This Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip is a creamy dip with a kick! Made with wing sauce and topped with blue cheese, it’s a fan favourite.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – swap out for another neutral cooking oil such as canola oil.
- Chicken breasts – boneless chicken thighs or tenders will also work, but you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- Butter – this will help cut the buffalo sauce. Feel free to swap out for a butter substitute of your choice.
- Cream cheese – the cream cheese will make the dip extra creamy, but you can replace half of it with shredded cheddar cheese if you like.
- Buffalo sauce – you could also replace most of the water with your favourite hot sauce and cook the chicken in that instead. Then, add a packet of ranch dressing with the cream cheese.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Blue cheese – substitute for feta or mozzarella for a milder flavour.
- Green onions – leave this out if you’re not a fan of green onions.
- Celery, carrot sticks & tortilla chips – to serve. Feel free to dip whatever you want in this recipe!
How to make buffalo chicken dip in the Instant Pot
- Cook the chicken.
- Make the sauce.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Shred the chicken.
- Add in the sauce.
- Serve and dig in!
What to serve with buffalo chicken dip
Wondering what to eat with your buffalo chicken dip? Here are some of my favourite things to dip in it:
- Carrots and celery sticks
- Tortilla chips
- Bell pepper slices
- Pretzels
- Crackers
- Toasted baguette slices
You can also turn this buffalo chicken dip into a full meal instead of just a party appetizer!
Load up two tortillas to make an extra filling quesadilla, or add some to your tacos and burritos. You can also use it for spicy stuffed bell peppers. Just hollow out the peppers, fill them up, and bake until tender and bubbly. For a fun party idea, roll some dip inside of crescent or pizza dough, similar to a calzone. Or, toss with cooked pasta or salad greens.
Frequently Asked Questions
The main ingredients in buffalo chicken dip are shredded chicken, butter, buffalo sauce, cream cheese and blue cheese. If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, feel free to swap it out for feta or mozzarella, although the blue cheese is the classic option!
While your buffalo chicken dip should thicken up nicely while simmering, sometimes the dip isn’t quite the right texture. For an extra thick dip, you can reduce the amount of buffalo sauce that you stir into the pot. Keep in mind that this will also make the dip a little less spicy. If all else fails, stir in some more cream cheese until it’s as thick as you’d like.
If you’re making this dip for a party or game day, I seriously doubt you’ll have any leftovers – but if you do, this dip will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This buffalo chicken dip is gluten-free as long as you serve it with gluten-free sides like carrot or celery sticks. Also make sure to check the ingredients on whatever buffalo sauce you use to ensure it’s gluten-free.
Storing and reheating
Transfer leftovers to a sealed container and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days. Use smaller, individual containers for easy meal prep. Heat in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring each time so the ingredients don’t separate.
You could also add the buffalo dip to a large skillet on the stovetop and warm it up over low heat until bubbly. The wider surface area will allow it to heat evenly, but be sure to stir the dip occasionally to avoid hot spots.
Can you freeze buffalo chicken dip?
Yes! Freeze this buffalo chicken dip in freezer-safe airtight containers, leaving a little bit of space at the top since the dip may expand. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating. If needed, stir in a little more butter or buffalo sauce when reheating to thin it out.
More Instant Pot appetizers
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on storing leftover dip.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- This is the buffalo sauce I use, which you can order online.
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp butter
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup buffalo sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup blue cheese
- 3 green onions, sliced
- Celery, carrot sticks & tortilla chips to serve
Instructions
- Add olive oil, chicken and water to Instant Pot. Place lid on Instant Pot, press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 8 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure, then notify you it's done by beeping.
- Meanwhile, microwave cream cheese for 1 min until softened. Stir in melted butter, buffalo sauce and salt & pepper.
- Press the Cancel button when Instant Pot is done, then do a quick release of the pressure. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily. Drain water from Instant Pot, then shred cooked chicken breasts right in the pot.
- Turn Instant Pot to saute mode. Add buffalo sauce mixture to the shredded chicken, then saute for 4-5 minutes until mixture thickens, stirring often.
- Remove dip from Instant Pot and add to a large bowl. Top dip with blue cheese and green onions, then serve with carrots, celery and tortilla chips. Enjoy!
