Description
A hearty and healthy slow cooker buffalo chicken recipe that is Whole30-friendly, featuring tender shredded chicken cooked in a spicy buffalo sauce and served inside baked sweet potatoes, perfect for a flavorful 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 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional – adds more heat)
Sweet Potatoes & Serving
- 8 small baked sweet potatoes (about 7 oz each uncooked)
- Ranch dressing (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
- Prepare slow cooker: Place the chicken breasts 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 preferred fat), coconut aminos, garlic powder, and optional cayenne pepper. Stir the mixture continuously until the ghee melts and everything is well blended.
- Add sauce to slow cooker: Pour the buffalo sauce into the slow cooker over the chicken, ensuring the chicken is well coated.
- Cook chicken: Cover and cook the chicken on low for 5 hours, or until it is tender and fully cooked through.
- Shred chicken: Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it finely using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and toss it well with the buffalo sauce to coat evenly.
- Keep warm: Switch the slow cooker to the warm setting (or keep it on low) until ready to serve, allowing the flavors to meld.
- Prepare sweet potatoes: While the chicken is cooking, bake the sweet potatoes until soft and tender, about 45-60 minutes at 400°F (204°C). You can bake them in the oven or grill them if preferred.
- Serve: Split the baked sweet potatoes and stuff them with the warm buffalo chicken mixture. Drizzle with ranch dressing as desired for a creamy counterbalance to the spicy chicken.
Notes
- For a Whole30-compliant dish, use ghee or coconut oil instead of butter and select a compliant hot sauce like Frank's Red Hot.
- You can adjust the heat by adding or omitting the cayenne pepper according to your spice preference.
- Leftover buffalo chicken can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated in the slow cooker or microwave.
- Sweet potatoes can be baked ahead of time and reheated before serving for convenience.
- For a dairy-free ranch alternative, try a cashew-based ranch or omit dressing entirely.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe plus 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: 70 mg
