If you’re on the hunt for the perfect party appetizer, don’t miss my Atomic Buffalo Turds (basically the most amazing jalapeno poppers you’ve ever tried) or these Frozen Mac and Cheese Bites!
Buffalo Pinwheels
These delicious buffalo chicken pinwheels are a super easy appetizer recipe for your next game day! They come together so quickly and there’s no baking involved. These are basically just all of the flavors of buffalo chicken wrapped up with some of its best friends.
If you love these buffalo pinwheels you will definitely love buffalo chicken sliders or these smoked deviled eggs for appetizer ideas! Or for a fun dinner idea, these buffalo chicken bites.
What are Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels?
If you are a buffalo sauce lover like me then you have to try buffalo pinwheels. Just take shredded cooked chicken breasts mix them with some cheeses, ranch, and luscious buffalo sauce. Roll it all up into a tortilla and slice it up!
One of the things I love about this recipe is that it’s made with already cooked chicken. Easily toss chicken in the air fryer a day before you make these pinwheels. It’s also good in crack chicken pinwheels.
If you are short on time you can make them with canned chicken.
Ingredients for Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
Just a few simple ingredients are needed to make chicken rollups. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post for full amounts.
- Cream Cheese – I’m a big fan of regular cream cheese, but you can substitute low-fat cream cheese here, too.
- Buffalo Wing Sauce – Don’t skip this ingredient! Use your favorite spicy buffalo sauce to make sure you get that classic tangy-spicy flavor. You can even use your own homemade buffalo sauce if you’re extra like that.
- Cheddar Cheese – Either shred your own cheddar cheese or skip this step and buy shredded cheese at the grocery store.
- Dried Ranch Seasoning – Ranch makes everything tastes better! When dried like this, it’s like getting all of that ranchy goodness in condensed form. You don’t need too much for this recipe so you can get a little envelope of ranch mix or grab a big jar.
- Green Onions – These add a pop of freshness that make sure the cheesy cream cheese mixture never gets too heavy.
- Shredded Chicken – Tear apart a leftover air fryer chicken or rotisserie chicken for tender chicken that holds onto the flavors of this recipe perfectly. You can also cook a bunch of chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, too.
- Tortillas – To get a nice roll, you’ll want to the right type of tortilla. I like to use burrito size tortillas or large flour tortillas that are about 10 inches in diameter. I prefer white flour tortillas, but you can definitely use wheat flour tortillas or spinach tortillas instead.
- Favorite Dipping Sauce – Buffalo wings are always better with ranch! Serve your easy buffalo chicken roll ups with ranch or even blue cheese dressing to please everyone in your crowd. Or try them with a ranch dressing and buffalo sauce mixture.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
Here are the basic instructions to make this easy appetizer. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions.
STEP 1: To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened cream cheese, buffalo sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, and dry ranch seasoning. Blend together until well-mixed and creamy.
STEP 2: Add in green onions and blend gently until well mixed.
STEP 3: Gently fold in the shredded, cooked chicken with a wooden spoon.
STEP 4: On a clean, dry cutting board or work surface lay down a tortilla. Spread about ¼ of the mixture in an even layer on the tortilla leaving ½ inch border around the edge.
STEP 5: Roll the tortilla tightly to form a log. Repeat this process with the last three tortillas.
STEP 6: Set the tortilla logs onto a large square of plastic wrap. Wrap the tortillas up tightly. Place seam side down on a plate or baking sheet to hold it in place.
STEP 7: Put into the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight for the firmest pinwheels.
STEP 8: Once ready, remove the plastic wrap from the pinwheels and cut into ½ inch slices. Place on a serving tray and serve with your favorite dipping sauce. To make optional buffalo ranch dip, combine 1/4 cup of ranch dressing with 1/8 cup of buffalo wing sauce.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Get cheesy. Feel free to use different kinds of cheese! Sharp cheddar cheese will offer a bit more of a bite while monterey jack is more laid back. I love using regular sharp cheddar cheese, but you can really get creative here. You can even make buffalo chicken pinwheels with blue cheese by mixing in some crumbles!
- Slather on the sauce. If you are a wing sauce addict, you might want to add 1-2 extra tablespoons to this recipe. Just be careful to mix it in well to keep the tortillas from getting soggy.
- Fancy up your dipping sauce. I recommend serving ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing with your buffalo chicken pinwheels. If your crowd is into heat, stir in a couple of tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce!
Commonly Asked Questions
- Can pinwheels be made ahead of time? Yes! That’s the beauty of this buffalo chicken pinwheel appetizer. The slices actually taste better and set better if you make them the day before your party. Plus, this will give the cream cheese mixture time to absorb all of those delicious flavors.
- How far in advance can I make tortilla pinwheels? I recommend making your tortilla pinwheels within 1-2 days of your event. The longer you let them sit, the more likely it is that your tortilla will take on moisture and get soggy. Making them the day before your event is ideal because the cream cheese will be able to solidify and you’ll have an easier time arranging your pinwheels in a pleasing way.
- How do you cut tortilla pinwheels? After your buffalo chicken roll-ups have rested in the fridge, they’re firm enough to cut. For best results, I recommend using either a serrated knife or a long carving knife. These knives are my personal favorites for cutting pinwheels without compressing the rolls and wrecking your careful work. Gently saw through the chilled pinwheels and then arrange them however you’d like on your serving dish. Be sure to pop them back in the fridge before serving to keep the cream cheese from softening up too much.
- How long can pinwheels sit out? I recommend that you follow food safety guidelines when serving these buffalo chicken tortilla pinwheels. Only keep food out unrefrigerated for a maximum of two hours. If you know your event is going to run longer than that, consider placing your serving dish over a container filled with ice. This will keep the pinwheels cold longer and is an easy trick!
Storage for Leftovers
How to refrigerate chicken pinwheels? Put any leftovers in an airtight container. They should last about 3-4 days in the fridge.
More delicious appetizers!
- Atomic Buffalo Turds
- Pretzel Bites
- Potato Skins in Air Fryer
- Mississippi Sin Dip
- Mozzarella Sticks in Air Fryer
If you’ve tried this chicken buffalo pinwheel recipe, don’t forget to give me a star rating and leave me a comment below in the comment section. I love to hear from people who have made my recipes!
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Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 6-8 tablespoons buffalo sauce
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon dry ranch seasoning
- 2 green onion stalks, sliced thinly
- 2 cups chicken breast, cooked, shredded
- 4 tortillas, burrito size
Optional Buffalo Ranch Dip
- 1/4 cup ranch dressing
- 1/8 cup buffalo sauce
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer) add the softened cream cheese, buffalo sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, and dry ranch seasoning. Blend together until well-mixed and creamy.
- Add in green onions and blend gently until well mixed.
- Gently fold in the shredded, cooked chicken with a wooden spoon.
- On a clean, dry cutting board or work surface lay down a tortilla. Spread about ¼ of the mixture in an even layer on the tortilla leaving ½ inch border around the edge.
- Roll the tortilla tightly to form a log. Repeat this process with the last three tortillas.
- Set the tortilla logs onto a large square of plastic wrap. Wrap the tortillas up tightly. Place seam side down on a plate or baking sheet to hold it in place.
- Put into the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight for the firmest pinwheels.
- Once the pinwheels are ready, remove the plastic wrap from the pinwheels and cut into ½ inch slices. Place on a serving tray and serve with your favorite dipping sauce. To make optional buffalo ranch dip, combine 1/4 cup of ranch dressing with 1/8 cup of buffalo sauce.
- To make the optional dipping sauce mix together the ranch with the buffalo sauce and ranch in a small serving bowl. Serve with pinwheels.
Recipe Notes
- Get cheesy. Feel free to use different kinds of cheese! Sharp cheddar cheese will offer a bit more of a bite while monterey jack is more laid back. I love using regular sharp cheddar cheese, but you can really get creative here. You can even make buffalo chicken pinwheels with blue cheese by mixing in some crumbles!
- Slather on the sauce. If you are a wing sauce addict, you might want to add 1-2 extra tablespoons to this recipe. Just be careful to mix it in well to keep the tortillas from getting soggy.
- Fancy up your dipping sauce. I recommend serving ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing with your buffalo chicken pinwheels. If your crowd is into heat, stir in a couple of tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce!
- Pinwheels will last 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
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