Home » Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches are the perfect meal for dinner, parties, and game day food. This shredded chicken has a nice kick and smokiness to it from the Buffalo sauce which is super easy to mix together. Definitely a family favorite!

slow cooker buffalo chicken sandwiches image with text overlay

Recipe updated with new images and more detailed information for the reader – June 16, 2023

Slow Cooker Buffalo Sandwiches are the easiest to make and really hits the spot when you’re craving that buffalo sauce flavor but don’t want to be frying wings. A few years ago I tried a new flavor of my favorite line of BBQ sauces, Sweet Baby Ray’s. It was their Buffalo wing sauce and I used it on wings that I baked till crispy in the oven. So good and it gave me an idea to use it on chicken breasts in the slow cooker. I served them with some homemade creamy coleslaw. What a winning idea that was!

shredded buffalo chicken sandwich on white plate

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

  • Uses the slow cooker so basically it cooks itself.
  • Just 5 ingredients.
  • The Buffalo chicken is great to use in sandwiches, over nachos, and more.
  • Great to serve a crowd.

What is Buffalo Chicken?

Traditionally, Buffalo chicken refers to fried chicken wings covered in a tangy Buffalo sauce. Buffalo sauce is a mixture of butter and cayenne hot sauce. The heat level of the sauce can be from mild to hot, or even hotter.

shredded buffalo chicken in slow cooker ready to serve on buns

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

Some recipes for Buffalo chicken use a ranch dressing mix and a sauce like Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, but this recipe does not. I chose to use a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s Wing Sauce, some cumin to give it a bit of smokiness, and sliced onion. Such a great recipe and so easy!

For our family, this is the perfect amount of heat and spice. If you prefer a spicy sauce, add a bit of cayenne or red pepper flakes.

The best bun for this sandwich to soak up the extra sauce without making the bun soggy is a brioche bun. Soft, sturdy, and delicious.

Because you’re making this buffalo chicken in the slow cooker, dinner will be ready when you are. The leftovers are great for quesadillas, nachos, or turning the spicy chicken into a sandwich wrap.

slow cooker buffalo chicken sandwich served on white plate
If you like spicy foods and buffalo chicken wings, you’ll love this recipe.

Can I Use Chicken Thighs?

Chicken breasts are recommended for this recipe, but thighs can be used. Use 2 pounds of boneless and skinless thighs.

Can You Freeze Buffalo Chicken?

Yes, you can freeze the shredded Buffalo chicken. Allow the chicken to cool completely and put it in a Freezer safe food storage container with an airtight lid or freezer bag and place it in the freezer for up to three months. Defrost the chicken by leaving it in the refrigerator overnight when you want to eat it. Reheat the chicken mixture on low heat for best results.

close up of buffalo chicken sandwich topped with coleslaw

Equipment

  • 6-quart slow cooker
  • small bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (about 4-6 pieces)
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 cup of Sweet Baby Ray’s Wing Sauce
  • Rolls of your choice (we like to use Brioche Buns)
ingredients for buffalo chicken sandwich made in slow cooker

How to Make Easy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

Step 1

In a 6 quart slow cooker, add sliced onion on the bottom and top with chicken breasts.

top onions with chicken breasts in slow cooker

Step 2

In a small bowl, add 1 cup of the wing sauce, the minced garlic, and cumin and stir to combine. Pour over the chicken.

mix sauce ingredients and pour over chicken in slow cooker

Step 3

Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked and can be shredded. Remove chicken to a plate and shred with two forks and place back into the crock pot.

shred chicken on plate and then place back in slow cooker

Step 4

Mix chicken with sauce in crockpot and cover. Let cook an additional hour to allow the chicken to soak up the sauce and flavors even more.

cook shredded chicken in sauce for another hour in slow cooker

Step 5

Serve on brioche rolls. If desired, toast rolls in the oven before filling them with buffalo chicken. Also, you can top the chicken with coleslaw for a crunch.

close up of slow cooker buffalo chicken sandwich

How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover Buffalo chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

  • Chicken breasts work the best but chicken thighs can be used.
  • Substitute a turkey tenderloin in this recipe for the chicken.
  • For more heat, add red pepper flakes.
  • This recipe does not use a ranch seasoning mix.
  • Use this recipe to make slow cooker buffalo chicken sliders.
  • Serve with ranch dip and celery sticks.
slow cooker buffalo chicken sandwich served on white plate

Other Slow Cooker Recipes You May Enjoy

Printable Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwich Recipe

slow cooker buffalo chicken sandwich served on white plate

Easy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Easy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches are the perfect meal for dinner, parties, and game day food. This shredded chicken has a nice kick and smokiness to it from the Buffalo sauce which is super easy to mix together. Definitely a family favorite!
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Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: buffalo, buffalo chicken, chicken, slow cooker buffalo chicken sandwiches
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 6 – 8 servings

Equipment

  • 6 quart slow cooker
  • small bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless and skinless (about 4-6 pieces)
  • 1 medium onion sliced
  • 2 – 3 cloves garlic. minced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 cup of Sweet Baby Ray’s Wing Sauce
  • Rolls of your choice

Instructions

  • In a large slow cooker, add sliced onion and top with chicken.
  • In a small bowl, add 1 cup of the wing sauce, the garlic and cumin and stir to combine. Pour over chicken.
  • Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked and can be shredded.
  • When done, remove chicken and shred with two forks and place back into crockpot.
  • Mix chicken with sauce in crockpot and cover. Let cook an additional hour to allow the chicken to soak up the sauce.
  • Serve on rolls. Toast rolls in oven if desired before filling with buffalo chicken. Also, you can top the chicken with coleslaw for a crunch.

Nutritional Disclaimer

“Blogghetti” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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20 Comments

  1. This looks fantastic! I am a sucker for anything buffalo chicken! It just so happens I have chicken breasts in the fridge… I may give this a try today! I am trying the low carb thing so I have special low carb wraps I will use. =)

    1. Thanks for stopping by Emily! The wrap is great with this chicken, too. I had some leftovers and wraps for lunch the next day. Enjoy!

  2. Hello cute lady! I’m stopping by to let you know that I have chosen your post as my favorite! Woo hoo! We will be featuring it tonight at 7 pm at our party. I hope to see you then~ Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls

    1. Thanks Sydney for stopping by. I’ll definitely check out the party this week, thanks! The buffalo chicken sandwich just may make another appearance this week here as it was that good!

  3. Saw your recipe at LouLou Girls and had to come for a visit. Lovely blog you have here, Lisa. I love simple, delicious recipes and this one looks terrific. Have a great day.

  4. Your Buffalo Chicken will make a wonderful sandwich! Thanks so much for sharing your post with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great week and come back to see us real soon!
    Miz Helen

    1. Thank you for hosting Full Plate, I love stopping by and drooling! Now that I see you have a Red Velvet Pie recipe, I”m heading there now!

  5. My son loves buffalo wings, but let’s be real–wings are kind of a pain to make. Now a delicious sandwich filling out of the slow cooker sounds like an easy, no-fuss solution.
    Thank you for sharing.

    1. Totally agree with you Michelle! My daughter loves them too and I hate making them because of the mess! This sandwich is the answer for us! Hope you enjoy it when you make it. Thanks for stopping by!

        1. That’s great Michelle! I’m so glad you all liked it. I love the easy, no fuss meals! Makes cooking so much easier when it’s simple yet delicious.