Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels

October 24, 2023

A party spread favorite, these buffalo chicken pinwheels have just the right blend of heat and creamy textures, all wrapped up in a bite-size snack.

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Table of Contents

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels Recipe
How To Serve
Storage
Why We Love This Recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes You’ll Love
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These delicious buffalo chicken pinwheels are sure to be crowd-pleasers. Also known as buffalo chicken roll-ups, these pinwheels have a spicy chicken and cheese filling wrapped in a flour tortilla to create tempting bite-sized appetizers.

close up shot of Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels garnished with green onions on a plate

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels Ingredients

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels raw ingredients that are labeled

These pinwheels are a burst of flavor, combining creamy richness from cream cheese with the bold heat of Frank’s Red Hot cayenne pepper sauce.

Tangy blue cheese, melty Colby-Jack cheese, and tender shredded rotisserie chicken create a blend of textures and tastes.

Green onions add a fresh contrast, all wrapped in flour tortillas for a convenient and irresistible appetizer or snack.

You’ll need:

8 ounces of cream cheese
5 ounces of Frank’s Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
½ cup of blue cheese, crumbled
¼ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
1 cup of Colby-Jack cheese, shredded
⅓ cup of green onions, chopped
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 3 cups)
5 large flour tortillas

Substitutions And Additions

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN: Leftover rotisserie chicken is an easy choice for this recipe, but chicken breasts can also be used.

Cook on the stovetop over medium heat until cooked through. Shred while still hot using two forks and allow to cool before adding to the cheese mixture.

SALAD: If you have vegetarian guests, you may wish to make some of the roll-ups without the chicken, perhaps using lettuce or tomatoes to add bulk.

COLBY-JACK CHEESE: Most cheeses will work in place of Colby-Jack, including Monterey Jack, cheddar cheese, gouda, or Muenster cheese.

HOT SAUCE: While Frank’s is the traditional sauce used to make buffalo chicken, you could use other hot sauces such as Tabasco or homemade buffalo sauce if you have a favorite.

DIP: A serving of ranch dressing provides an ideal dip for buffalo chicken pinwheels.

How To Make This Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels Recipe

To make these mouthwatering appetizers, you will mix up the filling before spreading it on the soft tortillas, rolling them, and slicing them into bite-sized pieces.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

Make sure to chop all of your ingredients to be the same size so that the mixture looks uniform.

STEP ONE: In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, hot pepper sauce, blue cheese crumbles, salt, garlic powder, Colby-Jack cheese, and green onions.

Using a hand mixer with beaters, blend until it’s well-mixed and there are no large chunks.

PRO TIP:

Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so that you don’t end up with any lumps in your mixture.

cream cheese, hot sauce, blue cheese, salt, garlic, powder, colby jack, and onions blended together in a bowl

STEP TWO: Shred the rotisserie chicken into small pieces. Add the shredded chicken to the buffalo mixture and stir well with a large spoon.

Coat all of the chicken with the buffalo mixture.

chicken added to the buffalo sauce mixture

STEP THREE: Spread about three-quarters of a cup of the buffalo chicken mixture onto each tortilla.

Roll it up tightly, trying not to shift the buffalo chicken filling too much.

PRO TIP:

Use a cocktail stick or toothpick to keep each buffalo chicken tortilla roll up from unrolling.

chicken being spread onto tortilla and then tightly rolled

STEP FOUR: Wrap the rolled tortillas in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two to four hours.

PRO TIP:

Don’t skip the chilling step as it will be much easier to slice the tortillas once they have chilled for a couple of hours.

STEP FIVE: After chilling, remove the plastic wrap. Use a sharp knife to cut it into slices (discard the end pieces) and serve.

When slicing, wipe your knife clean between each slice for the best presentation.

How To Serve

This recipe tastes great served cold, but it’s not necessary to refrigerate the pinwheels before serving them.

These buffalo pinwheels would be a fun and easy appetizer to serve on game day. Add a small bowl of ranch dressing for dipping.

Add our cucumber bites and cheese dip and chips to round out your offerings.

For guests who would like a less spicy option, serve these alongside our chicken tortilla roll-ups.

For more party food ideas, take a look at our buffalo chicken sliders and buffalo chicken meatballs.

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Stuffed Mushrooms

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Grape Jelly Meatballs (Crockpot)

Storage

Now that you’ve whipped up these mouthwatering buffalo chicken pinwheels, let’s chat about how to store them to keep that irresistible flavor intact for as long as possible.

MAKE AHEAD: You can prepare these pinwheels ahead of time. After rolling them up, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

Store them in the fridge for up to 24 hours before slicing and serving.

This advance preparation is perfect for party planning or simply having a quick, savory snack ready to go.

IN THE FRIDGE: If preparing in advance of a party, wrap each whole tortilla roll-up in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Slice right before serving.

IN THE FREEZER: Most buffalo chicken rollups can be frozen with no issues. However, if you add any ingredients, such as lettuce or other leafy greens, these won’t freeze well.

If you plan on adding any salad to your pinwheels, you might want to serve it on the side rather than within the tortilla wrap.

You can store these easy buffalo chicken roll-ups in the freezer for up to three months.

Either freeze them whole before cutting or, in the case of leftovers, you can freeze individual pinwheels.

To prevent the pinwheels from sticking together, freeze them on a tray lined with parchment for two hours before transferring them to a freezer-safe storage bag. Defrost overnight in the fridge before serving.

Why We Love This Recipe

IRRESISTIBLE FLAVOR: These pinwheels are packed with bold and zesty flavors from the Buffalo sauce, creating a tantalizing combination of creamy and spicy that’s utterly addictive.

MAKE AHEAD CONVENIENCE: This recipe is perfect for busy schedules or party planning because you can prepare it in advance, allowing you to enjoy a delectable snack without the last-minute rush.

EASY TO CUSTOMIZE: You can personalize these pinwheels to your taste by adjusting the level of spiciness, adding extra cheese, or even incorporating additional ingredients like crispy bacon or diced celery.

These spicy buffalo chicken pinwheels are always a hit with guests at a party. The combination of the rotisserie chicken, Frank’s Red Hot sauce, and cream cheese mixture are as addicting as it is delicious.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas?

We find that corn tortillas don’t roll quite as well in this simple recipe. Stick with soft flour tortillas if you can for the best result.

Can I make these buffalo chicken tortilla pinwheels ahead of time?

You can make this buffalo chicken wrap recipe ahead of time. Just leave them unsliced and wrap them in plastic wrap. Slice when you are ready to serve them.

Can these pinwheels be frozen?

These buffalo pinwheels can be frozen for up to three months.

More Recipes You’ll Love

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels

5 from 27 votes

A party spread favorite, these buffalo chicken pinwheels have just the right blend of heat and creamy textures, all wrapped up in a bite-size snack.

Prep Time 15

Total Time 2 15

Servings

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Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 ounces Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce
½ cup blue cheese, crumbled
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup Colby-Jack cheese, shredded
⅓ cup green onions, chopped
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 3 cups)
5 large flour tortillas

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, add cream cheese, Frank’s Red Hot Original Sauce, blue cheese, salt, garlic powder, Colby-Jack cheese, and green onions. Using a hand mixer, mix until well blended and no cream cheese chunks remain.
Add the shredded chicken to the buffalo mixture and stir well with a large spoon. Coat all chicken with the buffalo mixture.
Spread about ¾ cup of the buffalo chicken mixture onto a tortilla. Roll up tightly, trying not to shift the buffalo chicken mixture too much.
Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.
Remove from the refrigerator and use a sharp knife to cut into slices. Discard the end pieces.
Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Regular oven-baked chicken that has been shredded also works great for this recipe.
Make sure to chop all of your ingredients to be the same size so that the mixture looks uniform.
Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so that you don’t end up with any lumps in your mixture.
Use a cocktail stick or toothpick to keep each Buffalo chicken tortilla roll up from unrolling.
Don’t skip the chilling step as it will be much easier to slice the tortillas once they have chilled for a couple of hours.

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Sian Cox Photographer
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels Ingredients

Substitutions And Additions

How To Make This Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels Recipe

How To Serve

Stuffed Mushrooms

Grape Jelly Meatballs (Crockpot)

Storage

Why We Love This Recipe

Frequently Asked Questions

More Recipes You’ll Love