This Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe is everyone’s favorite game day or party appetizer! Made with juicy shredded chicken, creamy ranch dressing, cream cheese, hot sauce, and loads of cheese, this easy and delicious Buffalo Chicken Dip is then baked until golden, bubbly, and perfect for dipping.
Creamy and extra cheesy, this Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe easily qualifies as one of my all-time favorite party foods (and many readers would agree!) Made with simple ingredients like shredded chicken, hot sauce, and cheese, it’s no mystery why this dip is the very first thing to disappear from the snack table.
It’s also super easy to prepare, cook, and eat.
Without the mess of sticky buffalo chicken wings, and baked right in an easily portable baking dish, this gooey, scoopable, mouthwatering chicken buffalo dip is one of my most popular recipes with over 350 reader comments and a (nearly) 5-star review.
Check out this equally delicious Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip.
Ingredients in Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Chicken
- Cream cheese
- Ranch dressing
- Hot sauce
- Garlic powder
- Green onions or Chives
- Shredded cheese
Recipe Notes & Tips
1. What chicken should I use?
Buffalo chicken dip can be made using shredded poached chicken, baked chicken breasts or baked chicken thighs, rotisserie chicken, or even leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Anything works. You could even use canned chicken (as a last resort). Save time and use pre-cooked chicken (you will need approximately 3-4 cups) or cook your chicken ahead of time.
2. Why is my dip so greasy?
A couple of readers have mentioned that their dip turned out super greasy. Given the ingredients, it’s impossible to make buffalo chicken dip not greasy. However, you can easily reduce some of the excess fat by using chicken breast meat (white meat) instead of chicken thigh meat (dark meat).
3. Can I use any type of cream cheese?
For best results, use full-fat block cream cheese. Low-fat cream cheese may separate when baked.
4. Can I use blue cheese dressing instead of ranch dressing?
Buffalo chicken dip is delicious with both ranch dressing and bleu cheese dressing, so go ahead and use your favorite. For me personally, I wanted to stay away from any kind of Dry Ranch Dressing Mix and use the real deal instead.
5. How long to bake buffalo chicken dip?
At 350 degrees Fahrenheit, it takes approximately 20-30 minutes for buffalo chicken dip to cook until golden, melted, and warmed through.
6. What is the best hot sauce for buffalo chicken dip?
Frank’s RedHot Sauce, hands down. Used in all my buffalo sauce recipes, including buffalo cauliflower, baked buffalo chicken, or these buffalo turkey meatballs. It’s easy to find this hot pepper sauce in most supermarkets or online.
7. Is this recipe keto?
Packed full of poached shredded chicken breasts, mixed cheese, cream cheese, ranch dressing, and hot sauce, buffalo chicken dip is 100% low carb and keto-approved.
8. Can I Freeze Buffalo Chicken Dip?
I do not recommend freezing buffalo chicken dip. Reheated from frozen and the cheese mixture becomes chalky, lacking the luxurious, creamy texture we love so much.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Dip
Make this easy chicken buffalo dip by following these step-by-step instructions,
1. Cook the chicken.
If your chicken is not yet cooked, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the pot and return to a boil. Remove from heat and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Allow your chicken to poach, covered, for approximately 25 minutes. When fully cooked, remove from the pot and allow to rest until cool enough to handle
- NOTE: the cooking time for the chicken is not included in the total cook time for this dish.
- TIP – leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken is great in this recipe. You’ll need approximately 3-4 cups of cooked and shredded chicken.
In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350F and spray a 9×9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Make your creamy buffalo ranch sauce.
After your chicken has been cooked and shredded, heat the cream cheese, ranch dressing, hot sauce, black pepper, and garlic powder in a small pot over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until combined and creamy, then remove from heat.
- TIP – If your cream cheese is fresh out of the refrigerator, transfer it to a microwave-safe bowl and warm in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
3. Combine and bake.
Stir in the green onion, shredded chicken, one cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and one cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese. Transfer the mixture to a baking pan and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.
Transfer to the oven and bake until golden and bubbly.
Can I prepare Buffalo Chicken Dip Ahead of Time?
Depending on how much time you have, you may either prepare just parts of this recipe ahead of time or the whole thing and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake and serve.
The easiest way to save time is to cook the chicken ahead of time. Poaching and shredding chicken takes approximately 40 minutes, start to finish, so if you can knock that out and have the chicken ready, you’re already way ahead of the game.
You can also prepare the entire dip recipe. Simply cover your prepared dip with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
What to Serve with Buffalo Chicken Dip
Buffalo chicken dip tastes great with just about everything. Perfect for potlucks, football season, or an EPIC super bowl party, everyone will love this yummy dip that tastes just like chicken wings.
Serve your version of this great dip with:
- Crackers, tortilla chips, pretzels
- Veggies like celery sticks and carrot sticks. Sweet mini peppers are also great and are fantastic at scooping
- Pita bread or sliced baguette
More Delicious Dip Recipes,
Classic Hummus Recipe (How to Make Hummus)
Baba Ganoush Recipe (How to Make Baba Ganoush)
Muhammara Recipe (Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)
If you try making this recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to read your thoughts and feedback!
RECIPE CARD
Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts - boiled and shredded
- 8 ounces cream cheese - cubed
- 1 cup ranch dressing - homemade or store-bought
- 1 cup hot sauce - (I used Frank's RedHot), plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup green onion - chopped
- 1.5 cups mozzarella cheese - shredded, divided
- 1.5 cups cheddar cheese - shredded, divided
Instructions
- Cook the chicken. If your chicken is not yet cooked, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the pot and return to a boil. Remove from heat and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Allow your chicken to poach, covered, for approximately 25 minutes. When fully cooked, remove from the pot and allow to rest until cool enough to handle (note- the cooking time for the chicken is not included in the total cooking time for this dish).
- Prep. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9x9-inch baking pan (or approximate size) with non-stick cooking spray.
- Warm the sauce. To a medium saucepot over medium-low heat add the cubed cream cheese, ranch dressing, hot sauce, black pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk constantly until the cream cheese has dissolved in the ranch and hot sauce. Remove from heat.
- Combine. Add the cooked and shredded chicken, green onion, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese, and one cup of the shredded cheddar cheese to the sauce pot. Mix well to combine. Transfer to your prepared baking pan and top with remain mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
- Bake. Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the sides are starting to bubble. Set oven to BROIL. Allow your buffalo chicken dip to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Remove it immediately.
- Serve. Serve with tortilla chips, vegetable sticks, crackers, or enjoy leftovers wrapped in a tortilla with all your favorite greens.
Video
Jessica's Notes
- The chicken takes approximately 30 minutes to cook and is not included in the total cooking time. I recommend preparing the chicken ahead of time if you're short on time.
- You can substitute with approximately 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken.
- I always use Frank's RedHot Sauce for all my buffalo recipes.
- I used my homemade ranch dressing, but feel free to use your favorite Ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.
- Grate your cheese. Freshly shredded cheese always comes together better when compared to pre-shredded, packaged cheese. My guess is that it has something to do with the anti-caking agent that is added to cheese when it is packaged.
- I added cheddar and mozzarella cheese as they are both great melting cheeses. If you want to add a somewhat more pungent cheese, Jack cheese, blue cheese crumbles, or feta cheese, is a good place to start.
- Leftovers taste great for approximately 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven set at 350 degrees F and tented with foil.
- Easily prepare this recipe in your Crockpot. The only difference is that the Crockpot version will lack the brown and bubbly cheese top. Read full slow cooker instructions here, Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Dip was sooo good. What is a good way to keep it warm? Is a hot plate an option?
A hot plate could work, but I have not tried that yet.
If you have a slow cooker or crockpot, you can transfer the dip into it and set it on a ‘warm’ setting. This will keep the dip at a safe and enjoyable eating temperature for a few hours.
Another option is to use a chafing dish. These are designed to keep food warm at gatherings with the use of a small flame or heat source underneath.
If you don’t need to serve it immediately, you can also keep it in the oven set to a low temperature (around 200°F) until you’re ready to serve.
Can I put this together ahead of time, refrigerate it and bake it just before I want to serve it?
Yes, but it must be refrigerated, increasing the baking time.
Is the nutritional info provided based on the entire dish or what serving size is the info based on?
The nutritional information is based on 1 serving, with the entire dish being 12 servings as written.
Question. Do I cover the pan with foil?
no need to foil for the initial bake 🙂
Good morning Jessica,
How spicy is the Buffalo Chicken recipe with 1 cup of Frank’s Hot sauce? Mild, Moderate, Hot?
If want to make it mild to moderate would I still use 1 cup Hot sauce or less? If less would I need to add any liquid to make up for the difference and what liquid would be best to use?
Thank you,
Janice
Everyone has a different tolerance for chili heat, which can change over time. I would say this recipe is about average as far as Buffalo chili heat goes.
You can try using less if concerned, but I have not tried that 🙂
Best Buffalo chicken dip ever!! My husband and family beg for me to make it!
Can I use a 9×13 dish instead of a 9×9?
Yes, just monitor the baking time as it won’t be as thick.
Can you use a Ranch dressing packet like hidden valley, or should actual bottle of dressing be used?
I would stay away from the dry packet, as the results are much better with a bottle of ranch dressing 😀
Hi! I’m excited to try your recipe but had a quick clarification question: When you say to stay away from the dry ranch seasoning, did you mean to not make ranch dressing with the seasoning or to not use the dry seasoning itself as the ranch component of the dip?
The later – dry seasoning wont turn out well in the dip for this recipe.
I add some diced jalapeños and a little jalapeños juice to kick it up a notch. I’ve made this several times and always a hit. I also cook it for about 40+ mins. so it’s nice, hot and browned on top.
The best dip of the night!! Highly recommend
Is the 9 x 9 inch pan an 8 cup size and therefore 1.5 inches deep? I would like to use a nice pottery dish like the one in your photo of the finished dish and want to determine what size it will need to be. A conversion table indicates 8 cups would be 9 x 2 inches, so if so, this may impact the cooking time a bit.
an 8 cup dish should be fine 🙂
SO. GOOD. best Buffalo chicken dip I have ever made. I went in for seconds before I even finished what was on my plate. Thanks so much – heating the ingredients in the pan first is a game changer.
Big hit at our get together! Thank you!
Use blue cheese dressing instead of ranch though. Be truly Buffalo authentic! 😉
Hi! If I keep the same measurements and only have a 7×8, how should I tweak cook time?
since it’s deeper, it might need to cook a bit longer in the middle, and might be a bit more crispy on the top/edges.