4 Ingredient Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

Name: Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 250 min
Ingredients: 600 g chicken breast (2 large, skinless); 200 g (3/4 cup) hot sauce (like Franks hot sauce); 3 tbs (1/4 cup) butter; 2 tbs buttermilk powder (or regular full cream milk powder (see notes)); 1/2 tsp dried parsley; 1/4 tsp dried dill; 1/4 tsp onion powder; 1/4 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 tsp caster sugar (optional); pinch salt and pepper; burger buns; ranch dressing; extra hot sauce (optional)

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The EASIEST, NO FUSS, HANDS-OFF Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken recipe made using just 4 ingredients.

Tender, juicy chicken shredded with spicy buffalo sauce, ready to be enjoyed in your choice of burgers, sliders, pasta, sandwiches, cob loaf, dip or salad... the options are endless!

A hot sauce and ranch dressing drizzled over a shredded spicy chicken burger.

This classic American crock pot (slow cooker) buffalo chicken recipe is simply delicious!

Made from juicy chicken breasts, Franks classic hot buffalo sauce (the BEST!), butter and ranch seasoning... you'll be eating the most flavour-packed buffalo chicken with ZERO effort (thanks to the slow cooker!) and with a hot and spicy kick!

Make your midweek dinners extra delicious... just set and forget!

A burger bun filled with spicy chicken and ranch dressing.

Why You're Going To Love This Recipe

Once you try my easy buffalo chicken recipe in the slow cooker... it will become a firm favourite!

Super easy recipe - there's no need to brown the chicken first - simply place everything into the slow cooker and let it cook away. A NO FUSS, HANDS-OFF recipe!
Keto-friendly - following a low carb or keto diet? This is a great option for you!
Versatile - serve the shredded spicy chicken in sliders, burgers, wraps, sandwiches, stirred through pasta, with your favourite salad, in crunchy oven-baked wonton wrappers, in a cob loaf, or turn it into a crock pot buffalo chicken dip!
10 minutes prep time - it takes just a few minutes to prepare the ingredients... and then let the slow cooker do it's thing! All you have to do is shred the chicken after it's finished cooking and then enjoy!
Simple ingredients - made using just 4 ingredients, you won't believe how easy it is to prepare buffalo chicken using a crock pot or slow cooker.

Hot and spicy sauce and creamy dressing drizzled on shredded chicken.

What You Need

Here's the 4 ingredients needed to make the best buffalo chicken recipe ever:

Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.

The ingredients required, set out on a bench top.

Butter.
Chicken - use skinless and boneless chicken breast fillets for the ultimate tender, juicy chicken!
Hot sauce - use your favourite brand of hot sauce. I like to use Franks Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce as it's perfect for this recipe and available in all major supermarkets.
Ranch seasoning - you can use a sachet of ranch seasoning mix (if it's available in your area... sometimes it's difficult to find here in Australia) or you can make your own homemade ranch seasoning using dried parsley, dill, onion powder, garlic powder, caster sugar, salt, pepper and buttermilk powder (or swap for regular milk powder - see FAQs and recipe card below).

Equipment Required

To make Slow Cooker Shredded Buffalo Chicken, all you will need is:

Bowl - to mix sauce ingredients.
Slow cooker - or crockpot.

Step By Step Instructions

It takes just 10 minutes hands on time to make deliciously hot buffalo chicken. Pop the ingredients in, leave to cook, then shred the chicken breasts and serve - that's it!

Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.

Step 1 - Make The Sauce

In a small bowl, whisk the hot sauce and the ranch seasoning together until combined.

Hot sauce and ranch seasoning ingredients in a bowl.

Step 2 - Place Ingredients In Slow Cooker

Place the chicken breasts next to each other in the base of a slow cooker.

Two chicken breasts placed in a crock pot.

Pour the spicy sauce over the chicken and stir to coat.

Place the butter on top of the chicken.

Red spicy sauce and butter on top of chicken in a slow cooker.

Step 3 - Cook

Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.

Step 4 - Shred The Buffalo Chicken

Use two forks to shred the buffalo chicken.

Shredded buffalo chicken meat in a black crock pot.

Shredding the chicken will also perfectly coat it all in the sauce.

Serve the buffalo chicken in burger buns with ranch dressing and extra hot sauce!

Buffalo Chicken Serving Suggestions

Don't feel like crock pot buffalo chicken sandwiches tonight? No problem!

Here's a few more of my favourite ways to serve buffalo chicken:

Cob loaf dip - once the cooked chicken has been shredded, mix cream cheese through until combined, spoon into a hollowed out cobb loaf, top with grated cheese and bake in the oven until golden on top. Makes a fab dip to share!
Sliders - mini buffalo chicken sliders make the perfect appetiser or game day snack.
Pasta - stir the shredded buffalo chicken through cooked pasta and add a little grated parmesan on top.
Salad - serve spicy buffalo chicken with your favourite green salad and sliced avocado.
Wraps or burgers - use the meat as a delicious filling for lunchtime wraps or burgers.
Wontons - this is one of my favourite ways to enjoy buffalo chicken. Simply mix the chicken with cream cheese, sour cream and spring onions and serve in crispy oven-baked wonton wrappers. Great little appetizers!

A buffalo shredded chicken burger with ranch sauce.

Expert Tips

Follow my top tips for the BEST EVER Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken!

Choose a good quality hot sauce - I recommend Franks brand buffalo hot sauce - it's the original and the best!
If you can't find ranch seasoning or ranch dip powder (usually in a sachet) then you can make your own ranch seasoning using my homemade recipe - see FAQs and recipe card below.
If you can't find buttermilk powder you can omit it from the ranch seasoning, or use plain milk powder instead.
Cook on LOW for the ultimate tender, pull-apart chicken. If you're short on time, cooking on HIGH will still produce a delicious result, and quicker!
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days. Remove from the slow cooker and refrigerate in an airtight container. Note: Do NOT put the slow cooker bowl into the fridge - it can heat the fridge up too much and also takes too long to chill the chicken.
Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge or reheat from frozen.

An overhead shot of ranch dressing and spicy sauce on shredded chicken.

FAQs

Is it ok to put raw chicken into the slow cooker? Does it need to be browned first?

There's no need to brown the chicken, or cook it first, when making buffalo chicken as it slow cooks itself! Some slow cooker recipes do call for the meat to be seared first (to seal in the juices), but that's not necessary with this recipe, as the breast fillets cook whole and then we shred the meat at the end of the cooking time.

What is ranch seasoning?

Ranch seasoning is a blend of dried herbs with the main flavours being dill, garlic and onion. Use ranch seasoning in dips and dressings, in pasta and chicken dishes, over fries and baked potatoes - anywhere you want a kick of herby onion and garlic flavours!

To make your own - mix 2 tbsp buttermilk powder (or milk powder) with ½ tsp dried parsley, ¼ tsp of each - dried dill, onion powder, garlic powder and caster sugar, plus a pinch of salt and black pepper.
If you make a larger quantity, ranch seasoning can be stored in an airtight container the fridge for up to 3 months, or if you omit the buttermilk powder, then it can be stored for as long as dried herbs are stored.
The buttermilk just adds a creamy flavour and coating in recipes.

What is the best hot sauce for homemade buffalo sauce?

Franks hot sauce! This is the original and by FAR the best. It can be bought from all major supermarkets and comes in several varieties (original cayenne pepper, original, extra hot and buffalo). I recommend using Franks buffalo hot sauce!

Is it better to cook chicken on LOW or HIGH in the slow cooker?

Generally, the longer and slower you can cook the chicken, the better! Cooking on low will result in the ultimate fall-apart, easy to shred meat. So if you have time, cook it on LOW for 8hrs. However, if you're rushed for time, cooking the chicken on HIGH (4 hrs) works perfectly too (that's what I often do!)

Love using your slow cooker to create delicious and simple family dinners?

Here's a few more of my most popular slow cooker recipes: