Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip is one of the best dips! Chunks of juicy chicken in a zesty Buffalo wing sauce with a creamy, cheesy base is baked until golden and bubbly! It's perfect for groups of all sizes and always a hit at parties.
We make buffalo chicken dip all of the time! It's great for every occasion and there are never any leftovers! It's the perfect food for game day, visits with friends, or watching a movie!
Buffalo wings are always a hit at any kind of party or get together but they aren't always practical and can be a mess to eat. This is like buffalo chicken wings in dip form! It doesn’t get much easier than this!
For more party dip inspiration, try our spinach and artichoke dip no mayo, spicy shrimp dip, Hot Corn Dip or our Cream Cheese Salsa Dip recipes.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy to make! All you need is 20 minutes and minimal effort!
- Full of flavor with just the right amount of spiciness.
- Creamy, cheesy, and indulgent flavors that will leave you wanting more.
- Perfect appetizer recipe for entertaining friends and family.
- Ability to customize the spiciness to your tastes.
Ingredients
All you need are six simple ingredients to make cream cheese buffalo dip with chicken. Let's take a look!
- Chicken: Use shredded or chopped chicken. Cook it fresh or you can use leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken to save some time.
- Cream cheese: Makes your easy buffalo dip ultra creamy.
- Dressing: You can use ranch or blue cheese dressing depending on the flavors you want.
- Buffalo wing sauce: Use your favorite brand or you can make homemade. Choose from this Buffalo Wild Wings copycat buffalo sauce or this vegan buffalo sauce recipe.
- Sour cream: Adds even more creaminess to the dip and bit of tang.
- Shredded cheese: I enjoy using cheddar cheese the most to make buffalo cream cheese dip.
Making fresh chicken? One easy way to cook chicken breasts is in the slow cooker which is an easy way to poach chicken. If you are interested check out my Slow Cooker Chicken Salad On Anything recipe and it will show you how to do it!
See the recipe card for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
Buffalo Dip Variations
Don't have the correct ingredients on hand? Or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change this (Alternate Keyword here) Use as many as you need to. But try for at minimum of two.
- Add some cooked bacon bits: Crispy salty bacon adds a salty, smoky element of flavor to the dip. Mix it in at the same time you add the cheese.
- Want to make it vegetarian? For a meatless buffalo cheese dip all you need to do is eliminate the chicken.
- Change up the flavor: Swap the buffalo sauce for sweet chili sauce, salsa or barbecue sauce.
- Use different cheeses. A great way to easily change the flavors is to try buffalo cheese dip with shredded Monterey Jack, Gouda, Gruyere, mozzarella, Asiago, Swiss, or Pepper jack cheese.
- Add some veggies. Mix in some chopped celery, green onions, or sweet bell peppers to your dip.
How to Make Buffalo Cheese Dip with Chicken
Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip is so easy to make! You can make it in the oven, Instant pot and even the slow cooker! Here's a look at the steps involved. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card further down the page.
Make It in the Oven
- Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, buffalo wing sauce and dressing in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the shredded chicken and cheese to the mixture. Mix it up until well blended. Taste your dip at this point and see if it needs salt, pepper, garlic powder or onion powder. I usually don't put any in.
PRO TIP: I like to use a store bought rotisserie chicken whenever possible. It is already cooked, easy to shred and I can get the buffalo chicken and cheese dip ready quickly.
- Spread the dip into a prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with more cheese if desired.
Bake the buffalo dip covered in tinfoil, for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and dip is bubbly around the edges.
If you prefer a brown top do not cover. Dip will look prettier but it will be more difficult to scoop if your cheese is darkened.
Serve with baguette slices, celery sticks or corn or tortilla chips.
Can I Make Buffalo in the Slow Cooker?
Yes, you can! You will need to use the smallest slow cooker or crock pot you can find! Here's how:
- Coat your slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Add all of the dip ingredients into your slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 1 - 1 ½ hours and stir occasionally.
The best part? You can serve the dip in your slow cooker on low or warm making it ideal for parties!! Give the chicken mixture a stir periodically and add the cheese on top about 30 minutes before serving.
This method is perfect if you want to bring it to a party or gathering too! Transporting this Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip is so easy and after you plug it back in it will warm up quickly and be ready to serve in no time at all!
How to Make Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
This method works great when you're starting with raw chicken! In just TWENTY minutes you can have a great appetizer to share with friends and family.
- Add the chicken breasts to the Instant pot.
- Top with the hot sauce, sour cream and ranch dressing and mix it together a bit. Cover with the lid and cook using the meat/stew button for fifteen minutes. Then carefully do a quick release.
- Use a hand mixer or two forks and shred the chicken well.
- Add the cheeses to the pot.
- Stir the dip until all the cheese melts. It should be warm enough to melt everything but you can use the Sauté feature to help if needed but be careful not to burn the cheese.
- Serve buffalo dip up warm with tortilla chips, crackers or veggies.
If you love this buffalo chicken dip recipe, you might also enjoy this smoked buffalo chicken dip, our Goat Cheese Dip with Bacon or our Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store leftovers properly in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to three days.
Freezer: I definitely don't recommend it. The cheesy mixture just doesn't taste right. The texture becomes somewhat grainy and dry instead of smooth and creamy. However, if you decide to give it a try, it will freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat: There are a few different methods you can use for reheating.
- The best way to reheat this dip is in a microwave-safe bowl for about two minutes at full power. Stir it halfway through and continue cooking until the desired temperature is reached.
- Alternatively, you can also heat it on the stovetop over medium heat in a nonstick pan or skillet. Just be sure to stir the mixture occasionally so it doesn't burn and heats evenly.
- For extra crispiness, you can also pop it back into the oven at 350°F for 5-10 minutes.
Can I make it in advance?
Yes, you can! This dip is perfect for meal prepping or making ahead for parties since it stores so well and reheats easily in the microwave or on the stovetop.
You may also prepare parts of this recipe ahead of time (prep the chicken and sauce) or the whole thing and store it in the refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap.
About 30 minutes before you are ready to bake, remove it from the fridge and leave it on your counter. Then bake it as directed though it may need a bit more time to cook.
How to Serve Buffalo Dip
This dip is most well known served as a snack with a variety of dippers! Here's a few of our favorites!
- Crackers, bread slices, or crostini
- Fresh veggie sticks such as celery, carrot, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini.
- Chips including tortilla chips, corn chips, and pretzels.
- Fresh pita slices or baked pita chips
- Bagel chips
- Pasta chips
Use up leftovers in some unique ways! Use it as a topping for sandwiches, wraps, and burgers, mix it into macaroni and cheese, or use it as a quesadilla filling.
It's really versatile so get creative!
Tips
- Shred your cheese yourself for best results. Shredded cheese contains additives to keep it from sticking together which also makes it less meltable.
- Use precooked chicken or rotisserie chicken to save time.
- The best way to cook it with fresh chicken is in the Instant pot since it can all e done together.
- Want it less spicy? Mix in some additional sour cream.
FAQ
Yes, it does! This recipe yields about 8 servings which should be plenty for a large gathering of family and friends. But if you need more it's very easy to double or triple the recipe.
This dip is usually made with cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, Pepper Jack, or a combination. They all work great so you can choose your favorite. If you want to give it a bit more flavor, try adding some crumbled blue cheese or feta along with the other cheeses.
The spiciness in the dish depends on the type of hot sauce you use and how much you add. For milder heat try using traditional buffalo sauce and for more heat, add additional hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or your favorite diced hot pepper. If it's too hot after cooked, mix in some more sour cream to tone it down a bit.
Yes! This buffalo cheese dip is naturally gluten-free if you use a gluten-free hot sauce. Always double check all your ingredients to be sure they are certified gluten-free if necessary before using them in this recipe.
Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip Video
Look below to see our video. This snack is so easy!
More Buffalo Chicken Recipes
Do you like buffalo chicken? Here some recipes you may also like to try.
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip
Equipment
Ingredients
Dip
- 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened If you are in a hurry you can soften cream cheese in your microwave for about 15 seconds on high
- 3 ½ - 4 cups rotisserie chicken or chicken breast, cooked, shredded or chopped if you prefer leftover chicken works great too
- ⅔ cup Buffalo wing sauce
- ⅔ cup ranch or blue cheese salad dressing
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ - 2 cups shredded cheese
Optional
- 1 cup cheese, shredded to sprinkle on top before baking
- onion powder to taste
- garlic powder to taste
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- extra hot sauce if you can handle more heat or crushed red chili flakes
For serving
- vegetable sticks or slices, corn or tortilla chips, pretzels, crackers or baguette slices for serving
- green onions, thinly sliced for serving, if desired
Instructions
Oven
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sour cream, buffalo wing sauce and dressing.
- Add cooked chicken, 1 ½ - 2 cups of cheese and stir until blended.
- Taste your dip and see if it needs salt, pepper, garlic powder or onion powder. I usually don't put any in.
- Spread into your prepared pan. Sprinkle with more cheese if desired.
- Bake, covered in tinfoil, for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and dip is bubbly around the edges. If you prefer a brown top do not cover. Dip will look prettier but it will be more difficult to scoop if your cheese is darkened. Serve with baguette slices, celery sticks or corn or tortilla chips.
Instant Pot
- Remove the trivet from the Instant Pot and add chicken breasts, hot sauce, sour cream and Ranch Dressing inside.
- Place the lid on, ensure the valve is sealed, and select the Meat/Stew feature for 15 minutes. When the cycle is complete carefully do a quick release.
- Using a hand mixer or two forks, shred the chicken well. Add cheeses to the pot and stir until melted. It should be warm enough, but you can use the Sauté feature to help melt if needed but be careful not to burn the cheese.
Slow Cooker
- Lightly coat your slow cooker with cooking spray and place all of your dip ingredients inside. Cook on high for 1-1 ½ hours. Serve in slow cooker on low or scoop into bowls for individual servings.
Stove Top
- Combine all of your ingredients together in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Heat for about 15 minutes or until the dip nearly reaches a simmer. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve warm, sprinkled with your favorite toppings like green onions or more cheese!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published September 2017. It has been updated with new images and content.
Hannah Flack says
made this tonight, hubby already asking for it again, fabulous and so simple, thank you for the recipe!!!! I am still full!!
Karin and Ken says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! I love the stuff! Hopefully you find some other recipes on this site that you enjoy just as much! All the best. Karin
Hannah Flack says
Delish – absolutely delish! Made this for dinner tonight and I cannot wait to enjoy leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for a great-tasting recipe!!
Karin and Ken says
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it as much as we do! Hopefully you find some other recipes on this site that you enjoy just as much! All the best. Karin
Rose Martine says
Thank you so much for wonderful recipes! This dip is amazing! What I love about your website most of all is that you post not only great recipes and descriptions but also stunning photos of food! Have a nice day!
Karin and Ken says
I can’t thank you enough for your kind words. I do my best. I’m glad to have you with me on my food journey. Thank you again and take care. Karin
Alisha Ross says
Yum! Now I am craving chicken! I love roasting whole chickens on Sunday evenings, and I always use the bones to make a broth. It’s a great way to have a surplus of broth in the freezer, and it’s so handy when anyone in my house gets sick! I will try this recipe the next Sunday after I roast a chicken ?
Karin and Ken says
You will be glad you did! This dip is delicious! Take care and all the best. Karin
Alisha Ross says
it’s such a complete “brain save” for me. I literally do nothing.The texture ends up being a tad different, but not enough that my family has ever noticed. ? The kids love having it cooked in baggies too because I will keep some in the fridge and it makes them much more apt to cook up something on their own. ?
Karin and Ken says
Such a great idea to make smaller portions for your kids! Just brilliant! Wish I thought of it myself! Thank you. Take care and enjoy your day! Karin
Moses Brodin says
I just made this last night, added basil and grape tomatoes, also sealed the chicken in a pan just before the oven. It was incredible delicious I am so glad I run into your recipe! Thanks! My store had a sale on boneless skinless tenders instead of breasts, so I think I will try this as more of a layered dish! Can hardly wait!
Karin and Ken says
Thank you for letting me know how you changed the recipe! I can’t wait to hear how everything worked out! This dip is a favorite around here and I hope you enjoy it just as much! Take care and enjoy your day! Karin
Sandra says
Delicious! Not a drop leftover. Great recipe. Thx
Karin and Ken says
I can’t stop eating it once I start! I just love it! Happy you all did too! All the best. Karin