Description
This Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken recipe offers a hearty and healthy Whole30-friendly meal featuring tender shredded chicken cooked in a spicy buffalo sauce, served inside perfectly baked sweet potatoes and topped with ranch dressing for a flavorful finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Sauce
- 2 lbs. boneless chicken breast or thighs (recommend 1 lb. of each)
- 1 cup hot pepper sauce (such as Whole30-compatible Frank’s Red Hot or Sriracha - not Whole30-compatible)
- ⅓ cup ghee, coconut oil or butter (butter is not Whole30-compatible)
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional – adds more heat)
Sweet Potatoes and Toppings
- 8 small baked sweet potatoes (about 7 oz. each uncooked)
- Ranch dressing (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
- Prepare Slow Cooker and Chicken: Place the boneless chicken breasts and/or thighs in the slow cooker and set it to low heat.
- Make Buffalo Sauce: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the hot pepper sauce, ghee (or coconut oil), coconut aminos, garlic powder, and optional cayenne pepper. Stir the mixture continuously until the ghee melts completely and the sauce is well combined and heated through.
- Add Sauce to Slow Cooker: Pour the prepared buffalo sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker, ensuring the chicken is well coated.
- Cook Chicken: Cook the chicken on low for 5 hours until it is tender and can be easily shredded with forks.
- Shred Chicken: Remove the chicken from the slow cooker, shred it thoroughly with two forks, then return the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker to soak in the sauce.
- Keep Warm: Turn the slow cooker to warm (or keep it on low) to maintain temperature until ready to serve.
- Bake Sweet Potatoes: While the chicken cooks, bake the sweet potatoes until soft (typically 45-60 minutes at 400°F), or prepare them as preferred.
- Serve: Stuff each baked sweet potato with the shredded buffalo chicken mixture and drizzle with ranch dressing to taste before serving.
Notes
- This recipe accommodates Whole30 by using ghee or coconut oil instead of butter and Whole30-compliant hot sauce.
- To add more heat, increase the cayenne pepper amount or use a spicier hot sauce variant.
- Sweet potatoes can be baked in the oven, air fryer, or grilled for different flavor profiles.
- Ranch dressing can be homemade with dairy-free ingredients to keep it Whole30-compliant.
- Leftover shredded buffalo chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and makes great salads or wraps.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe with 1 small sweet potato
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
