Cold Buffalo Chicken Dip w/Rotisserie Chicken

A chilled, savory party dip that belongs at your next get-together

When I’m hosting a get-together, Trader Joe’s always has my back with their ready-made buffalo chicken dip. It’s a quick and convenient snack, and I love the tangy, almost spicy buffalo flavor.

But, like with many of my other party appetizers, homemade is always so much better!

This copycat Cold Buffalo Chicken Dip is just as savory and spicy as store-bought but elevated with freshly grated cheese, herbs, and spices. And unlike classic hot buffalo chicken dip, which involves sauteeing the chicken and baking the dip, my no-bake version is way easier. All you have to do is beat the cream cheese, stir in the pre-cooked chicken and the rest of the ingredients, then dig in.

There’s enough to serve a crowd here (10 servings!), which means you’ll always have enough no-bake buffalo chicken dip to go around. Enjoy it with even more creamy homemade dips, like Cold Artichoke Jalapeno Dip and Sour Cream and Chive Dip, for a spread your guests won’t soon forget.

Ingredients

This recipe is really quick and easy, thanks to the simple ingredients you likely already have at home!

Cream cheese

I use a base of cream cheese in a lot of my dip recipes, and that's the same over here! I use it often because of its sturdy consistency and creamy and tangy flavor. 

Sour cream

A layer of sour cream gives the base a smoother texture while adding another layer of tang. If you don’t want to use sour cream, substitute it for plain Greek yogurt instead.

Chicken

The beauty of this recipe is that you don’t have to cook the chicken beforehand. I recommend picking up a store-bought rotisserie chicken and shredding the white breast meat. The meat is tender, juicy, and fills the rotisserie chicken dip with irresistible flavors.

For an easier alternative, use the leftover cooked chicken that’s already in your fridge or make it with canned chicken instead. Anything goes!

Monterey Jack cheese

A lot of buffalo chicken dip recipes call for shredded cheddar cheese and crumbled blue cheese. Instead, we’re using shredded Monterey Jack cheese. It’s a mild semi-hard cheese with a buttery flavor. If you can’t find Monterey Jack, cheddar cheese is the next best option.

Buffalo wing sauce

Think of buffalo wing sauce as the tangy, buttery cousin to hot sauce. To make it, cayenne hot sauce is enhanced with butter and vinegar or Worcestershire sauce.

You can either make the buffalo sauce yourself or pick up a bottle of Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce. When you’re shopping, make sure the bottle is labeled as “wing sauce”. Other kinds of buffalo sauce will be missing the signature vinegary and butter flavor.

How to make cold buffalo chicken dip

Follow these step-by-step instructions to learn how to make cold chicken dip at home:

Tips for success!

Follow these tips and flavor variations to make the best chicken dip:

Beat the cream cheese

Definitely don't skip the step of beating the cream cheese first and then the sour cream. These two steps will help make the dip creamy!

Use fresh herbs

Using fresh green onion and parsley really adds more flavor to the dip compared to dry herbs. Make sure that the green onion and the parsley are both finely chopped so you get that pop of flavor in every bite.

Let it chill

Always chill the assembled dip in the fridge for at least 1 to 2 hours before serving. Chilling gives the flavors time to come together. For the best results, make the dip the night before and serve the next day.

Recipe