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This creamy, spicy, totally delicious buffalo chicken dip is made even quicker and easier in the Instant Pot! A football-season staple, I could eat this tailgating-worthy dip every day, and everyone will love how packed with flavor it is. With ranch dressing, cream cheese, tender shredded chicken, and cheddar, this buffalo chicken dip is just the best!
🏈 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- We’re pretty big fans of buffalo chicken around here, in any and every form. Wings, dips, tacos, pizza, you name it. We’ve been making buffalo chicken dip in the Crockpot for ages, and then it occured to me. How do you make slow cooker buffalo chicken dip even better? You cook it even faster. Enter: the Instant Pot. We’re talking minutes, y’all. Not hours. Minutes.
- Buffalo chicken dip is super creamy, super rich, and super moist. I mean, it’s a mixture of cream cheese, ranch dressing, shredded cheese, hot sauce, and shredded chicken, so you KNOW it has to be good! Since it’s so creamy, I always pair it with tortilla chips, buttery crackers, or celery sticks – something that’s got a really satisfying crunch.
- If your Instant Pot’s big enough, you can totally double this recipe to serve a larger group. The cook times will stay the same, even when you’re doubling the chicken. The Instant Pot will just take a little longer to pressurize.
🍗 Chef’s Tips
- Use ranch dressing, not a packet of ranch dip mix. The dressing not only gives the dip that tasty ranch flavor, but it also adds to the creaminess of the dish overall. Without it, the buffalo chicken dip won’t be as rich or as moist.
- New to shredding chicken, or just want to try a different method for a change? Check out my post all about my top 5 easiest ways to shred chicken. A little spoiler: I tend to go back and forth between the hand mixer and the 2-forks methods!
- If you really want to take things to the next level, transfer the prepared buffalo chicken dip to a cast-iron skillet, then sprinkle a little more shredded cheese over the top. Pop the whole thing under the broiler for a minute or two right before serving, just enough so the top gets really bubbly and a little browned.
More Party-Perfect Foods & Drinks
- Creamy Jalapeño Popper Dip (Low Carb, Keto)
- Dill Dip
- 3-Ingredient Sausage Dip (Stovetop or Crockpot)
- Chelada (Mexican Beer Cocktail with Lime)
- Perfect Keto Charcuterie Board
- Beer Cheese Dip
- Fried Pickle Dip
- Boneless Chicken Wings
- Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- Sous Vide Chicken Wings
- Bean Dip
- Fruity, Boozy Jungle Juice
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
Creamy, spicy, delicious buffalo chicken dip made in no time at all thanks to the Instant Pot for a party-perfect, game-day-ready, tailgating-worthy snack.
servings
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- trivet insert for Instant Pot
- tools for shredding chicken see Notes
- large bowl or cutting board to shred chicken, see Notes
- Large wooden spoon
- serving bowl or cast-iron skillet
Ingredients
For the Buffalo Chicken Dip
- ½ cup water
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup hot sauce divided
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- 1 8-ounce block cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- blue cheese crumbles optional, to garnish
- chopped green onions optional, to garnish
To Serve (All Optional)
- tortilla chips
- crackers
- carrot sticks
- celery sticks
Instructions
- Fit Instant Pot with trivet insert, then pour ½ cup water in bottom of Instant Pot. Place uncooked chicken breasts on trivet (okay to stack if needed), then cover chicken with ½ cup hot sauce.
- Secure lid on Instant Pot with valve in Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure for 10 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize and then cook time will begin.
- After 10-minute cook time is up, Natural Release pressure for 5 minutes, then carefully Quick Release any remaining pressure. Carefully remove lid and transfer chicken to large bowl or cutting board. Shred chicken as desired (see Notes).
- Empty any remaining hot sauce and water from Instant Pot, rinsing pot if needed before returning to Instant Pot. Set to Sauté mode and allow pot to heat up.
- When Instant Pot is warm, add ranch dressing, softened cream cheese, remaining ½ cup hot sauce, and garlic sauce to pot. Stir until mixture is completely smooth.
- Add shredded cheese to Instant Pot. Continue stirring until shredded cheese is completely melted.
- Once cheese has melted and combined with other ingredients, return shredded chicken to Instant Pot. Stir until all ingredients are fully incorporated, then transfer buffalo chicken mixture to serving bowl or cast-iron skillet.
- Garnish buffalo chicken dip with blue cheese crumbles and chopped green onions if desired. Serve warm with tortilla chips, crackers, and/or veggie sticks.
- Make it Keto: Be sure to use a keto-friendly ranch dressing that doesn’t have any added sugars. Shred the cheese yourself from a fresh block of cheddar to avoid the starches and fillers used to prevent pre-packaged shredded cheese from clumping.
Methods for Shredding Chicken
- Hand Shredded: Using your hands/fingers, pull the chicken apart until completely shredded. Pieces can be as big or as small as you like.
- Two Forks: Use one fork to steady the chicken while shredding the chicken with another fork. Work in small, short strokes, moving forks away from each other.
- Hand Mixer: Break the chicken into manageable chunks and place them in a large bowl. Use the standard attachments on your mixer and set mixer to a medium speed. Mix until chicken is completely shredded.
- Stand Mixer: Use the standard paddle attachment and mix on medium-low speed until chicken chunks are completely shredded.
- Food Processor: Break up the cooked chicken breasts into chunks first, and work in multiple batches. Add chicken to food processor and use the plastic dough blade attachment to avoid your chicken turning to mush. Process for 30 seconds or until uniformly shredded. Repeat until all chicken is shredded.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 388calProtein: 24gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 1596mgPotassium: 371mgTotal Carbs: 4gFiber: 0.2gSugar: 2gNet Carbs: 4gVitamin A: 284IUVitamin C: 31mgCalcium: 173mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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