Air Fried Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins
Air Fried Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins- Two of the best game day appetizers become one in these crispy, creamy handheld bites.
January 30, 2025 by Nicole Collins
Today we’re making Air Fried Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins!
Today’s recipe was born out of a little bit of an “if you give a mouse a cookie” kind of situation. My freezer needs to be defrosted badly, so I’ve been eating my way through my bounty slowly but surely. I recently hit the section of my freezer that held mozzarella sticks and jalapeno poppers. That find coupled with the fact that we’re deep in game day season made me really crave some potato skins. But I also was working on a completely different recipe with buffalo chicken dip, and that’s when the lightbulb went off. Put the dip in the potatoes!
So, that’s what we’re doing today.
Let’s talk potatoes. We want to use medium sized russet potatoes for this one. They’re the perfect size to hold a lot of stuffing without being to overwhelming. If you’re not a visual person, pick your potatoes by weight. We want them to equal about 2 lbs total, or ½ lb per potato.
We’re going to use the microwave for round one of cooking on the potatoes. Wash and dry them well, use a sharp knife to poke little steam vents all over the potatoes, then to the microwave they go until they’re fork tender. Then when they’re cool enough to handle, we’ll slice them open lengthwise, scoop out the flesh in the center using a spoon, and brush them all over in melted butter. We’ll season the inside of the potato with a little seasoned salt, then to the air fryer they go for their second cook. We want to start these cut side down in the air fryer so the skin can get nice and crisp.
While the taters are in the air fryer, we can start working on the chicken mixture. We’re essentially going to make a less gooey version of buffalo chicken dip. We need some softened cream cheese, some rotisserie chicken, a little sour cream, some ranch dip mix, and my secret ingredient: garlic buffalo sauce. I find using the garlic buffalo adds such a lovely layer of flavor to an already delicious situation that now I only make buffalo chicken things with the garlic flavored sauce. So, we’ll mix everything together, and we’re ready for the final step.
Once the potatoes have done their first round of cooking in the air fryer, we’ll pull them out, and stuff the center with our creamy buffalo chicken mixture. Then, we’ll top the chicken with a mix of shredded mozzarella and cheddar. Then, back to the air fryer they go for the third and final cook, just until that cheese is nice and melty.
To serve, give these a sprinkle of green onions and a nice drizzle of ranch dressing (or bleu cheese if that’s your thing), and it’s time to chow down. These skins are absolutely epic. They’re a little creamy. They’re a little spicy. They’re a little crispy. And, they’re a whole lot delicious. These are just what you need to warm your soul on a cold winter’s day.
Ok, everyone! Now I’m curious to know: are you team ranch or team bleu cheese with buffalo chicken? Bleu cheese does not do it for me, so you’ll never see that here. But, I’d love to know how you guys feel.
In the meantime, enjoy! And, let’s eat!
Air Fried Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins
Serves: 8 Print
Ingredients:
4 medium russet potatoes (about 2 lbs)
3-4tbsp unsalted butter, melted
½ tsp seasoned salt
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 tbsp sour cream
½ cup garlic buffalo sauce (I used Franks)
1 tbsp ranch seasoning/dip mix
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Sliced green onions, for garnish
Ranch dressing, for serving
Directions:
Prepare the potatoes: Pierce potatoes all over with a fork or knife. Microwave potatoes for 12-14 minutes until fork tender. When cool enough to handle, slice potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, carefully scoop the flesh out of each half of potato, leaving a ¼ inch border.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place potatoes cut side down on the baking sheet. Brush the potato skins with melted butter. Flip over the potatoes, and brush the inside of the potatoes all over with melted butter. Season the potato flesh with a dusting a seasoned salt.
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Arrange potatoes, cut side down in a single layer in the basket, and air fry for 10 mins. Repeat in batches, if necessary.
Meanwhile, to a mixing bowl, add cream cheese, chicken, sour cream, buffalo sauce, and ranch dip. Mix well until completely combined. Set aside.
When potatoes come of out of the air fryer, place back on the baking sheet, cut side up. Evenly divide chicken mixture between the potatoes, and fill in the cavity of each potato. Mix mozzarella and cheddar cheeses together, and evenly sprinkle cheese on top of the chicken mix.
Place potatoes back in the air fryer for 3-4 mins until the cheese has melted. Garnish with green onions, and serve with ranch dressing, if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe notes:
*I highly recommend serving these with my homemade ranch dressing! To a mixing bowl, add ½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt; ¼ cup mayo; 2 tbsp mikl; ¼ tsp each dried chives, dried parsley, garlic powder, and salt; and 1/8 tsp each dried dill, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper. Mix until combined, and chill for 1 hr before serving.
*If you don’t have an air fryer, you can make these under the broiler too. Place the potatoes cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet. Broil for 8 mins. Flip, and broil for 4 mins. Stuff with chicken mix and cheese, then broil again 4 more mins.
Comments