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Crockpot Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli, a cozier weeknight slow cooker meal. This comforting spicy chicken and broccoli is tossed in a creamy buffalo white cheddar cheese sauce. Then finished with extra buffalo sauce and chopped green onions, so delish. A simple weeknight dinner everyone really enjoys. Serve over rice with a side of yummy beer bread. It’s especially fun for game night too!
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As a kid, the buffalo chicken pizza we’d order from our local pizza spot used to be one of my favorites. Anytime we’d do an at-home pizza night I’d request the buffalo chicken. Most of the time we stuck with cheese and pepperoni, super average. But then there were nights we’d order from our local in-town pizza place in Ohio, Pelicanos. It was my best friend, Stephanie, who first introduced me to this saucy, spicy, cheesy chicken pizza.
I first had it at Stephanie’s, loved it, and then got my family hooked. Anytime that pizza was on the menu, everyone was excited for dinner.
Obviously, this is not a buffalo chicken pizza recipe, if you need that I already have one on the site. But this slow cooker buffalo chicken reminds me so much of that pizza.
The pizza I remember had a creamy chicken base with lots of sauce. It was not thick or heavy, just super saucy and spicy. The cheese on top held everything together.
It was loaded up with green onion, which I think was part of their secret.
At the moment, I’m very into green onions, so I did the same here. I piled green onions onto the chicken and made sure to have lots of sauce. Not only was this the easiest to create, but it’s delicious and saucier than you’d expect.
Details – these are quick
Step 1: layer the chicken
Working in the bowl of your crock pot, layer the onions, boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs, and ranch seasoning. I like to use dried parsley, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Then pour over your favorite hot sauce and add some water.
Add the butter for the sauce, and then if you like it spicy, we do a chopped jalapeño.
Now cover the crockpot and let the chicken cook. I usually cook for 1-2 hours on high or 3 to 4 hours on low.
Step 2: make the chicken creamy
Once the chicken is cooked, mix in a block of cream cheese, a couple of handfuls of cheddar cheese, and lots of fresh broccoli. Aside from the broccoli, this is very similar to how you would make buffalo chicken dip.
Let the chicken and broccoli cook on high for 5 or 10 minutes. Just until the sauce is very creamy and the cheese has melted.
Step 3: extra buffalo sauce, top, and serve
Before serving, you can mix up a homemade buffalo sauce with equal amounts of melted butter and hot sauce, and a good pinch of seasoned salt. This is my go-to sauce. I love to drizzle it over the chicken for extra spiciness. You can also use your own buffalo wing sauce.
This is “extra” and while you don’t need it, it makes every bite of this dish that much yummier. Of course, if you like less heat, adjust as you please!
I love to serve the chicken, broccoli, and sauce over rice. Or have fun and make a big plate of nachos for the family with queso on top. That would be so yummy too!
If you decide on rice, beer bread on the side is a must. You can mop up all the sauce with a slice of beer bread. Sounds a little different, but it’s so good.
This would be a great dish to meal prep with keeping leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftover chicken would also be great to use in sandwiches or wraps.
Looking for other easy family dinners? Here are a few ideas:
One Pot Buffalo Chicken “Helper”
Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
One Pan Autumn Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
Easy Southern Style Baked Mac and Cheese
Pumpkin Cheese Stuffed Pasta Bolognese Bake
One Skillet Cheesy Broccoli Cheddar Orzo Bake
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup hot sauce
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 3-4 cups chopped broccoli
- 4 green onions, chopped
- buffalo sauce, for serving , (optional)
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your slow cooker, layer the onion and then the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with paprika, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the hot sauce and 1/4 cup water. Add the butter and jalapeño. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 1-2 hours.2. Crank the heat on the slow cooker to high. Stir in the cream cheese, and cheddar cheese. Add the broccoli. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the sauce is creamy.3. Serve the chicken, broccoli, and sauce topped with green onions. Enjoy!
Stove
- 1. In a large skillet with sides, layer the onion and then the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with paprika, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the hot sauce and 1/4 cup water. Add the butter and jalapeño. Turn the burner to medium. Partially cover the skillet and cook, stirring around the halfway point, 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. 2. Stir in the cream cheese and cheddar cheese, then add the broccoli. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the sauce is creamy.3. Serve the chicken, broccoli, and sauce topped with green onions. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This was delicious! Perfect for chilly weather and super tasty. Did a little less hot sauce and made up the same amount of liquid with water. Subbed cauliflower for the broccoli as were more a fan of cauliflower! Was crunchy, but added a nice twist. Could par boil like others said if wanting the cauliflower softer.
Definitely adding to our most frequented recipe list!
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
Oh my GOSH, this was delicious! I did the crock pot version and it turned out perfectly. We like spice, so I added plenty of buffalo sauce at the end and chili powder while cooking. We served with rice and it was perfect. It will definitely go into our rotation. Thank you, Tieghan, for another fantastic recipe!
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
Really yummy! We shredded the leftover chicken and used in a grilled cheese. 😋
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
This was really yummy! We shredded the leftover chicken and used it in a grilled cheese on sourdough. So good!
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
So filling and warm! Made this for my boyfriend and I and we loved it. I steamed the broccoli before adding it because I prefer it when it isn’t crunchy. Will absolutely make this again.
Made this deliciousness tonight and it was a HUGE hit! The chicken was very tender, the broccoli added a nice bit of crunch and the sauce was not too spicy…my 92 year old mom loved it! Keep these types of recipes coming.
Hi there! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe! Thank you for giving it a try! xT
My husband and I liked this but I was disappointed my kids didn’t. Maybe I made it too spicy. Anyway, I wanted to share it was delicious over a sweet potato!
Oh no I’m so sorry!! Thanks for letting me know! xT
I had really high hopes for this, but thought it fell flat. I think the paprika was too strong and it needed something else to really make it all work together well.
Hey Shelby! Oh no I’m so sorry about that! Is there anything I can do to help? xT
Amazing! I absolutely loved this- came out perfect and definitely will be a regular dinner for us:)
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Have a great fall season! 🙂 xT
Thanks so much Tiegan! Your recipes are just the best!
Can you share the timing if using an Instapot. I don’t have a slow cooker, thanks so much!
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Have a great fall season! 🙂 xT
Made this today for the first time. Fantastic mix of flavors. I may parboil the broccoli next time as it was a bit too crunchy but other than that really great on a fall evening
Thank you so much Judi! Love to hear that!
Delish! I subbed the cream cheese with 1/3 c Greek yogurt and it was amazing
Thank you so so much for trying out this recipe! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
Made this tonight and used four chicken breasts. After cooking, I shredded the chicken before serving over plain rice. I made it on the stove so thanks for including the stove top directions. It was tasty but the sauce way too spicy. Next time I will use less Frank’s hot sauce and less chipotle chili powder. I loved the broccoli in the sauce.
Hey Betsy! Thank you so so much for trying out this recipe! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
Soo good! It’s the perfect amount of heat that keeps you wanting more.
Thank you so so much for trying out this recipe! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
I put about half the butter and used light cream cheese but otherwise made it stovetop per the recipe. I might add more onion next time but that sauce… definitely makes it a do again!!! Delicious and pretty easy.
Thank you so so much for trying out this recipe! So glad you enjoyed it! xT