If you’re looking for an easy appetizer that always disappears fast, these Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels are a great choice. They have all the flavors of buffalo chicken wings—creamy, tangy, cheesy, and just a little spicy—wrapped up in soft tortillas and sliced into bite-sized pieces.
Whether you’re planning a game-day spread, hosting friends, or looking for a quick appetizer to bring to a potluck, this recipe is guaranteed to be a hit. Serve them with ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping, and watch them disappear from the appetizer table. Spread, layer, roll, chill, and slice—that’s all there is to it.
Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
Buffalo chicken roll ups have become one of my favorite make-ahead appetizers. Whenever I bring them to a party or family gathering, they’re usually one of the first things to disappear. The combination of creamy cheese, buffalo sauce, chicken, and green onions is simple but so flavorful.
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One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s actually best when made ahead of time. The tortilla rolls have a chance to chill and firm up in the refrigerator, making them much easier to slice into perfect pinwheels. That makes them ideal for parties, game days, potlucks, holiday gatherings, or anytime you want to prep something in advance.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s actually better if you make it ahead of time! Making these 24 hours in advance is actually ideal because it gives the rolls a chance to form into pinwheels well.
- Easy to make a lot of pieces. If you use 8” tortillas, each tortilla roll will yield about 12-14 pieces, give or take.
- No oven or stove necessary. These are a quick and easy no-bake appetizer! They also don’t take up a lot of fridge space while they are chilling because they are chilled in full rolls.
Key Ingredients You Will Need
- Tortillas: you will need about 8 large flour tortillas. I don’t recommend corn tortillas because they will not roll up well.
- Cream Cheese: because you will need to spread it, you want your cream cheese to be softened. You can pull it out to room temperature ahead of time, or very gently warm it in the microwave.
- Frank’s Buffalo Sauce: You can sprinkle this over the top of the cream cheese, or go ahead and just mix them together first.
- Deli Chicken: this should be thinly sliced so that it will roll up well. Rotisserie chicken would also work well. You could substitute deli turkey or ham, too. Or, to make these vegetarian you could skip the protein and just add extra cheese!
- Sliced Cheese: sliced cheddar tastes great. Pepper jack cheese is another favorite of mine for these.
- Blue Cheese: blue cheese crumbles add a little extra tang and are so good with the buffalo sauce.
- Green Onions: adding just a hint of onion flavor compliments the cheeses so well. Chives is a great substitute.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
- Assemble the ingredients. Lay out the tortillas and spread about 1 ounce of cream cheese over each. Top with a splash of buffalo sauce, the sliced chicken, sliced cheese, blue cheese, and green onions.
- Roll them up. Roll each tortilla tightly into a log, gently pressing the fillings down as you roll to keep the pinwheels compact.
- Chill. Wrap each roll tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- Slice into pieces. Remove the plastic and slice into ½” pieces. Serve immediately!
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to use a very sharp knife to cut the roll-ups. Otherwise, you will squish them all!
- Give the roll-ups enough time to chill in the fridge. A minimum of 1 hour will work, but it’s best if they can chill for closer to 24 hours.
- Serve with either ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping—yum.
- You can mix up the cream cheese and buffalo sauce ahead of time to make buffalo cream cheese.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerator: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
More You’ll Love
These buffalo chicken pinwheels are a quick and easy appetizer that is perfect to make for game day, parties, or potlucks. Just spread, layer, roll, chill, and slice—that’s all there is to it.
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Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 large flour tortillas
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup Frank's buffalo sauce
- 1 pound deli chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 16 slices cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles
- 1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
Equipment
- toothpicks
Instructions
- Lay each tortilla on a flat surface and spread about 1 ounce of the softened cream cheese onto the center, leaving a 1 inch border around the edges. Add a splash of the buffalo sauce on the cream cheese.
- Add the sliced chicken breast and sliced cheddar cheese, dividing evenly between the tortillas, then sprinkle on the blue cheese and the green onions.
- Roll each tortilla tightly into a log, gently pressing the fillings down as you roll to keep the pinwheels compact.
- Wrap each roll tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- Remove the plastic wrap and use a sharp serrated knife to trim off the ends of each roll. Slice into 1/2" slices and secure each with a toothpick.
- Arrange on a serving platter and serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can mix the cream cheese and buffalo sauce together before spreading on the tortilla)
- Chilling the pinwheels help hold their shape and makes them easier to slice)
- Storing instructions: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
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