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Tasty Buffalo Chicken Dip

Featured in: Family-Friendly Dinners Everyone Will Love

Combine chicken, melt cheese, pour in hot sauce. Fold in cream cheese and ranch until creamy. Sprinkle extra cheese on top, bake until bubbly. Grab your favorite chips and enjoy!

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Updated on Fri, 11 Apr 2025 19:12:57 GMT
A serving of gooey, cheesy dip is being lifted with a tortilla chip, surrounded by green onions, with a bowl of chips in the background. Pin it
A serving of gooey, cheesy dip is being lifted with a tortilla chip, surrounded by green onions, with a bowl of chips in the background. | cookingkitchn.com

Crowd-pleasing Buffalo Chicken Dip makes any gathering better. It combines tender shredded chicken with smooth cream cheese, creamy ranch, tangy hot sauce, and gooey cheeses. Pop it in the oven until it bubbles, and watch how quickly it vanishes when guests start dipping!

Why This Dip Stands Out

This tasty creation gives you all the buffalo wing flavor without sticky fingers. It's got hundreds of glowing reviews to back it up. You can throw it together fast, make it as mild or spicy as you want, and it works for keto fans too. Everyone will bug you for your cooking secrets after trying it.

Ingredients List

  • Chicken Breasts: Grab a rotisserie chicken if you're short on time
  • Cream Cheese: Make sure it's room temperature
  • Ranch Dressing: Nothing fancy needed here
  • Hot Sauce: Frank's RedHot can't be beat
  • Black Pepper: Just a pinch
  • Garlic Powder: For extra kick
  • Green Onions: Adds brightness
  • Mozzarella Cheese: Creates that irresistible pull
  • Cheddar Cheese: Brings bold flavor

Step-By-Step Directions

Cook Chicken:
Simmer chicken in water about 25 minutes until done. Cool it down and pull it apart.
Heat Oven:
Warm to 350°F and give your baking dish a quick spray.
Mix Base:
Combine cream cheese, ranch, hot sauce, pepper, and garlic powder in a pot and stir until blended.
Add Extras:
Stir in your chicken, green onions, and half the cheese. Transfer to your dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Bake:
Let it bubble in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Want a golden top? Broil for a quick 2-3 minutes.
Serve:
Pair with tortilla chips or veggie sticks. Leftovers stay good for 2-3 days in the fridge.

Choosing Your Protein

Any chicken works in this dish. Freshly cooked is fantastic, but grabbing a rotisserie chicken cuts your prep time way down. Got leftover turkey? That works too! If you're cooking chicken yourself, plan ahead - you'll want around 4 cups after shredding.

Keeping It Light

Go with chicken breast to cut down on excess oil. The cheese and dressing already bring plenty of richness, so leaner meat actually balances the dip better.

Cream Cheese Matters

Grab the full-fat block cream cheese instead of the reduced-fat stuff. It'll give you a smoother, creamier texture when melted. The low-fat versions tend to get runny when they heat up.

Dressing Options

You can't go wrong with ranch or blue cheese. Most folks prefer ranch, but it's totally up to you. Just make sure you're using bottled dressing rather than the powdered mix for the best flavor.

A serving spoon lifts a cheesy, creamy dish topped with green onions from a casserole dish. Pin it
A serving spoon lifts a cheesy, creamy dish topped with green onions from a casserole dish. | cookingkitchn.com

Foolproof Cooking Advice

Cook at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes until everything gets hot and bubbly. This really lets all those flavors mingle together nicely. You'll spot the perfect moment when the cheese on top turns slightly golden.

Frequently Asked Questions

→ Got no chicken?

Use tuna from a can or rotisserie chicken. Leftover turkey works fine too. Just shred it small and make sure it's not wet.

→ Need more kick?

Add more hot sauce. Try adding cayenne pepper. Taste as you add stuff - you can't make it less spicy once it's done! Try different hot sauces together. Add more cheese to tone down heat.

→ Making it ahead?

Make it one day early. Store in your fridge. Need to keep it longer? Put it in the freezer. Just heat it up slowly. Add a little milk if it seems dry.

→ What goes with it?

Tortilla chips work great. Try chunks of bread too. Crisp celery sticks are good. Sliced bell peppers work well. Warm pita triangles are tasty.

→ Got extras?

Store it in an airtight container. Will last about 3 days refrigerated. Warm it up before serving. Seems thick when cold? That's normal. Try spreading it cold on sandwiches or mixing into pasta.

→ Cheese not smooth?

Let cream cheese warm up first. Shred cheese yourself - it melts much better than pre-shredded bags. Warm everything slowly if it's still chunky.

→ Too wet?

Make sure chicken is well drained. Adding more cheese can thicken it. Allow hot ingredients to cool a bit - prevents watery mix. Drain your veggies well.

→ Top getting dark?

Put some foil on top. Check near the end for light browning. Use the broiler briefly for a crispy finish.

→ Breaking up in the pot?

Use low heat, stir often. Buy full-fat cream cheese - low-fat versions separate easily. Keep temperature low during parties.

→ Feeding lots of folks?

Just multiply everything. Bake it longer. Use a slow cooker to serve - stir occasionally. A bit of milk keeps it creamy.

→ Tastes flat?

A bit of salt brings out flavor. Try adding fresh chopped onions. Toss in minced garlic. Add a bit more hot sauce.

→ Too thick?

Add milk gradually. Start with tiny amounts. Stir well between additions. Keep stirring while it's heating.

Conclusion

Enjoyed this? Maybe cook some wings next. Or spread it on a cheesy pizza. Want something lighter? Add it to your greens.

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Mix

Warm appetizer for friends.

Prep Time
10 Minutes
Cook Time
35 Minutes
Total Time
45 Minutes
By: Sophia


Difficulty: Intermediate

Cuisine: American

Yield: 12 Servings (1 baking pan of dip)

Dietary: ~

Ingredients

01 3 big boneless skinless chicken breasts, boiled till soft and pulled apart.
02 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into small chunks.
03 1 cup ranch dressing, either from the store or made at home.
04 1 cup hot sauce (Frank's RedHot works great), with extra on hand if needed.
05 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground.
06 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
07 ½ cup chopped green onion.
08 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, split into portions.
09 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese, split into portions.

Instructions

Step 01

For uncooked chicken, fill a big pot with water and bring it to a boil. Drop in chicken breasts and let the water bubble again. Turn off the heat, put a lid on, and let the chicken sit for about 25 minutes. Once done, take them out and wait for them to cool down.

Step 02

Get your oven warming up to 350°F (175°C). Grab a 9x9-inch baking dish and coat it with cooking spray so nothing sticks.

Step 03

Put a medium pot on medium-low heat. Throw in the cream cheese chunks, ranch dressing, hot sauce, black pepper, and garlic powder. Keep whisking until the cream cheese melts completely into the mixture.

Step 04

Add your shredded chicken, green onion, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and 1 cup of the cheddar to the sauce. Stir it all together well. Pour this mix into your greased baking dish. Top it with the leftover mozzarella and cheddar.

Step 05

Stick it in the oven for 20-30 minutes until you see cheese melting and bubbles forming around the edges. Then switch to broil for 2-3 minutes to get that nice golden-brown top. Take it out right away.

Step 06

Dig in while it's hot. Goes great with tortilla chips, veggie sticks, or your favorite crackers. Got leftovers? They're awesome wrapped in a tortilla with some greens.

Notes

  1. You'll need about 30 minutes to cook the chicken, which isn't counted in the total time. You can do this step earlier if you're short on time.
  2. Don't want to cook chicken? Just grab a rotisserie chicken and pull off about 4 cups of meat instead.
  3. For that real buffalo taste, try to use Frank's RedHot Sauce if you can find it.
  4. Grating your own cheese works way better than the pre-packaged stuff, which has additives that stop it from melting smoothly.
  5. You can keep any extra dip in the fridge for 2-3 days. Heat it up in the microwave or pop it in a 350°F oven to get it warm again.
  6. Want to make this in a slow cooker? Look up a good slow cooker version online for timing details.

Tools You'll Need

  • Big pot.
  • Medium pot for sauce.
  • Mixing spoon.
  • 9x9-inch baking dish.
  • Oven.

Allergy Information

Please check ingredients for potential allergens and consult a health professional if in doubt.
  • Dairy.
  • Chicken.

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

It is important to consider this information as approximate and not to use it as definitive health advice.
  • Calories: 346
  • Total Fat: 27 g
  • Total Carbohydrate: 9 g
  • Protein: 16 g