Description
A hearty and healthy Whole30-friendly slow cooker buffalo chicken recipe featuring tender shredded chicken cooked in a spicy buffalo sauce, perfectly served inside baked sweet potatoes and drizzled with ranch dressing for a delicious and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Buffalo Chicken
- 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 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional – adds more heat)
Sweet Potatoes and Serving
- 8 small baked sweet potatoes (about 7 oz each uncooked)
- Ranch dressing (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
- Prepare the slow cooker: Place the chicken breasts and/or thighs into the slow cooker and set it to low heat.
- Make the buffalo sauce: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the hot pepper sauce, ghee (or coconut oil or butter), coconut aminos, garlic powder, and optional cayenne pepper. Stir constantly and heat until the ghee is fully melted and ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
- Add sauce to slow cooker: Pour the prepared buffalo sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker, ensuring the chicken is well coated.
- Cook the chicken: Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until the chicken is tender and fully cooked through.
- Shred the chicken: Remove the cooked chicken from the slow cooker and shred it finely using two forks.
- Toss shredded chicken with sauce: Return the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker and stir to coat well with the buffalo sauce. Keep warm on the low setting or warm setting until ready to serve.
- Prepare sweet potatoes and serve: Bake the sweet potatoes until tender (if not already baked). Stuff each baked sweet potato with a generous portion of the buffalo chicken. Drizzle ranch dressing over the top if desired before serving.
Notes
- This slow cooker buffalo chicken is Whole30-compatible if butter is replaced with ghee or coconut oil and if the hot sauce is Whole30-approved.
- The optional cayenne pepper can be omitted or adjusted to control spiciness.
- Use sweet potatoes around 7 oz for an ideal serving size and balance of flavors.
- Ranch dressing can be homemade or store-bought; consider Whole30-compliant ranch options to keep it diet-friendly.
- Leftover shredded buffalo chicken can be used for salads, wraps, or as a protein-packed snack.
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: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
