This creamy, cheesy chicken wing dip packs all the flavors of your favorite spicy buffalo chicken wings without the mess. Make it in the oven or slow cooker and serve it with crunchy chips, crudités, or any dippables you’d like.
This hot chicken wing dip is a warm and bubbly explosion of flavor. It’s my latest baked dip obsession, loaded with melty cheese, juicy shredded chicken, and buffalo hot sauce with a few other tasty condiments in the mix. If you love the taste of spicy buffalo chicken but aren’t too keen on getting your hands sticky, make this dip. It’s the best!
Why You’ll Love This Spicy Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip
It’s like eating hot wings without the mess. Skip sticky fingers on game day, and tuck a crunchy chip into this chicken wing dip instead. It has all the sweet-spicy-tangy flavors of classic buffalo chicken wings, and you won’t have to worry if there are enough cocktail napkins to go around.
Make it two ways. I’ve baked this dip in the oven and made it as a one-pot recipe in the slow cooker for parties, and it’s delicious both ways. You can always transfer it from the oven to the crock pot to keep warm, too!
Quick and easy. It takes minutes to mix up the dip. If your family is anything like mine, you already have ingredients like wing sauce, ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, and cream cheese stocked in the fridge. Even if you don’t, everything you need to make this dip is readily available in grocery stores.
What You’ll Need
These are some notes on the ingredients I use for my chicken wing dip. I’ve seen a few 5-ingredient recipes out there, but I find that adding just a few extras, like honey mustard and BBQ sauce, takes this buffalo wing dip to a whole other level! Refer to the printable recipe card for the full ingredients list with amounts.
Cream Cheese – I recommend full-fat cream cheese. Bring it to room temperature ahead of time so that it’s easier to mix.
Buffalo Wing Sauce – This can be any hot wing sauce you’d like. My favorite is Frank’s RedHot® Wings. Feel free to choose a spicy or milder sauce to suit your tastes.
Ranch Dressing and Seasoning – Choose your preferred bottled dressing from the store and a packet of seasoning mix, like Hidden Valley.
Honey Mustard – Like the BBQ sauce, I use my homemade honey mustard recipe, but store-bought works, too.
Blue Cheese – In my house, you can’t have Buffalo chicken without blue cheese! I recommend a crumbly blue cheese, like Gorgonzola. You’ll need it for the dip and as a garnish. If blue cheese isn’t your thing, you can skip it or replace it with goat cheese, feta, or even blue cheese dressing to taste.
Monterey Jack Cheese – You could also substitute shredded cheddar, Colby, or Pepper Jack cheese.
Chicken – Any cooked, shredded chicken works well here. I used a whole rotisserie chicken and shredded it, but you can also use leftover chicken.
Green Onions – Chopped, for garnish.
How to Make Chicken Wing Dip (Oven or Slow Cooker)
We’ll start with the oven directions, and I’ve also included directions for slow cooker chicken wing dip below. Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable instructions.
Combine the cream cheese and seasonings.Add shredded chicken and cheese.
Mix. Combine the cream cheese, sauces, blue cheese, and seasoning ingredients in a bowl. Fold everything together until it’s evenly mixed. Lastly, stir in the shredded chicken and shredded cheese.
Stir it all together.Fill the pan and bake.
Bake. Spread the dip into a greased 9×9″ baking dish. Then, bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
Garnish and serve. Sprinkle extra blue cheese crumbles and green onions over the baked buffalo chicken dip, and serve while it’s warm. See below for more suggestions.
Slow Cooker Method
I love making this dip in the slow cooker whenever we’re expecting company. It’s the perfect make-ahead appetizer! It’s as easy as combining all the ingredients (apart from the green onions) in your slow cooker or crock pot. Stir it all together and set it to cook on Low for 2-3 hours. Give it a final stir before you garnish it with blue cheese and onions for serving.
Tips and Variations
Soften the cream cheese. If you forget to take your cream cheese out of the fridge ahead of time (I’ve been there), you can soften it quickly by unwrapping it and warming it in the microwave for a few seconds. You want it soft but not melted.
Use freshly shredded cheese. Whether you use Monterey Jack, cheddar, or another melty cheese in this dip recipe, make sure to grate it fresh. Freshly shredded cheese melts better than pre-shredded cheese (packaged cheese has a waxy preservative that keeps it from melting smoothly).
No blue cheese? If you like blue cheese but can’t find the real thing where you are, you can try drizzling the top of the finished dip with blue cheese dressing instead. You could also add it to the dip, but start with a small amount and add to taste.
Serving Suggestions
I serve this chicken wing dip warm from the oven with chips, crackers, and veggie sticks like celery and carrots. It’s even great with soft pretzel bites! This wing dip is a fun, easy appetizer to bring to parties and potlucks, and it’s the best way to enjoy all the flavors of buffalo wings on game day, minus the messy fingers. Serve it with more party snacks like mini corn dogs or pigs in a blanket and cowboy caviar.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Dip
Refrigerate. Allow the dip to cool to room temperature, and then cover and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.
Reheat. Warm leftovers in the microwave, or you can reheat the dip in the oven at 350ºF until it’s hot again.
This hot chicken wing dip packs all the flavors of your favorite spicy buffalo chicken wings, minus the sticky fingers. Make it in the oven or slow cooker!
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (I like Frank’s)
1/4 cup of ranch dressing
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup honey mustard sauce
1 (1-ounce) package ranch seasoning
1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles (plus more to garnish)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 – 4 cups shredded chicken (I use 1 rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9×9 pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl (or mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment), mix together the cream cheese, buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, honey mustard, ranch seasoning packet, and blue cheese. Stir until combined.
Add in the shredded cheese and chicken and stir to combine.
Spread the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Garnish with more blue cheese crumbles if desired and green onions.
Serve warm with celery, carrots, chips, or crackers.
Slow Cooker Method
Place all the ingredients except the green onions into the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on low for 2 – 3 hours. Stir again to ensure all the ingredients are mixed well.
Garnish with more blue cheese and green onions if desired.
