You’re going to love the flavor of these Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels. A little bit of spice with a little bit of chew makes for the easiest appetizer dish, ever.
Give me a reason to make this spicy pinwheel wrap recipe and I will. I even call it an obsession. First off, these pinwheels are a fabulous and delicious way of enjoying chicken to the max.
Secondly, making these pinwheels hardly requires any type of “real cooking” at all. Since they’re made using premade crescent roll dough and rotisserie chicken, there’s no excuse why these healthy chicken pinwheels can’t be whipped up lickety-split!
Whether you’re looking to make a simple treat before dinner or a fun appetizer for a party, watch everyone dive in and chow down on these bite-sized chicken treats with a vengeance.
Make this chicken appetizer a tad bit spicier and buckle in for a tongue numbingly delightful surprise!
Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
My son, Patrick, wouldn’t have these Buffalo chicken pinwheels any other way. Without hot sauce the flavor is practically non-existent in his opinion.
Not so says my closest neighbor and amateur food critic, Renate. Chicken, being her all time favorite, is at the top of her meat eating list. Although this pinwheel recipe calls for hot sauce, Renate says these Buffalo pinwheels taste absolutely incredible without it.
Like me, she doesn’t take well to hot sauce. So, I take the Buffalo out of it, make a separate batch, minus the hot sauce, just for us and call them chicken pinwheels.
Pinwheels without hot sauce have a redeeming quality without sacrificing taste one bit. Cheddar and cream cheeses, green onions and ranch dressing are more than enough to elevate the taste.
That being said, this recipe wouldn’t be called Buffalo chicken pinwheels without hot sauce. No doubt, hot sauce wakes up the flavor of many dishes.
So for all you hot sauce lovers out there, get ready to chomp down on the best Buffalo chicken pinwheels out there!
Super fun to make, these chicken pinwheels can be a work of art! Once you give people a heads up they’re on the menu tonight, you could suddenly end up with a few unexpected helpers in the kitchen.
Everyone knows one of the perks of making food is they get to be the first ones to sample it. The more kitchen assistants that show up, the more taste testers. It’s as simple as that.
Ingredients needed for Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels Puff Pastry
Top notch Buffalo chicken pinwheels calls for top notch ingredients. Here they are in all their glory.
- cream cheese
- rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken breast, shredded chicken
- buffalo wing sauce (hot sauce)
- cheddar cheese
- celery
- chopped green onions
- refrigerated crescent dough
- ranch dressing
Breaking down each ingredient is not necessary as they speak for themselves. Each one is a delight and enhances the other.
Alternatives or additions to consider
- Italian seasoning
- Taco seasoning
- Chopped jalapenos
- Diced olives
- Fresh chives
- Salsa
- Shredded carrots
- Sour cream
- Parmesan, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack or Colby cheese instead of cheddar. Choose any cheese that hits your fancy and melts well.
- Brush with melted butter (or garlic butter)
- Marinara sauce
- Serve with Blue cheese dressing instead of ranch
How do you know when the Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels are done baking in the oven?
Using premade dough means they’re going to cook quickly and turn a gorgeous golden brown. Given that they won’t take very long to cook in the oven, you’re going to want to pay close attention to them.
The one golden rule I have about baking food in the oven is that when I can smell it, it’s close to being done. For many years, this has been a tried and true way of knowing the time is near when treasures like these need to be pulled from the oven.
Crescent dough itself is a flaky and blissfully good base that holds together all those other delightful ingredients.
Buffalo chicken pinwheels may be a guilty pleasure to some. Let’s take the word, “guilt” out and call these edibles an absolute pleasure to eat. All too often I’ve seen these pinwheels gulped down in two bites. Take time to savor each one. They’re much more enjoyable that way.
Can you use raw chicken for this easy baked buffalo chicken pinwheels recipe?
You can, but it will extend the cooking process. By using leftover cooked chicken or store bought rotisserie chicken, making this chicken pinwheel recipe becomes a breeze!
Canned chicken is another easy hack for this dish. I usually have a few cans on hand to make recipes like these pinwheels. Simple is the name of the game and, in the end, taste is what you’re really going for.
Anything I can do to make a recipe easier for you and me, I will!
How do you roll the dough to make the pinwheels?
Do this after you add your toppings. It’s an incredibly simple and easy process to roll the dough!
Unroll the crescent roll section and start rolling at the longer sides. Keep rolling it into a tight log just like rolling up a carpet or rug! Just don’t forget the filling.
How thick should the chicken pinwheels be?
There’s room to play with this, but aim for 6 pinwheels if you can. In order to get 6 out of a tube of crescent roll dough, they’re going to be about 1-inch thick.
Variations to Make Pinwheel Appetizer Recipe
The great thing about this simple chicken appetizer is that you can easily vary the ingredients to make something new. Some of the easiest ways to do so are listed below.
Leave out the chicken and just have cheesy goodness in the middle. Ooey gooey cheese is comforting and can easily stand alone without sacrificing on flavor.
Again, for those who don’t care for spicy food, hot sauce is not a requirement. Giving up hot sauce doesn’t mean giving up taste. It doesn’t have to be spicy to be appetizing.
By adding an extra pinch of cheese to the top of this Buffalo chicken pinwheels recipe gives them an extra cheesy boost cheese lovers would be ecstatic about!
Other Popular Pinwheel Recipes
Easy Baked Ham and Cheese Pinwheels
Buffalo Chicken Wrap Recipe
Simply prepare filling or buffalo chicken mixture as directed. Place on top of flour tortilla, sprinkle some cheese on top and roll up. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour before ready to serve.
These tortilla pinwheels are amazing too. We love them so much we have quite a few on this site all in the same place if you want to have a look.
Fun Ways To Eat These Pinwheels
Enough good things can’t be said about Buffalo chicken pinwheels. Again, I talk about my son, Patrick who once believed these chicken pinwheels were for snobs and ladies only.
Let me tell you, after he sampled one of these little morsels, he quickly changed his mind. Most people do.
There’s really no wrong way to make this simple pinwheel recipe. I’m all for taking a big bite and savoring it, but I know a lot of people who get sheer enjoyment out of pulling them apart. For reasons I can totally relate to, the act of pulling is very fulfilling and rewarding.
Then there are the dippers. Can’t blame those who like to dip these pinwheel bites in different sauces. Marinara sauce is a super fun dipping sauce that tastes absolutely amazing, but I can’t discount ranch dressing. I know I’m not alone when I say I’m a big fan of it too.
Can I make Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels ahead of time?
Although I haven’t needed to do this, apparently you can make them one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Then place in a shallow pan covered in foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or so. Let me know if you’ve done this by leaving me a comment below.
How to reheat
If there’s leftovers, lucky you! They can easily be reheated in the oven on low or pop them in the microwave for a few seconds.
Be aware these crescent roll pinwheels will be hot, so enjoy that first bite with caution!
More Delicious Appetizer Recipes
Appetizers are the beginnings of what can make or break a great party. Sample some of these and tell me how they turned out. My doors is always open.
- Best Appetizers For Parties, Tailgates or Cravings
- Easy Mushrooms on Toast with Avocado Appetizer
- Easy Pizza Dough Balls – Baked or Fried
We have loved buffalo chicken everything as far back as I can remember. If you love buffalo chicken wings, and all kinds of bite sized finger foods, especially around game day, oh heck, any day, then these suggestions might just be for you.
If you have another moment please have a look at these!
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Easy Buffalo Wing Bites
- Homemade Honey Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
- Easy Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks
Here’s to good eating! See you soon.
Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
Equipment
- muffin pan - 6 holes or 12
Ingredients
- 4 oz cream cheese or ½ brick of cream cheese softened
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 2 tablespoons Buffalo wing hot sauce
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, ½ inside and ½ on top
- ¼ cup celery, diced
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- 1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dough
- ¼ cup ranch dressing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare a muffin pan with 6 holes. Coat with cooking spray and set aside.
- Bring out and measure all of your ingredients.
- In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, half of the cheddar cheese, onions, celery, hot sauce, ranch dressing and chicken.
- Stir until blended. Taste the mixture to see if you prefer more or less of anything.
- Open tube of dough according to package directions. Unroll dough. Grab your rolling pin and roll out into a large rectangle.
- Spread chicken mixture evenly over top of the dough, leaving a ¼ inch border OR LESS.
- Roll, starting at the longer sides, into a tight log. Just like rolling up a carpet!
- Slice into 6 or 12 pinwheels (does your muffin pan have 6 or 12 holes?) The number of pinwheels will depend on your log size, or how thick you slice the pinwheels. Ideally the pinwheels should be about ¾ of an inch thick.
- Place one into each hole in your prepared muffin pan.
- Bake until they are a nice golden brown color,; around 20 minutes. (Maybe a minute less or sometimes a minute more).
- Add a pinch of cheese on top of each, if desired.
- Serve and enjoy every bite.
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