Buffalo chicken dip: it’s everything you love about buffalo wings turned into a bubbling hot, creamy, cheesy, tangy-kicky dip!
My Western New York born-and-bred husband has very strong opinions about buffalo chicken. And by “strong opinions,” the sauce matters. The ratio matters. The chicken matters. There are rules. Apparently, marrying someone from Western New York comes with a minor in buffalo chicken!
When I decided to make buffalo chicken dip, I knew it was going to be subject to a very rigorous review. Thankfully, this one passed the test!
This buffalo chicken dip is creamy, cheesy, loaded with tender shredded chicken, and has that tangy, spicy buffalo flavor that makes you immediately go back for another scoop. It’s basically all the best parts of buffalo chicken wings, minus the bones, the thick coating of sauce on your hands, and the inevitable moment when you realize you got buffalo sauce on your shirt.
Serve it with celery and carrot sticks, Homemade Tortilla Chips, or my Crostini Recipe and watch it disappear, FAST!
Also Buffalonian approved: Buffalo Chicken Wraps!
Why You’ll Love This Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe
- Creamy, but not soupy: this dip is thick enough to scoop without running off your dipper.
- Bold buffalo flavor: the bold, tangy flavors aren’t shy here!
- Easy recipe: whenever the buffalo chicken dip craving emerges, it’ll be hot out of the oven in just 40 minutes.
- Great made ahead: save time and prep it a day ahead, baking it last minute!
- Buffalo-bred husband approved! What’s better than a true Buffalonian’s stamp of approval?
Ingredients
- Skinless, shredded and cooked chicken – rotisserie chicken is a super convenient option but feel free to make Baked Chicken Breast or Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs instead.
- Cream cheese – for a creamy, scoopable dip, I use full-fat, but you can use reduced fat cream cheese if you’d like.
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese – sharp cheddar is bold and tangy, and melts really well.
- Shredded mozzarella – shredded mozzarella adds stringy cheesiness.
- Blue cheese crumbles (optional) – while optional, it replicates the traditional “buffalo wings and blue cheese dressing” combo.
- Frank’s RedHot Original Hot Sauce – Frank’s RedHot is the exact hot sauce used to invent the original buffalo wing! Use it if you can (not wing sauce)!
- Ranch dressing – ranch adds traditional tangy creaminess and cuts the spiciness of hot sauce.
- Garlic powder – a little garlic powder adds complexity.
- Black pepper – black pepper adds earthy warmth.
- Chopped scallions or chives – for a pop of freshness, garnish with green onion!
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Dip
For the easiest, most delicious buffalo chicken dip, follow these steps! This is an outline; for the full recipe, see the recipe card below.
Step 1: Stir and mash cream cheese with the back of a spoon to loosen until smooth and creamy.
Step 2: Add hot sauce, ranch, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir well. Small lumps are okay!
Step 3: Fold in chicken, 1 cup cheddar, mozzarella, and blue cheese.
Step 4: Spread evenly in a lightly greased 8×8” baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheddar.
Step 5: Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375°F. Let rest for 10 minutes, dabbing off any surfaced oil. Garnish with scallions, and enjoy!
My Pro Tips
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Use hot sauce, not wing sauce: Frank’s RedHot Original gives the dip the right tangy, spicy flavor.
- Soften the cream cheese first: it blends much more easily with the other ingredients and helps prevent big lumps.
- Use cooked, shredded chicken: rotisserie chicken is an easy option; just remove the skin and shred the meat!
- A little oil on top is normal: once the cheese gets very hot, some fat can rise to the surface. Just dap it off before serving!
FAQs
Yes! Assemble the dip up to 24 hours ahead in the baking pan, cover, and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. Let it sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, then bake until hot and bubbly.
Let the dip cool, then cover it and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
For a large amount, reheat it in the baking dish at 350°F until hot. For smaller portions, microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until warmed through. You can also serve leftovers cold!
Serve it traditionally with celery sticks, carrot sticks, Homemade Tortilla Chips, crackers, pita chips, or Homemade Crostini!
Yes! Use reduced-fat cream cheese, lean cooked chicken (like chicken breast), and light ranch, but keep in mind the dip won’t be quite as creamy and decadent. You can also serve it with fresh veggies like celery, carrots, bell peppers, and cucumber instead of chips for dipping.
More Game Day Dip Recipes You’ll Love!
Appetizers
Best Spinach Artichoke Dip
Dressings, Sauces & Dips
How to Make Guacamole (Best Recipe!)
Dressings, Sauces & Dips
Easy Pico de Gallo
Dressings, Sauces & Dips
Best Mango Salsa Recipe
Appetizers
Best Beer Cheese Recipe
If you’ve tried this Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Please consider leaving a 🌟 star rating while you are here!
BEST Buffalo Chicken Dip (Easy!)
Equipment
- 8×8" baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 cups skinless shredded and cooked chicken, like rotisserie chicken
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened for about an hour
- 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles, optional
- ½ cup Frank’s RedHot Original Hot Sauce, not wing sauce
- ¼ cup ranch dressing
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Chopped scallions or chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Lightly grease an 8×8” baking pan. Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, stir and smash cream cheese with the back of a spoon to loosen until smooth and creamy, about 30-45 seconds.
- Add hot sauce, ranch, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir until well-combined. Small lumps are okay!
- Fold in chicken, 1 cup cheddar, mozzarella, and blue cheese until well-combined.
- Spread evenly in prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheddar.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbling and hot.
- Dab any surfaced oil off the top. Let rest for 10 minutes. Garnish with scallions, and dig in!
Video
Notes
- Oil can surface from the fat content of the cream cheese and shredded cheese. Simply dap it off out of the oven!
- I shred my chicken into chunky shreds but feel free to shred as finely as you’d like!
- While Frank’s RedHot Original Hot Sauce is classic (this is not an ad), you can use wing sauce (Frank’s, Sweet Baby, Primal Kitchen), but they add oil/butter so the dip will be milder/less sharp.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
this was…by far…the most delicious buff chick dip I have ever made. I always used 100% of the buffalo sauce from Frank’s vs. some of the original and some of the buffalo. IT TOOK IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL. TY
I’m glad you love it as much as we do!!
Grace