Buffalo Ranch Chicken Casserole
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Buffalo Ranch Chicken Casserole is one of my favorite meal prep recipes. It’s easy to make ahead for reheating on busy weeknights, and it is super delicious!
Do you need to mix up the weeknight dinner routine? Yes? Well, I’ve got good news for you! This buffalo ranch chicken casserole is absolutely amazing, and hardly any work to put together at all.
It’s an easy chicken meal prep dinner. It keeps in the fridge (baked or unbaked) for a few days, so it can be baked or reheated in a flash on busy nights.
If you’re a fan of buffalo sauce, I have a lot of other recipes you can try! My kids love Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken, and Buffalo Chicken Nachos
Instant download of our tips to cook the best chicken!
Recipe Ingredients
I bought everything for this meal at my local Aldi!
- Meat: boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Produce: cauliflower rice (from the freezer aisle), celery, green onions, and flat leaf parsley or cilantro
- Pantry: Hot Sauce, Coconut Milk, Ghee, ranch dressing (or make your own using homemade ranch seasoning mix).
- Seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper
Note: If ranch dressing and/or cauliflower rice aren’t your favorite, you might want to make my Buffalo Chicken and Rice Bowl recipe instead!
Buffalo Ranch Sauce
Keep the recipe for this sauce Buffalo Ranch sauce in your back pocket — you’ll make it time and time again on fries, eggs, cauliflower, roasted veggies, and more!
Making the Buffalo Chicken Casserole
The steps are super simple, which makes this recipe great for someone who’s newer to cooking and seasoned pros alike!
First, you need to start with cooked chicken. Grill chicken breasts, or better yet, repurpose leftover chicken! Next, make the buffalo ranch sauce. you warm the ghee so it melts, and mix all the ingredients together with a spoon.
Then, in a large bowl, pour the buffalo ranch sauce over the chicken, cauliflower, celery, and herbs, and mix. Spread the mixture in a baking dish and bake until bubbly.
Pro-tip: You can cook once, and eat twice when you double the recipe! I like to make two casseroles in one shot, then freeze half for another day. See the FAQ below for how to freeze it.
Once your casserole comes out of the oven, all bubbly and smelling like heaven, drizzle a little extra ranch and hot sauce on top, and sprinkle the extra celery and herbs on top.
Buffalo Chicken Casserole Recipe FAQ
To meal prep this chicken casserole, follow the recipe card instructions through step 5, when the buffalo ranch and chicken cauliflower mixture is combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, until you’re ready to cook. Then, uncover, stir to combine, then press into a 9×13-inch baking dish, and bake according to the recipe.
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Absolutely! Transfer the uncooked chicken and cauliflower mixture to your slow cooker and gently press it down with a spoon so it’s evenly spread. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours.
Buffalo Ranch Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 cups cauliflower rice prepared, or use frozen cauliflower rice
- 2 stalks celery
- 3 eggs lightly whisked, optional
- 3-4 green onions
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Buffalo Ranch Sauce
- ⅔ cup hot sauce
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- 3 tablespoons ghee or butter, slightly warmed
- ⅛ cup coconut milk or half-and-half
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Optional Garnish
- avocado slices
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
Instructions
- Cook the chicken: Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper. Grill or pan fry until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. Set the chicken aside on a small plate until cooled enough to handle, then dice into bite-sized pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Set the cauliflower rice out to defrost (It's okay if it's not fully defrosted by cook time).
- Meanwhile, thinly slice the green onions, separating the white parts from the green. Chop the cilantro. Dice the celery.
- Make the buffalo sauce: Gently warm the ghee just until it’s melted in a small dish in the microwave for about 10 seconds at a time. In a medium bowl, mix the hot sauce, ranch, ghee, coconut milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper together until combined.
- In a large bowl, mix the chicken, cauliflower rice, half of the celery, cilantro, white parts of the onion, and eggs (if using eggs) with the buffalo sauce. Pour the mixture into a baking dish, pressing down gently with a spoon to spread evenly.
- Bake for 30 minutes. It should be bubbly and just starting to get a little crispy.
- Remove the casserole from the oven, top with blue cheese (if using) or an extra drizzle of ranch, the reserved cilantro and celery and the green sliced onions. Serve with sliced avocado.
Notes
- Nutrition information does not include the optional avocado or blue cheese.
