1. Prepare Base and Heat Chicken/Hot Sauce:

• Gather all your ingredients. Soften the cream cheese to room temperature for easier blending. Drain the canned chicken thoroughly.
• In a large skillet, combine the drained chunk chicken and the ¾ cup of hot pepper sauce.
• Place the skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is heated through, which should take about 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Add Cream Cheese and Ranch Dressing:

• Add the softened cream cheese (broken into chunks) and the 1 cup of ranch dressing to the skillet with the hot chicken mixture.
• Continue to cook and stir over medium heat until the cream cheese is completely melted and all the ingredients are well blended, smooth, and warm. This will take another 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Mix in Cheese and Transfer to Slow Cooker:

• Stir in half (about ¾ cup) of the shredded Cheddar cheese into the skillet mixture until it’s melted and incorporated.
• Carefully transfer this entire creamy chicken mixture to your slow cooker insert. Spread it out evenly.
• Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar cheese (about ¾ cup) evenly over the top of the dip in the slow cooker.

4. Cook in Slow Cooker:

• Cover the slow cooker with its lid.
• Cook on the LOW setting until the dip is hot, bubbly around the edges, and the cheese on top is fully melted. This usually takes about 30-35 minutes (or potentially a bit longer, depending on your slow cooker).

5. Serve:

• Once hot and bubbly, turn the slow cooker to the WARM setting if you’re serving it over a period of time (like at a party).
• Serve the Buffalo Chicken Dip hot, directly from the slow cooker if desired, with celery sticks and chicken-flavored crackers (or your other favorite dippers) on the side. Enjoy!