Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

At a glance

What stands out: Crockpot Buffalo chicken is so tender and flavorful! Since it makes a big batch, it’s reliable for a crowd, or to make ahead and freeze.

How long it takes: 10 minutes prep and 4 hours on high, or 6 hours on low
Equipment you’ll need: small bowl, slow cooker
Servings: 12

An Straightforward Crockpot Meal

The slow cooker is a magical thing, especially for those crazy days when you’re going to get home right at dinner time after being gone all day, and then somehow you have to find the energy to cook for your family.

It can seem so overwhelming and the crockpot is the reliable solution. This crockpot Buffalo chicken has all the flavor of Buffalo hot wings that you love, but in a fun and rich sandwich form. Serve it on a bun topped with blue cheese or blue cheese dressing and extra hot sauce.

If you love everything Buffalo, try Instant Pot Buffalo chicken pasta, cheesy crockpot Buffalo chicken dip, or meatless air fryer Buffalo cauliflower “wings”.

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken

Very little hands-on time. This crockpot sandwich recipe is a great one because you just dump everything in the slow cooker and let it cook. It only takes about 10 minutes to prep and then it’s pretty much all hands-off.

A healthier way to enjoy Buffalo chicken. Buffalo chicken sandwiches are a lighter alternative to Buffalo hot wings. Eat it with or without a bun, use a whole wheat or gluten-free bun, or substitute a lettuce wrap or tortilla, whatever works best for you personally! (Be sure to try our Buffalo chicken burgers, too!)

Makes enough for a crowd. Having a lot of people over for a party? This recipe serves a lot; it makes enough chicken to fill at least 12 regular size buns or a lot more slider-size buns. It’s a nice alternative to sloppy Joes or pulled pork. (If you’re looking for more game day ideas, check out our collection of Bowl Recipes.)

Freezes well. Because it makes a big batch of chicken, you can put the extra in the freezer for a future dinner.

What goes in

• Boneless skinless chicken: Use both thighs and breasts for a standby results. You’ll need approximately one and a half pounds of each. If your chicken is frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before putting it in the crockpot.
• Onion & bell pepper: Any type of onion you happen to have will work. We usually use a yellow cooking onion. Any color of bell pepper is fine, too.
• Tomato sauce: A large can of tomato sauce makes the meat evenly saucy. Look for no-salt-added tomato sauce. It tastes the same as regular tomato sauce but there’s a huge difference in sodium content.
• Hot pepper sauce: Frank’s RedHot sauce is a good choice but there are plenty of options. Use your favorite.
• More seasonings: Worcestershire sauce adds umami and depth to the sauce, along with yellow mustard, dark brown sugar, and garlic powder. You can use other types of mustard but we find that yellow mustard provides a standby tangy flavor for Buffalo chicken.
• Cornstarch: Since crockpot recipes tend be somewhat juicy, a little bit of cornstarch takes care of that problem.
• Blue cheese, optional: Garnish the Buffalo chicken sandwiches with crumbled blue cheese or blue cheese dressing.

How it comes together

Prep the chicken. Remove the chicken from the package and put it in the crockpot. If the thighs seem to have excess fat, use a sharp scissors to trim it off if you want.

Chop the veggies. Chop an onion and a bell pepper. For a sandwich filler, it’s better if the veggies are a small dice instead of a rough chop, so use your knife skills and get the pieces nice and small. Add the veggies to the crockpot with the chicken.

Make the sauce. In a small bowl, stir up the sauce ingredients (except the cornstarch). Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir it up so the chicken is coated with the sauce.

Slow cook. Put the lid on the slow cooker, plug it in, and set it for either High or Low, depending on how long you have. It will take 3 to 4 hours on High, and 6 to 7 hours on Low.

Shred the chicken. Once the chicken is tender (test it with a fork), remove it from the slow cooker and put it on a large plate or cutting board. Let it cool slightly so you can handle it. In addition, remove about a half cup of the sauce and set it aside to cool. Using two forks, shred the chicken. It should be tender and shred easily. Put the chicken back into the crockpot as you go.

Thicken the sauce. The sauce that you removed should be cooled off to room temperature by now. (If it’s too warm, the cornstarch may form lumps.) Stir in the cornstarch until the mixture is nice and smooth. Add the sauce back to the crockpot and simmer it on High until it thickens.

Serve. Put a good scoopful of the Buffalo chicken on a bun and top with crumbled blue cheese or blue cheese dressing. Add an extra drizzle of hot sauce, if you like.

Serve the sandwiches with air fryer French fries or air fryer sweet potato fries. Crisp celery sticks are a must!

Cooking Tip

If you’re not ready to serve dinner yet, just cover the crockpot and keep it on Warm until you’re ready. It will be fine for at least an hour.

Ways to change it

• Use all white meat or all dark meat. This crockpot Buffalo chicken recipe uses a combination of dark and light meat. The dark meat gives it more flavor. However, if you’re dead set against one or the other, the recipe will turn out fine if you substitute breasts for thighs or vice versa.
• Adjust the spice level. Don’t care for spicy foods? Reduce the amount of hot sauce. This recipe is mild so you might love it the way it is. Can’t get enough spice? Add more! Or choose a spicier hot sauce, like a habanero hot sauce.
• Not a fan of blue cheese? Try drizzling ranch dressing over the chicken on your sandwich.
• Make a salad instead. Try our Buffalo chicken salad which can also be eaten on a bun, bread, croissant, wrap, or on lettuce. It’s reliable for a summer get-together.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Head start: If you want to speed things up in the morning, prep everything the night before. Dice the onion and pepper and refrigerate in a covered bowl or resealable bag. Prep the sauce and place that in a bowl in the refrigerator. In the morning, just put the chicken in the crockpot, add the veggies and sauce, turn it on and walk away.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Leftover Buffalo chicken can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to six months. For freezing, divide the chicken into freezer containers or freezer bags and label. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating for best results.

Reheat: Warm the chicken up in a saucepan or skillet on the stove, or in a microwave safe container in the microwave, until heated through.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #6 or Meal Plan #78. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

Browse Meal Plans

• Yield: 12
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 4 hours 10 minutes
• Total: 4 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (excess fat trimmed off)
• 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 yellow onion, diced small (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced small (about 1 cup)
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) tomato sauce (low sodium or no-salt-added)
• ¼ cup hot pepper sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar (light brown sugar will work, too)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• salt and pepper, to taste

To serve:

• 12 hamburger buns (or 24 slider buns)
• blue cheese, for garnishing

Method

1. Place chicken, chopped onions, and red pepper into a large (6-quart) slow cooker.
2. In a medium bowl, mix tomato sauce, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire, mustard, brown sugar, and garlic powder.
3. Pour over chicken and stir well to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours, or on LOW 5 to 6 hours, or until chicken is very tender.
4. Remove chicken from slow cooker; place on platter or flat bowl; cool slightly. Turn slow cooker to HIGH.
5. Remove ½ cup of the sauce; let cool.
6. Shred chicken with two forks and return meat to slow cooker.
7. When reserved sauce has cooled to room temperature, whisk in cornstarch until no lumps remain. Add to slow cooker and stir well. Cook on high for about 10 minutes or until mixture has thickened slightly. Taste, add salt and pepper, if needed.
8. Serve with buns, additional hot pepper sauce, and crumbled blue cheese.

Notes

Make it spicier: Increase the amount of hot pepper sauce, or serve extra sauce on the side.

Optional dressing: Blue cheese dressing can be used instead of blue cheese crumbles. If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, consider substituting ranch dressing.

Yield: The number of servings can vary quite a bit depending on how much you pile onto each bun.

Storage: Leftover Buffalo chicken can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to six months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating for best results.