Spicy buffalo chicken, crisp celery crunch.
I have to admit, even I’ve been one to turn up my nose at the celery sticks on a plateful of Buffalo Chicken Wings or Buffalo Cauliflower Bites.
Aren’t they just there for… color?!
But a few years ago I had the idea to turn that once-thought “garnish” into a vessel of spicy buffalo chicken goodness.
And y’all… these Buffalo Chicken Celery Sticks disappeared before my eyes!!
The crunch and mild coolness of the celery paired with the spicy heat of the buffalo sauce-coated chicken was a match made in heaven!
Now there’s not a single Super Bowl that goes by that I don’t make an enormous platter of these! They’re great for those on a low-carb diet or for the few still sticking to their New Year’s resolutions.
If you want even more easy game day appetizer ideas, check out these Super Bowl Recipes next!
Amazing! My whole family just ate this during the Super Bowl and it was a huge hit! My daughter and I don’t like celery, so we put the dip on tortilla chips. I highly recommend this recipe!
– Dawn
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Celery. One bunch of celery stalks is cut into short strips to hold the delicious chicken filling.
- Hot sauce. Grab a bottle of Frank’s Hot Sauce, or another buffalo variety at the grocery store. Or, whip up your own Buffalo Wing Sauce.
- Honey. You only need a little to balance out the spice of the sauce. Get some local honey if possible. You can also substitute with regular sugar or leave it out completely if on a low-carb or keto diet.
- Cream cheese. Full-fat cream cheese is best. Feel free to grab a dairy-free variety if needed.
- Chicken. A rotisserie chicken is quick and easy. You can make your own Instant Pot Shredded Chicken with chicken breasts or use leftover chicken, as well.
Step-by-step Instructions
Please see the recipe card below for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
Make the sauce.
Combine the hot sauce, butter, honey, garlic, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium heat.
Turn off the heat, then carefully whisk in the cream cheese. It’s ok if a few chunks remain, they’ll mix into the chicken.
Sauce the chicken.
Place the cooked chicken in a large bowl, then pour the sauce on top. Use a wooden spoon to toss until the chicken is completely coated.
Fill and serve.
After slicing the crunchy celery sticks into 2- to 3-inch long pieces, it’s time to fill them! Use a spoon to add some of the buffalo chicken mixture to each of the celery boats. Be careful not to overfill them.
Sprinkle some chopped green onions and add a drizzle of ranch dressing. Alternatively, serve the ranch on the side.
You can also serve this as a dip with sliced celery on the side.
FAQs
After doing a bit of research I found that people often use Frank’s Hot Sauce when they make buffalo chicken. Since I was a novice to this whole buffalo chicken thing, I went with what the majority suggested.
Celery provides the perfect crisp and cool balance to spicy, saucy buffalo chicken. You can get the best of both worlds with these buffalo chicken celery sticks!
More Gameday Appetizers
If you’re planning snacks for the big game, be sure to check out these awesome appetizer recipes next.
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Buffalo Chicken Celery Sticks
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Ingredients
- ½ cup hot sauce such as Frank’s
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese cut into 4-6 pieces
- 4 cups chicken cooked, shredded
- 1 bunch celery cut into 2-3 inch long pieces
- Ranch optional
- Green onions optional
Instructions
- Make the Sauce: In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat combine hot sauce, butter, honey, garlic and salt. Bring ingredients to a boil while whisking constantly. Once sauce is boiling, turn off the heat and add cream cheese. Whisk until combined. (It’s ok if some small clumps remain.)½ cup hot sauce such as Frank’s, 6 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 clove garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, 4 tablespoons cream cheese
- Sauce the Chicken: Pour sauce over shredded chicken in a large bowl and toss until chicken is coated.4 cups chicken
- Fill and Serve: Fill each celery stick with 1-2 tablespoons of buffalo chicken. Top sticks with green onions and drizzle each with ranch dressing or serve on the side for dipping. Serve them immediately, while the chicken is still warm, or serve them chilled. If serving these chilled, wait until 1-2 hours before serving to assemble so the celery does not get soggy.1 bunch celery cut into 2-3 inch long pieces, Ranch, Green onions
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Video
Notes
- Nutrition information: Totals are calculated without any ranch dressing on top.
- Celery: Try your best to cut the celery sticks into similar lengths.
- Buffalo sauce: You can buy a bottle of hot sauce or easily make your own.
- Serving: This appetizer can be served either warm or cold.
- Garnish: Don’t forget the chopped green onions and the ranch dressing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Buffalo Chicken Recipes
I’m a fan of anything buffalo-flavored, and these recipes are the perfect way to enjoy all its tangy, spicy goodness!
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
55 mins
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
3 hrs 20 mins
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
50 mins
How many sticks in a serving … trying to watch macros.
The recipe makes 32 sticks total. The nutritional information is based on 1 stuffed celery stick. Hope this helps!
Is there a way you can make this into a casserole or main dish?
Oh yes! I’m sure you can. If you do, Gillian, I’d love to hear what you try 🙂
Looks like a fantastic game day treat!!
Thanks so much, Suzanne!
Thank you for such a great recipe!!!!
I cook for a hunting cabin of about 30 guys, always looking for a great appetizers recipe for happy hour!
They love this!!!!
Yay!! That’s so great to hear, Tracy. A group of 30 guys is a lot of mouths to feed! Thanks so much for your comment and rating 🙂
How many carbs in your buffalo chicken celery?
Hi Roxie! If the carbs are not listed it means there are no carbohydrates! So there will be 0 grams of carbs/serving in this recipe.
Amazing! My whole family just ate this during the Super Bowl and it was a huge hit! My daughter and I don’t like celery, so we put the dip on tortilla chips. I highly recommend this recipe!
Hi Dawn! I am so happy to hear it was such a hit with your family. Thanks for your comment and rating 🙂
We made these & I ate most of them. They are addictive!!!!! Great recipe 🙂
LOL. So happy you enjoyed them so much! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Hello London! I was just wondering how many carbs are in each serving! And how much is each serving exactly? One full celery that’s stuffed?
Thank you!
Hi Norah! I can see how that can be confusing! There are actually 0 carbs in each individual celery stick… and yes, the serving size is for one 2-3 inch piece of celery that’s stuffed! Thanks so much for your question!
I made these last night and I’m obsessed! I had to use Sriracha hot sauce and I doubled the amount of cream cheese. It’s unbelievably delicious and super spicy! Perfection!!
Yay, Nancy!! I LOVE your idea to use Sriracha instead. So happy you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for commenting and rating 🙂
Thanks for sharing! I love the idea of a more healthy Super Bowl snack!
Thank you so much Vanessa. They definitely do make a healthier addition to game day!