party, or any type of party or get-together.
More Favorite Dips:
Watch How to Make Buffalo Chicken Dip:
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Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
- 12 ounce bottle hot sauce
- 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 16 ounce bottle ranch dressing
- 6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1½ cups)
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1½ cups)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the chicken with the bottle of hot sauce and spread in the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the cream cheese and the ranch dressing over low heat until the cream cheese is completely melted and smooth. Pour the mixture evenly over the chicken. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the cream cheese/ranch layer.
- Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, or until bubbling and browned on top. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with celery sticks, other vegetables, tortilla chips or crackers.
Notes
- Chicken: You can substitute four (12.5-ounce) cans of cooked chicken, drained, for the chicken breasts. You can also substitute shredded rotisserie chicken (5 to 6 cups of shredded chicken).
- Hot Sauce: Use your favorite; I recommend Frank’s RedHot sauce.
- Ranch Dressing: I recommend Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. You can substitute blue cheese for all of the ranch (or half of it).
- Cream Cheese – If you prefer to make this without cream cheese, you can substitute sour cream or Greek yogurt. No need to melt it, simply whisk or stir it into the ranch dressing.
- Layering: Instead of layering the dip, you can mix everything together.
- How to Make in Crock Pot: You can make this dip in a crock pot by adding all of the ingredients (cube the cream cheese), stirring, and cooking on low for 4 to 6 hours, stirring once or twice during the cooking process.
- What to Serve With It: Favorite dippers include tortilla chips, potato chips, crackers, baguettes, celery sticks, and carrot sticks.
- Make-Ahead: This can be prepared a day in advance, just cover and refrigerate overnight. You may need to add 5 or 10 minutes to the baking time.
- Leftovers – Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove over low heat. You can also use leftover dip as a filling for some amazing quesadillas, sandwiches, and sliders!
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
[photos by The Almond Eater]
I’m making this immediately! Thanks :)
Made this with great success, but is there a way to prevent the cheddar from becoming too hard on top (after it’s baked and too late to mix in)?
Hi Cathy, As you can see, I didn’t really have a hard layer of cheese on my dip, but you could always stir the cheese into the mixture before baking so it’s mixed in throughout, instead of just being on top.
I just made this dip for New Year’s Eve and it was a hit! Thanks for the great recipe :)
I like to use Tabasco buffalo sauce…or franks red hot buffalo. Try it.
I make this all the time – I use blue cheese dressing instead of ranch, and add some crumbled blue cheese in the mixture.. on super bowl, I accidentally picked up smoked blue cheese to crumble – and it was over the top – SOOOO delicious!
This is also great if you are on a low carb diet – I add some of the dip to romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, some chopped celery – no further dressing is needed – it is delicious!
OH – I’ve used canned chicken and that works – I’ve also gotten rotisserie chicken and shredded that as it is super easy too.
Love this dip! I’m making it right now! I’ve made it many times following the recipe exactly as posted and it is always a huge hit. I’ve passed on the link to many people and everyone raves about it. Love all of your recipes!
I’m making this to take to my friend’s house this Sunday! I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Going to make this tomorrow night, thanks for sharing. P.s laughing so hard at the buffalo dip police comments. Some people really need help! Lol!
I am making this dip right now but my question is: I don’t need to serve this dish until this evening and I have already prepared it except for baking it. Should I wait until I get to the party to pop it in the oven for 30 minutes or should I go ahead and cook it now and just heat it up later? Want to make sure it is done right. Trying to impress the boyfriend’s family. :)
Hi Evan, You could do it either way since you’ll need to heat it before eating anyway. I’d just wait to do it there, saves you doing it twice! Enjoy!
Featured this in my Food Trends article today, looks delicious! http://www.recipelionblog.com/food-trend-buffalo-chicken-recipes/
My boys loved this one!
The recipes just keep getting better. Wow, this was such a great recipe to try. I understand what you meant when you said usually you just eat honey barbecue or teriyaki. Sometimes the taste of the hot sauce on buffalo wings can be a little over whelming. This recipe was just right and I love cheese, so it was perfectly the right amount of each ingredient. Thanks for sharing!
If you search for crack dip, this is what comes up :) I like this dip, but for a muuuch lighter version I just mix cream cheese w/ the buffalo sauce. Not as fancypancy as this recipe but ppl love it and always ask where I found the dip :)
Years ago, my friend Laura made this dip knowing I would be at the party. I am known to be quite a chile-head, something I had in common with her husband. I was blown away by the dip so next time she came to my house she brought me the recipe. I have made it a couple of times since. I love it. It is always a hit when I make it. My husband is a huge buffalo wing fan and he loves it too. I usually make two kinds – one mild and one hot.
Did you say dip party? Count me in. I love ’em. In fact, I’m trying to get the idea to catch on among food bloggers. The next time I host a weekly Dipstock I’ll let you know.
Oh, and buffalo chicken dip is the best. A serious crowd pleaser.
So I saw the picture of this and thought it would be great for the upcoming Superbowl party I was going to – it was good, but I have a couple of things I’ll do differently next time I make this dish:
1. I won’t double the recipe – not necessary because it’s so rich (even when using light things!!) people don’t eat too much of it.
2. I would like to try stirring the cheese throughout the dip instead of just putting it on top – I ended up getting a thick layer of cheddar cheese that I had to pull off because I left it in the oven for the extra couple of minutes – if I had pulled it out at the 30 minute mark might have been better.
3. I won’t use real chicken breasts because:
a. It was pretty time consuming to cook the chicken breasts and shred them – I had to get the husband involved in the shredding process because shredding 8 chicken breasts (even 4 for that matter) really works the arms!! :)
b. I’ll use canned chicken because I don’t think people will be able to tell the difference after what’s gone into the recipe – delicious – don’t get me wrong!, and because I will be serving this to people that are drinking and paying more attention to the game on TV or to other sports related discussions or to their cards. :)
Got good reviews from people and will definitely make again.
I made this dip for my boyfriends family party and now I have to bring it to every family party. HAHA THEY LOVE IT! I even blogged about it :)
I definitely need to make this, my hubs loooooves buffalo chicken. He’d love this dip!
A dip party sounds like the best thing ever. Your friend is a genius! I’m going to be making this soon and I WILL have a dip party!
Holy Cow!!! Made this dip as a last minute addition to our Super Bowl Party menu, so glad!! This is seriously delicious :)
I made this for the Superbowl and it was a huge hit! I’m thinking the leftovers (and there were only leftovers because I made way too much food ;)) will be great on a baked potato for dinner tonight.
I put the chicken, hot sauce, cream cheese, and blue cheese dressing (my preference) in the crockpot and cooked it on low for ~6-7 hours. I mixed it up, shredded the chicken, and put it in a casserole dish and topped it with cheese. Super easy!
Made this for the Super Bowl today! Future hubby and I both LOVED it! It’s funny, he absolutely hates ranch AND cream cheese, but together is totally different. Neither one of us could put this dip down!
Your recipe inspired me to make a version of my own today for the Superbowl!
Looks delish! I’ll be tryin this one out today! Just found ts website today btw and love it!
This looks spool good! I cannot wait to try it!
This looks amaaaaazing and I am totally going to both make it AND have a dip party! Rock on!
I make this with sour cream and blue cheese crumbles – 1 cup sour cream and throw in a container of blue cheese…the best!!
oh man, my friend made this for a big party that we cooked for over last summer. it was a TREMENDOUS hit. i love that it’s so easy!
I host a similar party with my friends every year we call it ” Dip into Christmas” We look forward to it every year, and a version of this dip is always there!
This is one of my all time favorites! And, a dip party? Pure genius!