This is the BEST Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe that can be baked in the oven or made in the Crock Pot! Use fresh, leftover, or rotisserie chicken and make it up to 2 days ahead of time.
Be sure to try my Buffalo Chicken Pizza next!
Buffalo Chicken Dip
When it comes to appetizers, buffalo chicken dip is a classic. This recipe is flavorful and creamy with tender shreds of chicken and just the right amount of heat. Blue cheese or Ranch dressing adds a cool offset to the buffalo sauce.
This is a great make-ahead recipe that’s also Crock Pot friendly! PLUS, you can make it with fresh, leftover, or rotisserie chicken.
I also have a great way to make use of leftovers (as if you’ll have any) 😉.
Ingredients
- Chicken- Uncooked chicken breasts, leftover chicken, or rotisserie chicken all work well for this recipe.
- Cream Cheese– I always use Philadelphia.
- Frank’s Buffalo Sauce- I recommend the buffalo variety vs. the original hot sauce for this dip.
- Garlic Powder and Onion Powder
- Blue Cheese Dressing– Marie’s Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing is by far my favorite for this recipe. It’s usually found in the refrigerated produce section. Creamy Ranch works as well!
- Cheddar Cheese: I prefer Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Yellow Cheddar for this dip.
- Mozzarella: I use Galbani.
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Boil chicken gently in water for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through. Shred and set aside.
- Add the buffalo sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder to a skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the blue cheese dressing, softened cream cheese, and half of the cheddar cheese and stir until smooth and combined.
- Add the chicken and toss to coat. Remove from heat.
- Top with remaining cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Garnish with green onions or chives. (I like to add small drizzles of blue cheese dressing to the top prior to serving as well.)
- Serve with tortilla chips, celery, and carrot sticks. Crusty French bread is great for serving as well.
Pro Tips
- Boil the chicken gently, a rapid boil will make it tough. Add 1 chicken bouillon to the water to add flavor to the chicken.
- Shred the cheese from a block so that it melts and tastes the best. (Bagged shredded cheese contains cellulose which prevents it from clumping in the bag but also prevents it from melting as well.)
Make Ahead Method
- Prepare dip as outlined. Transfer to a baking dish and top with cheese.
- When ready to serve: Bake, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 15 more minutes.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- I like to freeze leftover buffalo chicken dip in quart-sized freezer bags and use it as a topping to make buffalo chicken pizza!
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet– Perfect for baking this dip right in the oven.
- Crock Pot- This one has a timer to switch to low at the end of cooking.
- Box Cheese Grater– Cheese always melts and tastes better if it’s shredded from a block at home.
- Silicone Spatula– Perfect for mixing dip.
Try These Next
- White Queso Dip
- Pizza Dip
- Garlic Bread with Cheese
- Onion Rings
- Chili Cheese Dogs
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza
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![A hand holding a tortilla chip and dipping it into Buffalo Chicken Dip with melted cheese and chives on top.](jpg/buffalo-chicken-dip-f-200x200.jpg)
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, or 2 cups cooked/shredded chicken
- 1 cup Frank’s buffalo sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ cup Blue Cheese Dressing, Ranch can also be used
- 2 cups Cheddar Cheese
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Prep Work: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take cream cheese out of the fridge and cut it into cubes. Let it soften for 20-30 minutes.
- Cook the Chicken: Cover the chicken in cool water so it’s covered by two inches. PRO TIP: Add 1 chicken bouillon to the water to add more flavor to the chicken. Boil gently for 15-20 minutes, until cooked though. A rapid boil will cause the chicken to become tough. Shred the chicken with two forks and set aside.
- Make the Sauce: Add the buffalo sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder to a skillet or saucepan over medium heat. (Pro Tip: Use a cast iron skillet so you can easily transfer it to the oven.) Add the blue cheese and softened cream cheese and stir until smooth and combined.
- Reduce heat to low and mix in HALF of the cheddar cheese until smooth. Add the shredded chicken and toss to coat. Remove from heat. Transfer to a lightly greased 10-inch oven safe dish if needed.
- Top with remaining cup of cheddar and ½ cup mozzarella cheese.
- Bake: Bake for 15 minutes, uncovered. (I prefer not to broil at the end as I like a nice softly melted top for this dip.)
- Garnish: Garnish with green onions or chives. I like to add small swirls of blue cheese dressing on top prior to serving as well.
- Serve: Serve with tortilla chips and celery/carrot sticks. Slices of crusty French bread is good with this as well.
Notes
Crumbled Blue Cheese cab be added as a garnish prior to serving as well.
Make Ahead Method
- Prepare dip as outlined. Transfer to a baking dish and top with cheese.
- When ready to serve: Bake, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 15 more minutes.
Crock Pot Method
- Prepare dip as outlined in steps 1-4 above and transfer to a Crock Pot instead of baking dish.
- Top with remaining cheese, and cook on low for 2 hours.
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- I like to freeze leftover buffalo chicken dip in quart-sized freezer bags and use it as a topping to make buffalo chicken pizza!
Sounds amazing, Stephanie! I’m thinking about making this for a football party.
Question, if I’m going to make it a couple of days ahead of time, do I need to heat the ingredients? Can they just be cold mixed and then cooked for longer period of time?
Much appreciated!
Hey Jennifer! I can’t wait for you to try this either! You can definitely mix it together ahead of time without heating it up as you mentioned, that’ll be perfect!! Enjoy!!
If you haven’t tried this your missing out! I’ve never liked spicy and my three boys don’t either. My husband saw this and said “it’s Cozy Cook try it”. Guess what AMAZING!
Thanks Chrissy! I love that your husband says that. My husband loves everything Buffalo Chicken so naturally he loves this one. Thanks again!❤️
Sorry, didn’t rate it !
Thank you!😃
This is KILLER ! After using leftover breast meat, which WAS GOOD, this is SO MUCH BETTER with a picked roasted chicken and your ingredients. Good Job Stephanie, Thank you !
You’re very welcome Bill, I’m so happy you liked it! This one is always a hit in my house, thanks for the great comments!😃
Took this to super bowl party it was hit nothing left! I was hoping for leftovers !
That is GREAT news Janie, (except for the no leftovers, lol, that’s a good news/bad news kinda thing! 😆) Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
I absolutely love your website!! I’m newly married and my husband loves to eat!!! I made your cube steak and gravy yesterday and now I’m making this! It tastes amazing!! I love how you are not afraid to use seasonings!! You have anew subscriber!!
Hi Patricia!! WOW thank you so much, you really made my day!! I’m so glad that you’ve been enjoying the recipes, and that you appreciate the seasonings too, I’ve learned over time what a massive difference the right seasoning combination can make! 🙂 Thank you so much! -Stephanie
My husband considers himself a “Buffalo Chicken Connoisseur” lol. I made this dip for him and he said it passes the test. That means a lot coming from him. I did the crock pot method and it was super easy. Thanks!
That’s so funny Vikki. I think guys take their Buffalo Chicken very seriously! So happy to hear it passed the test! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review❤️