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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!
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 saucy 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 crockpot, layer the onions, chicken, and seasonings. 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.
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.
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
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 527 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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!
Can you freeze the leftovers? (Minus the broccoli)
Hi Maura,
Totally, that would be just fine to do! xx
Made this last night and it was SO good. We opted out of the jalepenos and forgot the green onions, but it was awesome. Will definitely be making again!
Hey Sara,
Love to hear this!! Thanks a lot for trying this dish and your review, so glad it was enjoyed:) xx
Absolutely wonderful!! I gave the broccoli 30 minutes to cook after reading reviews. This recipe is a keeper. Already planning on making it next week when we have guests over!
Hi there! Thank you so much! So glad you loved this recipe 🙂 xT
I had my doubts about the cooking method for the stovetop, but in the end this was delicious. I did put the onion and jalapeno together on the bottom of the pan, and I pre-steamed the broccoli after reading all the comments saying it didn’t cook enough in the way directed. I also used a full block of cream cheese, so the sauce was extra creamy. I used Franks Original hot sauce, and the level of heat was perfect. Definitely one I’ll be making again.
Hi! So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for trying it out! xT
Delish! Family devoured it.
Thank you Sara! xT
Made the recipe as written. Very tasty. Served it over rice. The only thing I would change is either precooking the broccoli or adding it to the slow cooker halfway through. 15 mins at the end and it was still raw.
Will make again!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Have an awesome weekend! xT
Hello, can this be made in the instant pot
Hi Carrie! I haven’t ever made it in the instant pot before! So sorry! xT
So good! I used franks WINGS SAUCE. Mild in spice and it was so delicious.
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Have an awesome weekend! xT
Great recipe. It’s got a great Buffalo chicken dip meets sight ranch flavour. After reading everyone’s comments I just tossed my broccoli in a bit earlier and made sure it was cut down a bit smaller. That worked.
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
Made this last night for dinner, was delicious. Loved the jalapeño in it. Also I used cauliflower and broccoli – so good! Leftovers were amazing too!
Will make again
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
Was amazing !!!! Used a side of cheddar jalapeño pull bread from Trader Joe’s . Put the chicken and sauce over rice. Leftovers were amazing as well!
Will make again!
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
I made this for dinner last night and it was so good! I made it in my Dutch oven (cooking over medium caused it to burn/stick a bit on the bottom so next time I’ll lower the heat) and served over rice. I used a full 8 oz block of cream cheese because I didn’t know what I would do with the leftover 2 oz and decreased the cheddar cheese by 1/2 cup to balance it. I also added the broccoli earlier in the process to make sure it was soft enough. I love that it’s like Buffalo chicken dip but with less guilt since it’s more of a meal with the rice and veggies. I’ll definitely be making this again 🙂
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
So good but way too spicy. Next time I will leave out the jalapeño and cut the hot sauce down to half the amount.
Thank you for the feedback Mariah! xT
So delicious and super easy to make.
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
I made this tonight for dinner not quite sure what to expect and it was really good! I left out the jalapeño and served it over rice. I definitely would make it again.
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT