Dump Meals

Chicken Freezer bag

Buffalo Chicken

dumpmeals.com/recipes/buffalo-chicken/

Chicken breasts in hot sauce, butter and ranch seasoning. Shred for sandwiches, tacos or wraps.

Serves
8
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
Low 3 to 5 hours, or high 1½ to 2½ hours
Slow cooker
3-quart

Buffalo chicken is chicken breast, hot sauce and butter, with ranch seasoning mix to tone the heat down. The butter turns the hot sauce into a smoother sauce that coats the shredded chicken. Choose the hot sauce by how much heat your table can take.

Shred the chicken in the pot so it soaks up the sauce. Pile it on soft rolls with a drizzle of ranch dressing and sliced celery on the side. It also works in tortillas, over baked potatoes, or on a green salad. Keep the ranch dressing for serving, not for the pot.

Leftovers make a good filling for wraps with lettuce and shredded cheese, or can be spooned over a baked potato the next day.

Ingredients

Into the slow cooker

  • 2½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • ½ cup buffalo-style hot sauce
  • ½ stick butter
  • 1 (1-ounce) packet ranch seasoning mix
  • 1 cup chicken broth

To serve

  • sandwich rolls, for serving
  • ranch dressing, for serving
  • celery sticks, for serving

Directions

  1. If your meat is frozen, thaw it completely in the refrigerator first. Never put frozen meat in the slow cooker.
  2. Lay the chicken in a 3-quart slow cooker.
  3. Whisk the hot sauce, broth and ranch seasoning together. Pour over the chicken. The liquid should come most of the way up the meat. If it doesn't, add a little more broth. Cut the butter into pieces and scatter on top.
  4. Cover. Cook on low 3 to 5 hours or on high 1½ to 2½ hours.
  5. Check the chicken. It should read at least 165°F in the thickest piece.
  6. Shred the chicken in the pot. Stir it into the sauce and let it sit 10 minutes with the lid on.
  7. Serve on rolls with ranch dressing.

It's done when the chicken reads at least 165°F in the thickest piece and shreds easily with two forks. Check with a food thermometer.

Leftovers go in the refrigerator within two hours. Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave until hot all the way through (165°F), not in the slow cooker. Slow cooker safety

Make it a freezer dump bag

Put the chicken, hot sauce, broth, ranch seasoning and butter pieces in one gallon freezer bag. Squeeze out the air, seal, label and freeze flat.

Bag: gallon freezer bag. Keeps: 3 months for best quality; safe indefinitely at 0°F in the freezer.

Buffalo Chicken

Frozen on:

Thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours, until no ice is left in the middle. Never cook it from frozen, and cook it within 2 days of thawing. Dump into a 3-quart slow cooker. Cook on low 3 to 5 hours. Check with a food thermometer that the chicken reads 165°F in the thickest piece. Shred the chicken in the sauce and let it sit 10 minutes.

Best within 3 months of the date above.

Plan several bags at once with one shopping list and printable labels.

The planner prints this label free. A designed set for all 17 freezer recipes, plus blanks, is in the Freezer Bag Labels pack ($7).

Cooking for two

A half batch is too small to fill even a 2-quart slow cooker halfway, so make the full recipe. Put what you won't eat in the refrigerator or freezer within 2 hours, in shallow covered containers.

More in Cooking for two in a slow cooker.

Tips

  • Start with less hot sauce if you are unsure. You can add more at the end.
  • Shred right before serving so the chicken stays juicy.
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow covered containers. Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave until they reach 165°F. Do not reheat them in the slow cooker.

Food-safety sources

More chicken

  • Salsa Chicken Low 5 to 7 hours, or high 3 to 4 hours Freezer bag Chicken thighs, salsa, beans and corn in one pot. Shred and serve in tortillas, over rice or on its own.
  • Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs Low 4 to 6 hours, or high 2 to 3 hours Freezer bag Boneless chicken thighs in a sweet, salty honey and garlic sauce, thickened at the end and served over rice.
  • Chicken Tortilla Soup Low 3 to 5 hours, or high 1½ to 2½ hours Freezer bag Chicken breasts, beans, corn and tomatoes with green chiles in a cumin-spiced broth. Top with crisp tortilla strips.
  • White Chicken Chili Low 3 to 5 hours, or high 1½ to 2½ hours Freezer bag Chicken and white beans simmered with green chiles and cumin, then finished with cream cheese for a creamy broth.