If you're looking for a quick and easy chicken recipe you'll LOVE this crockpot buffalo chicken. It's SO versatile. And super easy too!
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There's nothing worse (or at least to ME) to come home and have nothing cooked. AND there are days (and sometimes weeks) that no matter how much you plan, freezer meals run out. It's not life altering or anything, but it's annoying. And expensive. It's not very healthy either.
I'm not a food snob. Not at all. And not everything I make is from scratch either. And, for me, that's okay. I still think it's healthier than getting take out too often. Both for the gut and the wallet!
So a quick and easy sandwich meat was something I wanted in the freezer. And we love pulled pork, but it gets old. Most stuff does if you eat it over and over again. Thus, crockpot buffalo chicken was born! It is NOT from scratch. It's made with 3 ingredients. So there's that "quick and easy" part.
Variations for Making Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken
Remember I talked about versatile up above? Well, hows this for versatility...
- You can make this in the crockpot with raw or cooked chicken.
- It can be frozen it before or after cooking.
- You can multiply the recipe so it feeds anywhere from 4 to 20 people without affecting the recipe.
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Ingredients
Your ingredients are pretty dang easy. You need:
- 14 to 20-ounces Buffalo sauce
- The brand is up to you. I've tried two so far, including the one in the picture. Both were good but your ingredients will affect the taste of your recipe outcome. So be warned there. On a lot of stuff, you get what you pay for. Food's included in that statement in my mind.
- Dry Ranch Seasoning
- You can get the individual packets.
- If you're a ranch lover, you might want the larger canister.
- You can also make your own.
Your choice. Generally, the more from scratch you cook, the healthier the food. But the more from scratch, the more time consuming as well. So (to me) there has to be a balance there.
Pst...I can't always find the big canister around here. It's a lot cheaper. I also don't always have time to make my own, thus the big canister. Here's how I buy mine. As with most stuff, the more you buy the cheaper it gets. AND the organic version is really good too!
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- You can also use chicken thighs, I had breasts on-hand so that's what went in the recipe.
- If you're going to use pre-cooked chicken, like either deli rotisserie or make-ahead crockpot chicken (which is chicken thighs but can also be made into pre cooked chicken breasts using the same cooking method)
- Additional ingredients for chicken sandwiches in pictures
- Buns, your choice of type. I thought sourdough was the best. My husband preferred onion. But he always prefers onion. It's his thing.
- A couple tablespoons of butter to spread on buns before toasting
- Sliced mozzarella cheese
- Mayonnaise or Greek Yogurt Sauce (depending on your preference)
Printables & Pinnables for Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Meat & Sandwiches
3-Ingredient Crockpot Buffalo Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
- 1 bottle buffalo wing sauce about 16 to 18 ounces
- 1 package or 2 tablespoons dry ranch salad dressing mix
- 2 tablespoons of butter optional and not used in this recipe
To Make the Sandwiches:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6 rolls or buns
- Sliced mozzarella cheese
- Mayonaise or Greek yogurt spread
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts into a slow cooker. Dot with butter pats if you are using butter.
- Add 1/4 cup of water.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours. Time will vary depending on how fast your slow cooker cooks and the thickness of the chicken breasts.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the crock and allow to cool a few minutes. Pour off any liquid in the crockpot.
- Return meat to crockpot and use two forks to shred the meat.
- Pour the sauce and seasoning mix over the chicken. Mix well.
To Make Sandwiches:
- Spread butter on each bun and toast for 2 to 5 minutes butter side up.
- Spread mayo or yogurt spread on each bun.
- Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup (depending on how big you want your sandwich) on the bottom bun.
- Top with mozzarella cheese slice and return to oven to melt cheese. Alternately you can microwave it just long enough to melt the cheese.
To Freeze Crockpot Buffalo Chicken with Raw Meat:
- Lay the chicken out and sprinkle with ranch seasoning mix on both sides.
- Toss them in a gallon sized freezer bag one at a time and pour the buffalo sauce between each breast.
- Allow to defrost overnight in the refrigerator before cooking ~OR~ add about 2 hours more cook time if cooking it frozen. Total cook time would vary from 7 to 9 hours depending on how hot your crockpot cooks and the thickness of the chicken breasts used.
- Label, date, and freeze. Cook within 3 months.
To Freeze Buffalo Chicken with Pre-Cooked Meats ~OR~ After Making Crockpot Buffalo Chicken as shown above:
- Measure out 1/4 to 1/2 cup of shredded chicken mixture for each person you'll be feeding. Example: I measure out about 1/2 cup <g class="gr_ gr_158 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="158" data-gr-id="158">for</g> each adult sized sandwich and 1/4 for littles. You'll know better than I how much each person eats at your table.
- Toss into a freezer bag (I used quart sized) and flatten to stack well. Remove as much air as possible.
- Label, date, and freeze. Use within 8 weeks.
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