Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken is an easy crockpot recipe and a perfect make-ahead meal for busy weeknights. You can make it hearty by serving the shredded buffalo chicken stuffed in a baked sweet potato or regular potato, or keep it light and serve it on top of a bed of greens or tucked in a lettuce wrap. However you serve it, this recipe is absolutely delicious and is healthy, wholesome and whole30-friendly!
Let the slow cooker (or instant pot) do the work!
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken is a recipe you’ll want to add to your weeknight dinner menu! The mix of heat from the Buffalo sauce with the coolness from the ranch creates a combination that can’t be beaten. It gets better because this classic game day recipe uses simple and clean ingredients that are dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, Whole30 compliant, AND it’s quick to prepare.
In just 15 minutes, you can make the homemade buffalo sauce, throw the ingredients in a slow cooker, and whip up the homemade ranch. If you opt to use a pre-made buffalo sauce and ranch dressing (which is certainly an option!) then it will take just a matter of minutes to prepare this recipe. It really can’t get easier!
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Ingredients you’ll need for this Whole30 Buffalo Chicken
- Chicken breast or thighs – we like to use 1 lb. of each. We love ButcherBox for its quality meat options.
- Hot pepper sauce – such as Whole30 compatible Frank’s Red Hot, but you also can use Sriracha (not Whole30 compatible).
- Ghee, coconut oil or butter – If you’re following Whole30, use ghee or coconut oil. Otherwise, butter works great.
- Coconut aminos – a great alternative to soy sauce. Made with real food ingredients and much less sodium. If you use soy sauce, use half of the amount the recipe calls for.
- Garlic powder
- Cayenne – this is optional. If you’re looking for more heat, add a dash or two.
- Baked sweet potatoes – If you’ll be serving as stuffed sweet potato “boats”. We recommend medium sweet potatoes (about 7 oz. each uncooked). You can find our baked sweet potato recipe here.
- Ranch dressing – Homemade or store-bought
Looking for ease and convenience? This recipe also works great with Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce and Primal Kitchen Ranch dressing.
For 10% off of all Primal Kitchen products use code: REALFOODRDS
How to make Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
- Place chicken in a slow cooker set on low.
- In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, combine the hot sauce, coconut oil or ghee, coconut aminos, garlic powder, and optional cayenne. Stir together and heat until ghee is melted.
- Pour sauce into the slow cooker.
- Cook for 4-6 hours on low or until chicken is tender.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return shredded chicken to slow cooker and toss with sauce.
- Turn slow cooker to warm (or remain on low) until ready to serve.
- Serve chicken in baked sweet potatoes and drizzle with buffalo sauce and ranch, if desired.
Confused about poultry labeling? Check this post out to learn all about how to choose the best chicken in the grocery store.
Can Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken be made in the Instant Pot?
Sure can! We love this recipe in the Instant Pot for quick weeknight dinners, or when we’re making this recipe as part of larger meal preps. Simply add your ingredients, lock the lid, and spend the cooking time whipping up a side or prepping another dish!
To make Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken:
- Place chicken in a single layer in your Instant Pot.
- In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, combine the hot sauce, ghee, coconut aminos, garlic powder, and optional cayenne. Stir together and heat until ghee is melted. Alternatively, use a pre-made buffalo sauce.
- Pour sauce into the Instant Pot, covering the chicken.
- Lock the lid into place and make sure the valve is set to seal.
- Set the Instant Pot for 15 minutes on high pressure.
- When the time is up, naturally release for 10 minutes before unlocking the lid and shredding.
How to serve the Shredded Buffalo Chicken
We like to serve Shredded Buffalo Chicken stuffed in a sweet potato and drizzled with ranch with a side of roasted broccoli. It makes for one satisfying and mouth-watering meal. It can also be served in a regular baked potato depending on your preferences!
If you’d like something a little lighter, we recommend serving it in a lettuce leaf or on a bed of greens and of course with a drizzle of ranch.
Looking for guidance with meal planning? Check out Real Plans, a highly customizable online meal planning service that includes over 300 of our very own recipes.
How to Freeze Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
This is a great recipe to double and then freeze half for a future meal. We’re all about tucking food away in the freezer. It’s a strategy we use to set ourselves up for dinner success in the future during busy weeknights.
Prepare the Healthy Buffalo Chicken as described, and then shred. Allow the shredded buffalo chicken to completely cool, and then transfer it to a glass airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You can also portion the Whole30 buffalo chicken out into individual servings. This way you can easily pull out exactly the amount you need when it is time to serve!
How to reheat Crockpot Buffalo Chicken from frozen
There are a few ways you can reheat this recipe from frozen. For all 3 methods, start by setting the storage container in warm water, until it thaws just enough to remove the frozen buffalo chicken block from the container it was stored in.
To reheat on the stove: Transfer the shredded buffalo chicken block to a pan. Heat it over medium heat, breaking it apart as it thaws. It’s ready to serve when it’s hot.
To reheat in a slow cooker: Transfer the shredded buffalo chicken block to a Crockpot. Reheat on “high” for a few hours until it’s hot.
To reheat in the instant pot: Transfer the shredded buffalo chicken block to an Instant Pot. Using the sauté setting, break the chicken apart as it thaws. This should take about 5 minutes. Then place the lid on the Instant Pot and switch the valve to sealing. Select the steam function and set the time for 5 minutes. Once the time is up, release the pressure and check to see if it’s heated through. If not you can either add more time or use the sauté function again to finish heating through.
How to bake a sweet potato (perfect for stuffing with buffalo chicken!)
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Wash potatoes and pat dry. Rub with ghee, coconut oil or butter and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake 45-60 minutes or until fork-tender. Baking time will depend on the size of the potato.
- Remove from the oven and serve or cool and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Other healthy buffalo chicken recipes to try
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Creamy Buffalo Chicken Casserole
- Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffins
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
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Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
A hearty and healthy, whole30-friendly, slow cooker buffalo chicken that’s shredded and stuffed inside of a perfectly baked or grill sweet potato. A recipe for all you buffalo chicken fans.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 hours
- Total Time: 5 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Cuisine: Whole30, Paleo, Dairy-Free
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless chicken breast or thighs (recommend 1 lb. of each)
- 1 cup hot pepper sauce (such as Whole30 compatible Frank’s Red Hot or Sriracha-not Whole30 compatible)
- 1/3 cup ghee, coconut oil or butter (butter, not Whole30 compatible)
- 3 Tbsp. coconut aminos
- 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne (optional – adds more heat)
- 8 small baked sweet potatoes (about 7 oz. each uncooked)
- Ranch dressing (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
- Place chicken in a slow cooker set on low.
- In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, combine the hot sauce, ghee, coconut aminos, garlic powder, and optional cayenne. Stir together and heat until ghee is melted.
- Pour the sauce into the slow cooker.
- Cook for 4-6 hours on low or until chicken is tender.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return shredded chicken to slow cooker and toss with sauce.
- Turn slow cooker to warm (or remain on low) until ready to serve.
- Serve chicken in baked sweet potatoes and drizzle with buffalo sauce and ranch, if desired.
Instant pot directions:
- Follow the instructions as written (placing the chicken in an Instant Pot instead of the slow cooker) through steps 3.
- Set the Instant Pot for 15 minutes on high pressure.
- When time is up, naturally release for 10 minutes before unlocking the lid and shredding.
Notes
Feel free to substitute a pre-made buffalo sauce such as Primal Kitchen in place of the hot pepper sauce, ghee, coconut aminos, garlic powder and cayenne.
Buffalo Chicken only (no sweet potato or ranch dressing): 221 Calories, 13 g Fat, 435 mg Sodium, 3 g Carbohydrate, 3 g Fiber, 22 g Protein.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe + 1 small sweet potato
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 24 g
Pin now, make later!
Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter.
All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians.
Corrine says
Yum! Love the idea of pairing the buffalo chicken with a sweet potato. These look delicious!
Stacie Hassing says
It’s such a good combination. I’m not normally a buffalo chicken fan but adding the sweet potato is a game changer in my book! So good.
Michelle says
Is sriracha sauce really whole 30 compliant? I’m surprised!
Stacie Hassing says
Hi Michelle! Great question. We’ve included a link to a Sriracha sauce recipe that is indeed Whole30-friendly thanks to NomNom Paleo! Or here is a Buffalo wing sauce you could use in this recipe…http://www.tessemaes.com/products/hot-hot-sauce. Hope this helps!
Amanda says
Hey there! I noticed you have ghee listed in the directions but not in the ingredients. How much did you use? We don’t have any but I’m assuming coconut oil or butter would work in its place.. Just curious how much to use. Thanks!
Stacie Hassing says
All fixed now! Thanks or the catch 🙂
Debbie Parkos says
This is great, and to answer a previous question the original Frank’s hot sauce is whole 30 compliant. I can see myself making this often as I just bought a truck load (just kidding) of boneless skinless thighs from Costco.
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Ha! I love that you also referral to your chicken thigh haul from Costco as a ‘truckload’!
I just stocked up too in preparation for back-to-school week and this Buffalo chicken is definitely on the menu at our house too!
Gwen says
Calling this recipe “dairy-free” is a little misleading since it contains ghee.
Stacie Hassing says
The recipe has been updated to include coconut oil as a sub for those that wish to avoid ghee. However, because of the way ghee is made, most individuals who follow a “dairy-free” diet can tolerate pure ghee because the lactose and whey are removed.
Amy says
Am I totally blind and missing the amount of sriracha for the recipe? I see it in the instructions but not in the ingredient list
Jessica Beacom says
Hey Amy!
You’re not blind – we changed the sriracha to Frank’s Red Hot sauce in the ingredients but forgot to change it in the directions. You can certainly use sriracha if you’re not doing a Whole30 – both work great (but only the Franks is Whole30-legal).
Sorry for the confusion!
Maggie Cain says
NomNom Paleo has a AWESOME sriracha recipe. I’d never had sriracha before, and now I have a freezer full of Whole30 compliant sriracha made from my own garden-grown red jalapeños (they are too hard to find in the stores IMHO). I’ll never be without it again!
★★
Jessica Beacom says
Great tip, Maggie – thanks for sharing! I love that you have a freezer full – it’s so good!
Chrissy @ Snacking in Sneakers says
Holy moly, these are good! I used all chicken breast (it’s what I had on hand), butter instead of ghee, and a little apple cider vinegar rather than coconut aminos. Topped with scallions and a little ranch and it was really indulgent yet still relatively healthy. Perfect football food. 🙂
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Awwwwwwwwsome!!!
Great substitutions – thanks so much for sharing. Glad it was a hit at your house too.
Debbie Parkos says
You asked a question about using the crock pot year round. I do, there are a lot of recipes that are so easy in the crock pot, do a whole chicken and then make bone broth from the left overs is one of my favorites, then I put the broth in quart jars and freeze it.
Put food in forget about it and have a great meal at the end of the day, what’s not to love about using the crock pot?
Jessica Beacom says
I also use mine year round – it’s such a time saver to roast a whole chicken and then make the broth right afterwards. Though, admittedly, I use my slow cooker less often now that I have an Instant Pot. This reduces the time it takes to make a chicken from 4-5 hours to just 40 minutes and only 2 hours for broth – and it uses far less energy to do so.
Lauren says
How do u cook the chicken in the instant pot? I just bought one and haven’t used it yet.
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Lauren,
Great question! I cook a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts on high pressure for 6-8 minutes then do a quick pressure release. For bone-in breasts or thighs you’d need to increase the cooking time to 10-15 minutes.
To make this recipe in the Instant Pot you’d want to combine all of the ingredients then use the ‘Poultry’ setting which is preprogrammed to cook for 15 minutes at high pressure then allow 10-15 minutes for pressure to naturally release. Release any residual steam, remove the lid then shred the chicken right in the pot! If the sauce seems too watery, press the ‘Saute’ button to cook off some of the excess moisture.
Hope that helps!
Christina says
If I double the recipe (= 2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thigh), do you recommend I add more time to the Instant Pot, or still use the Poultry setting as is? Thanks!!
★★★★★
Julie says
Looks great! Do they reheat well?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Julie!
Thanks! They do reheat well. If you’re taking them for lunch you’ll want to pack the Ranch dressing separately so you can drizzle it over the potatoes after they’ve been heated.
Alexandra says
This recipe is a Whole30 favorite of mine! Instead of making my own ranch, I use Tessemae’s Whole30 approved ranch. It’s so easy to make and super delicious. My husband even likes it which is a huge compliment. This will be added to my recipe rotation for sure.
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hey Alexandra,
We’re so happy to hear that a) the hubby liked it and b) that you’re adding it to your regular rotation – now THAT’S a huge compliment!
Using Tessamae’s Ranch is a great idea for saving time – Primal Kitchen also has a Ranch dressing that’s also Whole30-approved and uses avocado oil rather than sunflower oil.
Thanks again for sharing your recipe success!!
Michelle Kim says
I’ve had this recipe pinned forever and finally made it but opted for the “lazy version.” If anyone is interested, here is what I did:
Had some shredded up rotisserie chicken from leftover from a Costco chicken. Baked a sweet potato in the oven (about 50 mins at 400 is how I do it). Heated up a skillet with some Kerrygold butter (not perfectly paleo I know), and threw in some garlic. The tossed in a handful of the shredded chicken and enough hot sauce to coat (I used Crystal brand which has no sugar). Dash of coconut aminos and some cayenne pepper (as directed in the recipe). Sauteed for a few mins and then threw on top of the potato and I topped with Primal Kitchen Ranch. So my “lazy version” took about 5 mins of active preparation and it was AMAZING! Thanks for the recipe!
Jessica Beacom says
Hey Michelle!
Your ‘lazy version’ sounds amazing – thanks for sharing!!
JC says
Hello! I see this can be geared toward not using the oven on a summer day, however, I don’t see any instructions on how to cook the sweet potato? Is this done separately on your own and then topped with the chicken? Thanks!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi JC,
The sweet potato is cooked on it’s own. To avoid using the oven you could either
1) Bake the sweet potatoes separately in the slow cooker (rinse sweet potatoes under running water then without drying them, place them in the bottom of the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours, depending on the size of the potatoes, until soft)
2) Cook the sweet potatoes in an InstantPot (place on rack and add 1 cup water) at high pressure for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes, or
3) Microwave them until tender
Hope that helps!
Meagan says
Hi I’m doing whole 30 and was wondering if you could freeze this meal for meal prep later on?
★★★★★
Meagan says
Also if don’t have coconut aminos what would be gud substitute?
Stacie Hassing says
Hi Meagan! I actually forgot to add the coconut aminos once and it still tasted super good! I noticed it just a little bit that it was missing but the hubby had no clue 😉 Enjoy!
Stacie Hassing says
Yes this meal is freezer friendly. I’d suggest making the recipe first and then freezing the chicken in a sealed container or freezer bag. When you want to make it, thaw it out in the fridge overnight and then slow cook it on low for 4-6 hours or heat it up on the stove.
Christen says
This looks awesome! Planning on making it tomorrow night but was hoping to use my instant pot instead of the slow cooker…how would/could you modify it for that?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Christen,
You can add the chicken and sauce to the InstantPot then use the ‘Chicken’ button (15 minutes at high pressure). You can either do a natural release or quick release – then switch to saute mode to reduce the juice if needed once you’ve shredded the chicken (either in the pot or by removing it to a cutting board). Hope that helps!
Enjoy!
Nancy says
I am so happy I found your page, I absolutely LOVED this dish. I made if for dinner the other night and couldn’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch yesterday!!! And that Ranch dressing,..OMG so good. I actually put that on a burger that I was having with tomato, pickle and avocado. It added such a nice zing. I love that I can replace my ketchup with that. Thank you so much for sharing. I am looking forward to what you have in store for me tonight.
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Nancy,
We’re thrilled that you found us and that you found this dish and our ranch dressing to be so amazing. We hope you find more great recipes on our site – thanks for being a valued reader!
Jackie says
Hi! I was wondering about the sweet potato…the recipe calls for them but the directions don’t say anything about cooking them. I assume they are cooked. But are they cooked with the chicken in the crock pot or totally separate? Please share.
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Jackie,
The sweet potatoes are cooked separately then you stuff them with the filling.
Trish says
I have made the chicken from this dish twice in the last week! We have put the chicken on top of salad, nachos, and in wraps. I doubled the chicken and used 1/3 cup siracha and a 1/3 cup hot sauce. So flavorful!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Yesssss! I love the idea of using it on a salad or nachos.
Krista says
Would you use tamari instead of coconut aminos? Couldn’t find them yesterday and don’t have time to make it Whole Foods as I want to make this today! Looks delicious! Thanks!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Krista,
Yes, you can use tamari in place of the coconut aminos but I’d use roughly half the amount called for in the recipe, replacing the rest with water (because tamari is so much saltier).
Crystalinda says
Any adjustments for using bone in cut up chicken? I don’t have time to skin & debone.
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Crystalinda,
If you’re using bone-in thighs or breast add an additional 4-6 ounces to account for the weight of the bone.
You may want to consider removing at least some of the skin or the dish may be very greasy.
Hope that helps!
Shyla T says
Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s my whole 30 craving and I’m sure it will be when I’m done too. I’m on day 15 and tonight will be the 3rd time I’ve made it. Lol.
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Ha! It’s one of my ‘all the time’ cravings, too!
Neyha says
Hi! If I wanted to make this recipe with 2 pounds of chicken, would I just double all the ingredients? 4 TB of ghee seems like a lot to me, so i’m not sure if I should double that ingredient.
Jessica Beacom says
Yes, you’d double the recipe. You could use less ghee if you’d like but I wouldn’t use less than 3 Tbsp.
Neyha says
Thank you!
Katie says
I tried this in the instant pot last night but the sauce ended up burned on bottom. Did the 15 min poultry setting. Something I did wrong? Thankfully, chicken was still edible
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Katie,
Sorry to hear your sauce burned. I’ve had that happen a couple times when using chicken breasts that were a little dry (or I patted them dry) – My fix was to add just a bit of water to the pot along with the sauce and it fixed the issue.
Christina says
If I double the recipe (= 2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thigh), do you recommend I add more time to the Instant Pot, or still use the Poultry setting as is? Thanks!!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Christina,
I’d add an minute or two to the cooking time. You can still use the Poultry setting – the time is a preset so it can be adjusted up or down with the “-/+” buttons (it just gives you a good starting point!)
kaitlin says
hi, could you cook the chicken in crockpot on high, instead of low?
Stacie Hassing says
Yes you sure could. You’ll just want to reduce the cooking time to 2-4 hours or until chicken is cooked through and easy to shred.
Jamie says
Made this tonight!! So yummy! I loved pairing the sweet and spicy flavors together. Who knew something healthy could taste this good?! I topped mine with some chopped green onions and it was perfect. Will definitely be making again!!
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
Great to hear you enjoyed this recipe Jamie!
Sheila Doyle says
Yes, I use my crockpot year round. Can’t imagine life without it! I absolutely love this buffalo chicken recipe!! It has become a staple in my home. Thank you so much for creating it and sharing it as well.
Jessica Beacom says
Slow cookers are the greatest thing ever! Glad you love this recipe – it’s a staple at our house too.
cyndi says
Hi! I’m just wondering what the spice level is for the recipe. I am trying to decide if it will be too spicy for my small kids.
Thanks
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Cyndi,
It’s not very spicy if you omit the optional cayenne pepper. Hope that helps!
Jessica says
Delicious recipe 🙂 We’ve it 3 times in 2 months.
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Jessica,
That’s awesome 🙂 It’s on the menu pretty frequently at our house too.
Carrie says
Could you replace the sauce mix with Tessemae’s Buffalo Sauce?
Jessica Beacom says
You sure can!
alechia bean says
wow…this was different but good! and super easy to make….the homemade ranch dressing really made this dish!
Jessica Beacom says
Awesome! So glad you loved it!
Mrs4444 says
I make this for my lunches at least twice per month. Love it! (but what’s the green stuff sprinkled on?)
Jessica Beacom says
Hi!
Glad to hear this a regular at your house, too. The green stuff is chopped parsley.
Megan Tucker says
I’ve made this recipe 4 times in the last few months. It’s great!!! And love the ranch + sweet potato recipes too!! Quick question – I’m pre-making and freezing this weekend for a beach house trip next weekend. Won’t be taking my pressure cooker for warming… suggestions for re-heating that will recreate the recipe as close as possible??
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Megan,
I would reheat this by placing the thawed meat in a glass casserole baking dish, adding a bit of water and covering tightly with foil and warming in a 350F oven for 30-35 minutes or until hot. Alternatively, if you don’t want to turn on the oven then you can place the thawed (or partially thawed) meat in a large pot, add a little water, cover with lids and heat over medium heat (stirring and adding a little water as needed) until heated through. I hope that helps!
Colleen says
WOW! I am in love! My boyfriend said “this chicken is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!” Bahahaha! And he is a wing fanatic. Thanks for a great healthy recipe that took minutes to prepare. I can’t wait to discover more on your site. =D
Stacie Hassing says
Amazing!! Thanks for commenting!
Hazel says
I needed a Gluten Free and Dairy Free recipe and I used this…but I had to make a substitution. Franks “Red Hot Sauce” is NOT Gluten Free, so be careful. I found a Buffalo Wing sauce at the Grocery Store that I used as a substitution. Otherwise, it was delicious!
Stacie Hassing says
Here are the ingredients for Franks Hot Sauce: “Aged Cayenne Red Peppers, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Salt And Garlic Powder”. So it is indeed gluten-free. Yay! 🙂
Brittany says
I just made this for my family and everyone loved it! We always rate recipes at the end of the night and the boys said it was 6/5. It’s nice and filling it doesn’t even need a side. We cut the hot sauce in half and its a good thing we did because it was spicy enough for us. We also used half thighs and half breasts. I put it in the instant pot for an hour. What a great recipe.
Stacie Hassing says
This is awesome! 6/5….yesssss!! 🙂
Karen says
Do you know what the calories would be for just the chicken without the sweet potato???
Stacie Hassing says
We have not done the calculations for this. Feel free to plug the ingredients into myfitnesspal to determine what that would be. Thanks!
Leslie says
Could you cook the chicken in the Imstant Pot on poultry setting? I’m still figuring this out 🙂
Stacie Hassing says
I’ve only made this recipe in the Slow Cooker but I’d imagine it would work well in the IP, too. You could follow the instructions that are included in this recipe: https://therealfoodrds.com/instant-pot-bbq-pulled-chicken/ but use buffalo sauce.
Janet M Fazio says
I use my slow cooker year round too! Next to the coffee pot, it’s my favorite appliance, and the only way I cook chicken (I tend to ruin it). I’m looking forward to trying this out.
Stacie Hassing says
Oh yes…the coffee pot is used daily at my house!
Hope you enjoy this recipe!!
Lisa B says
Hey there,
Thanks for sharing! I was looking over this recipe and comparing to the buffalo sauce recipe. I noticed that the apple cider vinegar is not included in this recipe?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Lisa,
You’re right, it’s not. You can certainly add the vinegar if you’d like more tang but we found that the longer cooking time of the slow cooker resulted in that vinegar tang disappearing (funny things happen to flavors when slow cooking!). If you want that tang, we’d suggest adding a bit of vinegar to the cooked chicken and tossing well before serving. Hope that helps!
Kathie Vogt says
My daughter passed this recipe on to me after I raved about it at her home. My guests loved it. My sister, who is a cook at a Native American school and oftentimes has to create a recipe for feast menus said she would never have thought of putting these particular foods together. This is a keeper:)
Stacie Hassing says
So so great to hear!!!
Bianca March says
Everyone of my five family members LOVED this recipe and asked me to keep it in rotation. So simple and so delicious. Thank you!
Stacie Hassing says
AWESOME!!! So great to hear.
Mary Horst says
Back onto Whole 30 again and I have to say this is one of the best recipes I’ve found out there. A lot of times things will sound really good but the actual end product is not what I was looking for/expecting. This one is amazing. I halved it because there is only one of me, but this is just as good, if not better, the next day! Thank you!!
Stacie Hassing says
Awwwwe…Thanks Mary! These are the comments that make our day!
Erica Rice says
I have an instant pot & have not used it very much. I want to change that. How would I go about using my instant pot for this recipe?
Stacie Hassing says
Hi Erica. I have not made this recipe in the Instant Pot but if I were to I would add everything to the IP and set it on the poultry setting (or Manual if your version doesn’t have a poultry setting) for 15 minutes on high pressure. Once the time is up, let it naturally release for 5 minutes. Then switch the valve to vent to release the rest of the pressure. Next, shred the chicken and toss to coat. Hope that helps!
Aimee Carrabba says
Huge hit with my entire family!!
★★★★★
Michelle says
Hi,
Can I make the chicken not in a Crock-Pot or IP? How would you suggest I do that?
Thanks!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Michelle,
We have not tested a stovetop or oven version for this dish so please keep in mind that this is only my educated guess.
Place all ingredients in a Dutch oven with a heavy lid (or a glass baking dish covered tightly with foil). Place in preheated 275F oven and bake for 3-4 hours or until chicken is cooked through and you can shred it with two forks.
Michelle says
Thank you! I’m looking forward to try it and will let you know the results!
Jessica Beacom says
Great – thanks!!
Allison says
I am new to the cookers. Do you think I could do this in an instapot? It looks amazing!!
Stacie Hassing says
You could! High Pressure or poultry setting for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Morgan says
Can this be made in an instant pot?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Morgan,
Yes, just toss everything in the Instant Pot and cook for 8 minutes on ‘Manual’ or high pressure and allow for a 10-minute natural release.
Karen says
For many of your recipes, there’s an Instant Pot version that’s offered as well. Is there one for this recipe that would give the same yummy result? Please and thank you 🙏
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Karen,
You can cook for 8 minutes on ‘Manual’ or high pressure then allow for a 10-minute natural release.
Katherine says
What if my crockpot has these options: 4 or 6 hours on high, 8 or 10 hours on low?
Michael says
If I were to cut the recipe in half and use my crock- pot on the high setting, how long would it take to cook?
Jessica Beacom says
I imagine it would take somewhere around 1 1/2 – 2 hours though I can’t be sure. You probably want to keep an eye on it to be sure it doesn’t overcook then you’ll know for next time.
Robotance says
I’m gonna try this recipe coming weekend. Can we reheat and have it?
Jessica Beacom says
Yes, you can absolutely reheat it. It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days (and you can freeze it after that if you have any left).
Mimi says
I’m so excited to try this TODAY. I miss a few things since going GFDF. One thing is my sisters amazing buffalo chicken pasta recipe. Which includes sour cream and blue cheese. I’m pretty new to this, so never know what will be a good substitute. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
We think you’re going to love this. And also be sure to check out our Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with homemade Paleo Ranch Dressing too – I think you’ll find it to be a pretty close approximation of your sister’s pasta dish.
Paige says
Love this recipe! I use a rotisserie chicken to make this even easier! I also add a stalk of celery for some crunch. Yummy!
★★★★★
Rachael says
Could you freeze this?
Jessica Beacom says
You sure can. Just be sure to cool it completely in the fridge before transferring it to the freezer (this helps prevent excessive ice crystal formation and a watery dish when it thaws).
Laura says
Hey there! I was wondering if you could give a more exact measurement as to what constitutes 1/8 of a recipe. This is one of my favorite slow cooker recipes..so loaded with flavor! I am logging all my food intake and would really love to log this accurately. Thanks!
Stacie Hassing says
Hi Laura, that’s a great question. My best guess is that each portion is about 3.5 oz weighed. You could also use a food scale and divide the portions into 8 servings and go from there to figure out the exact weight of each portion. Hope that helps a little!
Mary Beth McDaniel says
I’m logging food as well, and my log asks for Saturated Fat. How much is in this recipe?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Mary Beth,
Since you are logging your food I would suggest importing the recipe into the app/program that you are using (such as MyFitnessPal) to get all of the information – including saturated fat – right at your fingertips.
Mary Beth McDaniel says
Sorry, forgot to add this one…. does the nutritional information include the sweet potato?
Jessica Beacom says
Yes, the recipe includes ‘1 small baked sweet potato’ (which is roughly about the size of a woman’s fist or 1 cup)
Shannon Harvey says
I love this recipe! I use it all the time! Especially when I want an easy to make dish that will impress my visitors. Thank you a million times over I honest love this meal!
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
You are SO welcome Shannon! 🙂
Torrey says
I love this recipe and was planning on making it tonight but realized I’m out of chicken and trying to hold off on going to the store till later in the week. Do you think this would work with pork tenderloin?
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Torrey,
This would probably work with pork tenderloin. It may not shred like chicken but it will still be incredibly flavorful after cooking all day in the Buffalo sauce.
Stacey says
If you use The New Primal buffalo sauce would you still add all of these ingredients (ghee, coconut aminos, garlic powder, cayenne) or would it just be the chicken and the sauce?
Jessica Beacom says
It would just be the chicken and the sauce if you’re using a premade bottle of Buffalo sauce.
Lauren says
I live alone and made this recipe. I froze little jars of it and look forward to the night of the week that I have this meal!! So easy and so delicious – the spicy chicken pairs so well with the sweet potato. Five stars for sure. It will be a staple of my meal prep from now on!!!
★★★★★
Amanda Ply says
Wowwww this was UNREAL and DELICIOUS and IM FLIPPING OUT WITH JOY! So tasty. One question – my man doesn’t fancy coconut oil that much or butter. Is avocado oil an okay substitute?
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
So glad you loved this – you can definitely use avocado oil.
Sarah says
Tried this tonight and it’s 12/10 — that yummy! My whole family loved it and asked for seconds and are calling dibs on the leftovers! I served it on lettuce wraps with a tomato cucumber avacado topping. :3 It was delicious!
Jessica Beacom says
We’re so glad you all loved this!
Kelsey Blair says
I love to make this & double the crockpot chicken portion to use in different ways throughout the week!!
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
That’s a great idea! There’s so much you can do with shredded buffalo chicken!
MaceyG says
So good! I used a sweet potato. It was delicious. Even high praises from my husband who doesn’t love baked potatoes or Buffalo. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
That’s amazing! Great to hear this recipe was enjoyed by both you and your husband 🙂