These cheesy Buffalo chicken pinwheels are the easiest make-ahead party snack that delivers bold and spicy flavor without the mess.
These Pinwheels Are a Party Perfect Appetizer Because…
- Flavor: Tangy buffalo heat meets melty cheese and tender chicken in every bite, with just the right touch of ranch to keep it creamy. Its hard to stop at just one!
- Skill Level: This is a beginner-friendly recipe, made even easier if you use precooked chicken.
- Tools: A hand mixer will make blending the cream cheese so easy. Then all you need is a mixing bowl, sharp knife, and some plastic wrap.
- Serving Suggestions: I love setting them out on a big platter with celery sticks, carrot sticks, and a few small bowls of blue cheese dressing and ranch dressing for the perfect snack spread.
Best Ingredients
- Cream Cheese: Bring it to room temperature so it blends smoothly. Short on time? Microwave in 10–15 second bursts until soft, but not melted.
- Hot Sauce: Start with a little and taste as you go. Frank’s RedHot gives that classic buffalo kick, but you can dial it up or down depending on your heat tolerance.
- Chicken: Rotisserie or leftover chicken makes this super quick and budget-friendly. Chicken breast works perfectly, but thighs or dark meat add extra flavor.
- Ranch: Dry ranch mix keeps things simple, but you can swap in a bit of homemade ranch if you want a creamier, more subtle flavor.
- Blue Cheese Crumbles: Blue cheese is optional. It can be swapped with extra ranch-style dip.
- Tortillas: Flour tortillas are soft and roll easily without tearing. If you prefer corn tortillas, they can crack more easily, so warm them wrapped in a damp paper towel to make them more pliable before rolling.
- Variations: For more cruch add finely diced celery and green onion in the filling. To make it milder, use less hot sauce, or choose mozzarella and mild cheddar. Like it hotter? Add more Frank’s Hot Sauce or use pepper jack cheese.
How To Make Pinwheels
- Combine softened cream cheese, ranch powder, and hot sauce.
- Fold in the chicken and the cheese (full recipe below).
- Spread some of the mixture over each tortilla, roll, then wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
- Unwrap, slice, then serve with dip.
Tips for Perfect Pinwheels
- Use room temperature cream cheese, and a hand mixer, for an easy way to blend. Fold in the chicken for the best texture.
- To make ahead, roll them the day before, then slice right before serving. I learned quickly to slice after chilling for the cleanest slices and so they hold their shape.
- For slicing, use a very sharp knife and wipe between cuts so the pinwheels stay round instead of smearing.
- If they are too spicy, serve with extra dip and use less or a milder sauce. If you find them too mild, add more hot sauce and a pinch of extra ranch seasoning.
Storing
Wrap rolls tightly and store in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for 4 days. Keep cold while serving. To make ahead, roll, wrap, and chill up to 24 hours, then slice before serving for the cleanest look. The filling can be frozen and will keep for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, mix, then roll and slice.
Game Day Snack Table
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Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
Buffalo chicken pinwheels are creamy, cheesy buffalo chicken roll ups sliced into snackable bites, served with a cool blue cheese dip.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup FRANK'S RedHot® Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce more or less as desired
- 1 Tablespoon ranch dressing mix (ranch seasoning)
- 1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese marble or mozzarella
- 1½ cups finely chopped chicken or shredded chicken
- 3 large flour tortillas burrito size
Blue Cheese Dip
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese and ranch powder. Mix with a hand mixer until smooth. Add hot sauce and mix by hand until slightly incorporated, then use a hand mixer until creamy smooth.
- Add the shredded chicken, mix once more. Then fold in the cheese until fully incorporated.
- Spread ⅓ of the mixture over each large tortilla.
- Roll the tortilla firmly, but not so tight the filling squishes out.
- Wrap each roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Unwrap, and slice about ½ inch wide and place on a platter.
Blue Cheese Dip
- In a small bowl, mix together the blue cheese crumbles, mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice.
- Serve in a small dipping bowl with the pinwheels.
Notes
- Microwave cream cheese for 2 to 3, 15 second intervals before mixing.
- Use 3 large, burrito-sized, flour tortillas (10 inch diameter), or use 6 small tortillas (7 inch diameter).
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days or in the freezer for 2 months.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 155 | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 113IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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