Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken.

I have become a bit obsessed with the crock pot lately. I usually try to include at least one crock pot meal in my menu plan for each week. This week, 3 of the 4 meals I have planned for dinner (we will be eating leftovers or out the remaining nights) will be prepared in the crock pot. Craziness!

In a recent phone conversation with my mom, I was proclaiming my love for all things crock pot and she told me about a new recipe that was a huge hit with my step-dad and step-brothers: buffalo chicken cooked in the crock pot. In fact they like it so much (and it’s so easy) that she has been making it once a week since they first tried it.

I decided to give it a try. My mom typically serves her buffalo chicken as sandwiches. I followed her example and turned the buffalo chicken into sandwiches with blue cheese dressing. I served them with sweet potato fries. But you could use this chicken in so many different ways. I’m thinking nachos for next time. Or maybe a buffalo chicken pizza.

Here is how I did it.

I like to use liners for the crock pot when I know I’m making something saucy, just to help reduce the mess. What a great invention!

Once lined, put the chicken, buffalo sauce and ranch mix into the crock pot. The beauty of this recipe is that you start out with frozen chicken, so there’s no advanced planning required. Well, other than buying the ingredients. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Then shred the chicken. I like to take it out of the crock pot to shred it to be sure that I don’t tear the liner. Once shredded, put the chicken back into the crock pot along with 1 tbsp butter. Cook for an additional hour on low.

Then make the blue cheese dressing. I like to make it before dinner and let it sit in the refrigerator for a little bit. This will help intensify the flavor.

Doesn’t that look good?! I love blue cheese in any form.

Then assemble your sandwich and enjoy!

Crock pot Buffalo Chicken

Adapted from My Kitchen Apron

3-4 chicken breasts (frozen)

½  bottle buffalo wing sauce (I used Frank’s)

1/2 packet Ranch Dip Mix

1 tbsp butter

Place slow cooker liner in crock pot. Put frozen chicken, wing sauce, and ranch dip mix into crock pot. Then cook on low at least 7-8 hours. Then take the chicken out of the crock pot and shred the chicken, using two forks. It should be so tender that it just falls apart. Once the chicken is shredded, return to crock pot. Add the butter and cook on low for an additional hour.

Blue Cheese Dressing

Slightly adapted from the Rachel Ray's cookbook 365: No Repeats

½ cup sour cream

½ cup ranch dressing

½ blue cheese crumbles

Salt and pepper

Mix the sour cream, ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.