Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe (2024)

Cheesy, creamy, little bit of spicy...this buffalo chicken dip is one of the best football food snacks ever. It's a 5-ingredient snack that takes just minutes to make. You'll be the superhero of the football party with this appetizer!

Looking for more football party appetizers? You'll love this cowboy caviar and this sardine salad.

About

The origins of this snack aren't clear. We do know that it's a spinoff of buffalo wings, which were invented in 1964 by Teressa Bellissimo. She created the wings as a late-night snack for her son Dominic and his friends, and they eventually became very popular at their family-owned bar in Buffalo, New York. The locals started requesting the wings as well, and eventually they became a popular snack worldwide.

This appetizer is a nice way to enjoy the flavors of wings in a less messy format. It has the heat, the meaty protein, and the creaminess of the traditional blue cheese dressing served on the side with wings. Many recipes, like mine, use ranch dressing instead of blue cheese dressing, but feel free to use blue cheese if you like.

Why This Recipe Works

• It uses homemade ranch and buffalo sauce. This adds a few extra steps, but the result is well worth the trouble! The homemade dressing and sauce really improve the flavor of the dip.
• It uses hand-grated cheddar. Pre-grated cheddar is tossed in cellulose, which prevents the cheese from melting smoothly. You'll definitely want to grate your own cheese for this recipe.
• It uses shredded chicken. This means you can use leftover roasted/BBQ chicken, rotisserie chicken, or even freshly cooked chicken breast. Whatever works for you goes in this recipe!
• It isn't overheated. Baking the dip at 350°F only until it's bubbling keeps the dip from separating and getting greasy.

Ingredients

You don't need anything fancy to whip up a batch of buffalo chicken dip! Let's talk about each ingredient in this simple appetizer.

• Shredded Chicken: You can use shredded rotisserie chicken, baked chicken breasts, or any other type of chicken as long as it's finely shredded.
• Cream Cheese: I like to use full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture.
• Ranch: Homemade ranch really amps up the flavor!
• Buffalo Sauce: I make my own using this simple recipe.
• Cheddar Cheese: Make sure to grate your own cheese from a block rather than using pre-shredded. The pre-grated cheese is coated with cellulose, making it turn grainy when melted.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make

1. Beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. (image 1)
2. Pour in the ranch dressing. (image 2)

3. Pour in the buffalo sauce. (image 3)
4. Beat the mixture together until smooth. (image 4)

5. Dump in the chicken. (image 5)
6. Add the shredded cheddar cheese. (image 6)

7. Mix in the cheddar cheese and shredded chicken until evenly mixed. (image 7)
8. Spread in a casserole dish or put in a crockpot. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or put the crockpot on low for 1-2 hours. It should be warm, and all the cheese should be melted. (image 8)

Recipe FAQs

Serve

Here are some delicious and creative ways to enjoy leftovers. Tell me in the comments on this blog post if you try one of them!

• Pour on French fries.
• Add to a grilled cheese sandwich.
• Toss with cooked pasta.
• Spread on crackers or eat with crudités.
• Use it as a filling for this garbage bread.

If you're looking for other appetizer recipes, make sure to try our recipes for jalapeño poppers, buttermilk ranch, buffalo sauce, and garbage bread.

Expert Tips

• In a hurry? Use rotisserie chicken instead of poached.
• Don't use store-bought ranch and buffalo sauce. Make your own ranch and buffalo sauce instead for the best flavor possible.
• Need to soften cream cheese fast? Remove it from its foil wrapper, cut into chunks, and microwave at 15 second intervals until softened.
• Want more heat? Add extra hot sauce, cayenne pepper, diced jalapeños, or crushed red pepper flakes.
• Reheating leftovers? Do it low and slow to prevent grease separation. Microwave in 30 second intervals on 70% power, stirring between each interval.

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