Slow Cooker Buffalo Ranch Chicken Tenders
After a marathon of cooking all last week and a half-marathon of eating leftovers all weekend I am finally ready to move on from mashed potatoes and Thanksgiving. It was so awesome having our family here at our home to celebrate (and eat!) with us and all the food was really amazing. The last bit of turkey is headed to the freezer so plan on some turkey dishes coming before Christmas! In the meantime I’m thinking about some lighter, healthier eating but it can’t compromise on flavor. These buffalo chicken tenders do the trick! Super simple to make and super versatile, this is just the kind of food I’m craving right now.
Sometimes I like making a smaller batch of these just for me so that I can have them for lunch all week. They work really well with a side of cottage cheese or chopped up on top of a salad and drizzled with a little blue cheese dressing.
For dinner these are great with a side of crispy sweet potato fries. You could even chop up the chicken and serve it with toothpicks and a side of dip as a great appetizer at a potluck or holiday gathering.
The ingredients are simple and you can dress it up any way you like. I used my homemade ranch seasoning but in a pinch just sub it out for a package of dried Hidden Valley Ranch or something similar. Time to max out the flavor!!!
Slow Cooker Ranch Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenders
- 1 tablespoon homemade ranch seasoning
- 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (plus additional for dipping)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- Blue cheese crumbles for garnish optional
Instructions
- Place chicken in slow cooker
- Whisk sauce, broth and seasonings and pour over chicken
- Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 or until chicken is fully cooked through
- Serve garnished with additional buffalo wing sauce and blue cheese crumbles if desired
Notes
Nutrition
I want to make this but don’t have broth on hand. Is there anything I can use instead?
You could dissolve bullion or just use water.
What can I use if I don’t have the dry ranch seasoning/dressing ? I have bottled ranch dressing though.
Hi Jackie! You can make the homemade version, skip it, or add a drizzle of bottled dressing at the end of cooking.
I’ll try that. Thank you !
I wanted to cook conless chicken tenders in my crockpot but with chicken gravy (jar of heinze) and I just wanted to make sure of the cooking time. It takes 3 hours on low?
Hi Melissa! This recipe as noted in the instructions is 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 on low. I’m unable to say with certainly how long you would need to cook this with jarred gravy, as it is completely different and has a different liquid ratio and ingredients so I’d hate to advise you without having properly tested it.
so many annoying pop ups. i left immediately, but had to come back to say so. i will not use a website like this.
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Tasted great. Sauce was a bit runny, so I guess I will thicken with Wondra next time? Hubby liked it much! I served with roasted red potatoes.
Has anyone tried making these with the frozen tenders without thawing them first? If so, how long do you cook them on high and do you have to decrease the liquid in the recipe? Thanks. 🙂
Hi Heather!! Maybe someone else will chime in here with some experiences in trying this, but I did just want to mention that I personally never recommend adding frozen meat to a slow cooker because of food safety concerns.
I am trying it now with Fully Cooked Frozen Tenders. I’ll report back later tonight.
How did it go with the frozen tenders?
I use this recipe for the time to cook. Then I defrost my chicken tenders in the microwave. Put chicken tenders in a ziplock bag with package buffalo seasoning, shake to coat and place in crockpot.
when using the ranch packet instead of the homemade ranch seasoning… do I use only 1 tablespoon or the entire packet?
yes, 1 tablespoon.
Oops…just put in an entire package, will post results in 2.25 hours ????
I bet it will be just fine 🙂
Hi. Popping in from Kalyn’s blog. This looks simple and delicious. I’m definitely trying this, and can’t wait to check out some more of your recipes!
Thanks so much! Glad you stopped by to check things out!! 🙂
Hi there and good morning! Just letting you know that I featured this recipe in my Deliciously Healthy Low-Carb Recipes round-up from last month (on my main blog.) I hope a lot of my readers will come over here and check it out, great recipe!
Awesome! Thanks Kalyn! I shared the link on my facebook page 🙂
I am just loving everything about these chicken tenders.. especially how simple the recipe is and how little ingredients it requires. I have a feeling that these will be perfect for dinner tonight, with a side of fries of course!
Fries are like a requirement 😉 I especially love sweet potatoes fries with these!