Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels

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Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels have all the flavors of buffalo chicken wings rolled up in a tortilla. Simple recipe that's the perfect party appetizer, Super Bowl snack, and holiday finger food.

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels on a wooden cutting board

Any Midwestern party that's worth going to is sure to have a delicious buffalo chicken dip and tortilla pinwheel appetizers.

These buffalo chicken appetizers celebrate all that's right with both of those beloved appetizer recipes in one easy tortilla roll up.

Spicy, tender chicken with creamy bleu cheese and crunchy celery is a great combination of flavors, tempered by cool and tangy sour cream and cream cheese.

The buffalo chicken filling is rolled up in a soft, flour tortilla, so you get the flavors of hot wings, without the sauce all over your face.

These buffalo chicken pinwheels are a great appetizer everyone will love and they're really easy to make -- just mix everything together and roll!

If you love tortilla pinwheel appetizers, try these next!

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Cranberry Chicken Pinwheel Sandwiches

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Tortilla pinwheel appetizers are a great recipe for your next party, game day, and holidays.

Easy appetizer recipe that takes just a few minutes to mix together and roll up.

Lovers of crispy buffalo wings will dig the delicious flavors of spicy chicken with blue cheese and celery.

Ingredients

You can make these buffalo chicken appetizers with simple ingredients you can find in any grocery store.

Cream cheese. I recommend using cream cheese that comes in a block. It's thicker than the stuff in tubs and will do a better job of holding these pinwheel rollups together.

Sour cream. Sour cream adds even more creaminess and tang to the cream cheese. I recommend full-fat, as low-fat or fat-free sour cream has a thinner consistency.

Lemon juice. A hit of lemon brightens everything up. Lime will also work. I don't recommend bottled lemon juice -- it just doesn't have the same bright, fresh flavor.

Garlic powder. Garlic powder incorporates well with the cream cheese and sour cream, but you can certainly use fresh garlic.

Shredded chicken breast meat. Leftover or fresh rotisserie chicken or poached chicken work well here. Shred it pretty finely so you can easily roll the tortillas up into tight rolls. You can also use canned chicken.

Hot sauce. I use Cholula -- the hot sauce with the wooden cap. It makes these buffalo chicken pinwheels pretty spicy, but you can control the spice level by using any kind of hot sauce or buffalo wing sauce you like.

Celery. Celery adds a nice crunch and cooling component to this spicy buffalo chicken appetizer.

Green onions. Green onions add a burst of freshness to everything they touch. You can also use a substitute for green onions like shallots, red onion, or chives.

Blue cheese crumbles AND feta cheese. Here's what's up with two types of crumbly cheese. All blue cheese is just too overpowering. And all feta just doesn't provide that classic buffalo chicken experience. You can use whatever kind of cheese you love. A combo of blue and sharp cheddar cheese or co-Jack would be nice.

Flour tortillas. 10-inch tortillas make 4 rolls or 32 buffalo chicken roll ups. You can use flavored tortillas, if you like.

Step-by-step Instructions

Step 1

In a large bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to mix the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, and garlic powder until smooth and creamy.

cream cheese and sour cream whipped together in a clear mixing bowl

Step 2

With a spoon, stir in the chicken, buffalo sauce, celery, green onions, blue cheese, and feta.

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheel ingredients mixed together in a clear bowl

Step 3

Spread the buffalo chicken mixture evenly over four 10-inch tortillas.

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheel mixture spread onto a flour tortilla

Step 4

Roll up the tortillas as tightly as possible.

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheel tortilla rolled up on a wooden cutting board

Wrap the tortillas in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for several hours.

This will allow the cream cheese mixture to firm up so you can easily cut even slices and the pinwheels will stay together.

Step 5

Remove the plastic wrap from the rolls and cut the ends off (and eat them 🙂 ). Slice each tortilla into 8 pinwheels and serve.

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheel tortilla cut up into 8 pieces on a wooden cutting board with a serrated knife

Expert Tips

Use room temperature cream cheese. Let your cream cheese come to room temperature before mixing it with the sour cream. This ensures a smooth and creamy mixture without lumps of cream cheese.

Roll your tortillas tightly. To create pinwheels that won’t fall open when you pick them up, roll your tortillas up as tightly as possible.

Wrap the rolled tortillas in plastic wrap. Plastic wrap will help the rolled tortillas hold their shape while they chill in the fridge.

Chill the roll ups for a few hours. Chilling the rolled up tortillas for a few hours before slicing them gives the cream cheese a chance to firm up again. This will make it much easier to slice your pinwheels and achieve a nice round shape.

Slice with a serrated knife. Slice the pinwheels with a serrated knife to keep from flattening the tortillas rolls while you cut them.

Recipe FAQs

How far in advance can you make pinwheel sandwiches?

These pinwheel appetizers are best served the day they are made. You can make these pinwheel sandwiches up to a day in advance, however, the tortillas will absorb some moisture and be softer the next day.

How do you keep pinwheels from getting soggy?

To keep your pinwheels from getting soggy, limit the moisture in the filling ingredients. For example, too much sour cream can make the cream cheese mixture too wet. Or if you add fresh fruit or vegetables, they can also add moisture to the filling.

How do you keep pinwheels together?

To keep pinwheels from falling apart, make sure the filing is thick enough to hold everything together. Also, chill the pinwheels after you assemble them to give them time to firm up. Cut them with a serrated knife, using a sawing motion, to keep from flattening them.

Try these appetizer recipes next

Recipe Essentials

This little hand-held mixer is a workhorse in my kitchen. I also love the whisk attachment for whipping egg whites or whipped cream.

This live edge acacia board is so pretty, I still haven't had the heart to actually cut on it yet.

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