Ultimate Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
A guaranteed crowd-pleaser, these Ultimate Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps deliver a mouthwatering explosion of tender, shredded chicken simmered in a perfectly balanced sweet, spicy, and tangy buffalo sauce. Served in crisp lettuce wraps and crowned with a cooling blue cheese drizzle, they're an irresistible choice for an easy weeknight meal, game day, or a party appetizer.
Ingredients
For the Buffalo Chicken:
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/3 cup apricot preserves
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
For the Cool Blue Cheese Drizzle:
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt nonfat or lowfat
- 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons milk 1% or preferred
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
For Serving:
- 1 large head Bibb lettuce or Butter lettuce/Romaine hearts, leaves separated and washed
Seasoning:
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste for the drizzle
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Mix the Sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the buffalo wing sauce, barbecue sauce, apricot preserves, honey, smoked paprika, and garlic powder until well combined. Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the chicken breasts in the slow cooker.
- Slow Cook: Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and tender enough to shred easily.
- Shred the Chicken: Carefully remove the cooked chicken from the slow cooker and place it on a clean cutting board or in a large bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken.
- Combine and Soak: Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker with the sauce. Stir gently to ensure all the chicken is coated. Let the chicken soak in the sauce for at least 10-15 minutes to absorb the flavors.
- Prepare the Blue Cheese Drizzle: While the chicken is soaking, make the blue cheese drizzle. In a small bowl, whisk together the plain Greek yogurt, blue cheese crumbles, milk, and fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. If you prefer a thinner drizzle, add a little more milk, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
- Assemble the Lettuce Wraps: Carefully separate the lettuce leaves. Spoon a generous portion of the shredded buffalo chicken mixture into each lettuce leaf. Drizzle with the cool blue cheese sauce before serving.
Notes
- Sauce Thickness: If you find the sauce too thin after shredding the chicken, you can remove the chicken and simmer the sauce in the slow cooker (if it has a high or sauté setting) or in a saucepan on the stovetop for 10-15 minutes to reduce and thicken. For a quicker option, a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water can be whisked into the simmering sauce until it thickens.
- Adjusting Heat: The spiciness can be adjusted by using more or less buffalo wing sauce, or by choosing a milder or spicier brand.
- Lettuce Choices: Bibb or Butter lettuce leaves make excellent tender cups. For a crunchier wrap, the inner leaves of Romaine lettuce are a good option.
- Storage: Leftover buffalo chicken mixture can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The blue cheese drizzle should be stored separately and will keep for about 3 days.
- Calories: 269 kcal
- Protein: 28.4 g
- Total Fat: 4.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 27.8 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Total Sugars: 23.6 g
- Sodium: 546 mg