~ Wish you could indulge in buffalo chicken dip every day? Now you can! We’ve turned everyone’s favorite party dip into a sandwich! It’s just as delicious, but so much healthier and super-easy (in the slow cooker)! YUM! ~
Healthy Crock-Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches.
Yep, you read that correctly.
CROCK-POT. BUFFALO CHICKEN. On a bun.
Really, what more do you possibly want out of life?
Buffalo chicken dip is phenomenal. We’ve all had it. We all love it.
It’s spicy, creamy, and ooey-gooey deliciously cheesy. A staple at New Year’s Eve celebrations and Super Bowl parties. It’s always the first thing gobbled up.
Yeah, yeah. We know what you’re thinking, “Silly Gretchen and Shelley! Those parties are months away! Why on earth are we planning that far ahead?!” (But if you are, in fact, planning that far in advance, check out some amazing healthy dips!)
Really, though … we didn’t want to wait that long. And we didn’t want to nosh on buffalo chicken dip just for special, indulgent occasions!
Nope – we wanted buffalo chicken dip NOW. And we wanted to not feel guilty after chowing down on all that spicy-creamy yumminess.
There had to be a way …
Like, if only we could lighten up the typical buffalo dip, and then turn it into an easy-enough-to-make-every-day sandwich. Guilt-free buffalo chicken for dinner? Yes! That we could do!
Oh, sure – you could put this recipe in your back pocket and save it for a special occasion. (Please remove before laundering. Paper never turns out well after a trip through the washer.) OR you could make this awesome sandwich for dinner. Tonight.
(Psssst … you could also turn it into our AMAZING Baked Buffalo Chicken Nachos for a snack, or for your big Super Bowl party menu. Or, you know … make enough for both dinner tonight … and nachos tomorrow. Brilliant!)
With back-to-school only a few days away (where did summer go??), it seems like planning a meal is just too hard. We get it! Life is a little crazy right now, as school looms on the horizon.
All those (lovely) early-morning sports practices. Trying to find the perfect jeans for your growing daughter, or the coolest sneakers for your son. Endless school supply shopping (they need exactly how many glue sticks?). And can we squeeze in just one more trip to the zoo/pool/playground/hiking trails …
By dinnertime, you’re exhausted. It’s hot outside, and you’re tired. You’re busy!
So why not start a speedy-fast dinner in the morning … before the crazy three-ring circus begins? Somewhere between dropping off at soccer practice and heading to Target for the umpteenth time in two days … you could throw together a crockpot chicken recipe that’ll actually make dinner a breeze!
Do ya have five minutes somewhere in your morning? It’s sooooo worth it.
Just look at it. Is your mouth watering? Yeeeaaahhhhh …
The absolute best part? (Did you think it could get any better?? It can! It can!) This delicious recipe takes just a handful of ingredients. And you’ve already got most of them. (Let the happy dance commence!)
Well … it actually gets just a teensy bit better still. That awesome creaminess is a Greek yogurt sauce. No, no we aren’t joking. Protein-packed, low-fat goodness!
And even better yet?!? (Yep … you know us … we just keep on giving!) Once we had this Healthy Crock-Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches recipe ironed out, we found so many ways to adapt it, so we could have HEALTHY Buffalo Chicken Dip in our lives in lots more ways, too!
Like those amazing Baked Buffalo Chicken Nachos we mentioned earlier, or our picnic-perfect Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad … even Buffalo Chicken Dip Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (yes … even more fantastic than they sound!). And for a veggie-filled change-up, we created a to-die for riff on a favorite restaurant recipe: LOADED Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Wings!
(We know! Could this be true? Is this real? Sooooooo many ways to get your “Buffalo” fix!)
Yep. This is as real as real gets.
And it all started with these delicious sandwiches!
Easy. Super fast. Healthy. Delicious. A family favorite.
Real.
Gotta make it!
Looking for More Easy, Healthy Crock-Pot Chicken Recipes? Check Out Our:
- 3-Ingredient Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos
- Crock-Pot North Carolina BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- Top 10 Easy, Healthy Crock-Pot Chicken Recipes
- Top 10 Healthy Crock-Pot Chicken Soups and Chilis
- Crock-Pot Corn Chowder with Chicken and Bacon
Healthy Crock-Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Everyone's favorite party dip – in a sandwich! Just as delicious as buffalo chicken dip, but much healthier and so easy in the slow cooker!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot)
- 1 cup reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 (5.3-ounce) container nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 6 whole wheat buns
- for serving: additional shredded cheddar cheese and hot sauce, if desired
Instructions
- Place chicken in slow cooker and add water.
- Sprinkle salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper on chicken.
- Drizzle 3 tablespoons hot sauce on top of chicken.
- Cook for 4-5 hours on high, or 6-7 hours on low, until chicken is thoroughly cooked but still moist and fall-apart tender. (See note.)
- Just before serving, shred chicken (we use two forks to do this).
- Stir together cheese, Greek yogurt, remaining 2 tablespoons hot sauce, and basil. (You can do this ahead of time in a separate bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed, and then add the mixture to the shredded chicken in your slow cooker at the end of cooking. Or you can simply add the ingredients directly into the crock-pot after shredding the chicken and stir to combine.) Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and cheese is melted.
- Serve on whole wheat buns and garnish with additional cheese or hot sauce, if desired.
Notes
Slow cooker variations: The exact heat and speed of cooking can vary between different slow cookers. Some slow cookers, especially newer models, may cook hotter and faster than others. Our research has also led us to believe that some models allow for imperceptible evaporation of liquid (although you’d expect that no liquid would be lost when using a slow cooker), which can leave your recipes less saucy and moist. Because this recipe uses very little liquid, it’s particularly sensitive to these variations. No need to worry – it’s delicious even when cooked until it’s a bit drier. The key is simply to control the cook time and temperature to yield the most juicy, fall-apart-tender result.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 servings Serving Size: 2/3 cup chickenAmount Per Serving: Calories: 240Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1g
Nutrition information is provided for cooked, shredded chicken only, as nutrition can vary for the buns depending on brand. Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may additionally vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.
This looks so delicious and tasty! My daughter is going to love this recipe! Can’t wait to share this with her!
If your daughter adores Buffalo Chicken the way my own son does, then I can 100% vouch for the fact that these sandwiches will be a major hit! Enjoy! ~Shelley
Love how simple and delicious these sandwiches look!! Thanks for sharing can’t wait to make it.
They’re definitiely BOTH simple and delicious … my family adores these Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches, and as the cook, I love that they’re so darn easy to make! Total win! ~Shelley
I love how easy this meal is and that it has a little extra kick to it. Definitely serving this for Super Bowl Sunday!
The Buffalo Chicken will be a hit, for sure (no matter which team wins LOL)! And you’re right – it’s super easy to make, so there’s no stress and you can relax and enjoy the game instead of working away in the kitchen. 😉 Enjoy! ~Shelley
My daughter in law made this and my son loved it so much she shared with me . My youngest (8 yo) loved it also the best was my husband loved it and wanted leftovers for lunch ! Thank you!
Wow – a thumbs-up from the entire family – I’m so thrilled to hear it! You always know it’s a good thing when people want leftovers, too! Thank you so much for being so sweet to take the time to share this with me – really makes me happy to know that our recipe is such a hit that it’s being passed around through your family. 🙂 ~Shelley
This is a delicious recipe that my wife and I made yesterday for dinner. We even added extra buffalo sauce to make it extra spicy. Recipe was very easy and quick.
I use “myfitnesspal” to maintain food dairy. I have found several versions of pulled chicken sandwich in their database but I could not decide which one to chose as the calorie count varied greatly. Any suggestions as to what the calorie count in your recipe would be?
Thanks
Hi, Teja! 😀 I’m so glad to hear you guys enjoyed! And hot sauce sounds like such a great idea — I’ll have to try it sometime for my dad and brother (they LOVE spicy foods)!
Also, I’d like to offer an explanation as to why we haven’t chosen to include nutrition information in our recipes (at least thus far) — and how you might more accurately calculate your own. We’ve actually debated since the beginning of this blog whether or not we should supply nutrition info (we address it in our FAQs, if you’re interested!).
Especially with Gretchen’s (my mom’s original business partner’s) master’s degree in nutrition, she could easily have calculated that manually – plus there are loads of online calculators to use. However, for a variety of reasons, we have decided over and over again not to calculate calories. One big reason is that we generally don’t specify exact brands (although on some occasions we need to), so the final nutritional profile of a recipe can vary widely, depending on the purchasing decisions our readers make. In the end, it could almost be a bit misleading to quote nutritional info, if readers make significantly different purchasing choices than we did in testing.
Also, with recipes like this one, the serving size really might vary depending on how you’re eating it — in this recipe, for example, as a small one-handed sandwich or a heaping, fork-and-knife-required one. As another example, other recipes on our site are suggested as both entire meals or (for smaller portioning) as appetizers. The serving size would obviously vary widely in those cases.
My best suggestion would be to use your favorite online nutrition calculator, and plug in the exact brands you use to get the most accurate information, as well as making decisions about your own personal daily calorie goals/activity levels, and whether you’re just using this as an “i’m-not-super-hungry” meal, or a “just-got-home-from-running-a-marathon” type of dinner.” Do you subscribe to our newsletter? A few months ago, we sent out a whole list of different recipe calculators in our newsletter. Too long to publish here (this is already such long answer! ? ), but shoot us an email if you’re interested, and I can send that along for you!
Also … having said all of this … I want you to know that we get questions like this from other readers from time to time, too. As a result, we are always re-evaluating this very good question and exploring how we may be able to offer nutrition information in a way that we can feel good about – a way that’s helpful and not potentially misleading. So stay tuned …
Thanks so much for reaching out to us! I hope these explanations help you out at least a little! 😀 ~Amy