Buffalo Chicken Pierogi Bake
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Using frozen pierogies as the base, this Buffalo Chicken Pierogi Bake is a delicious comfort food casserole…and it can be made on a weeknight, too!
My wife was born and raised in central Pennsylvania. Her town is nestled in the Allegheny Mountains that lie a couple hours east of Pittsburgh. Given the proximity to the Steel City, Laura’s hometown draws quite a bit of influence from Pittsburgh. One of the strongest influences comes in the form of food – namely the combination of Italian and Central European cuisines.
As a Southern boy myself, I’ve learned a lot from cooking with Laura. The Italian influences are obvious in many different recipes on this site, but today we’re focusing on the Central European cuisine. Today we’re focusing on pierogies.
As a kid, Laura remembers pierogies being a dinner table staple. Pierogies are widespread throughout the northeastern part of the United States, and Pittsburgh has a particular affinity for pierogies. In fact, there is a “Pierogi Race” before every Pittsburgh baseball game. How fun is that!? On a side note, how does one go about being selected to wear one of the pierogi costumes? I need to find out. I’d love to sprint around a baseball field in a pierogi costume!
We didn’t eat pierogies often as kids, but Laura has shown me the light. Trust me – I’ve been making up for that lost pierogi time! Pierogies are essentially dumplings filled with everything from cheese to potatoes to onions and meat. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the cheese-filled pierogies. Mmm…cheese!
Buffalo Chicken Pierogi Bake
The other night, Laura was craving pierogies for dinner. Me? I was craving buffalo wings. (No surprise there…I’m always craving buffalo wings!) When we make pierogies, we typically saute ’em in a skillet or bake ’em on a sheet pan in the oven. The baking part got me thinking. What if I added other ingredients in there and made a pierogi casserole of sorts? Would that work? I decided to find out…and am I glad I did! This Buffalo Chicken Pierogi Bake is amazing. Talk about comfort food at its best!
When I write out my weekly grocery list, I list the frozen foods in a separate column. How often do you shop the frozen aisle? I personally love frozen foods. I can find all sorts of ingredients that are either difficult or downright impossible to find in fresh form here in upstate New York. (Case in point? The frozen passion fruit puree I used to make this Passion Fruit Cheesecake.)
“Pierogies” is often written on the top of my frozen foods column, and I always make sure we have a couple boxes of Mrs. T’s Pierogies in our freezer for easy weekday meals. Their Mini 4-Cheese Medley Pierogies are a household favorite. With 2 puppies and a 4-year-old around the house, I appreciate that fact that Mrs. T’s Pierogies are both tasty and don’t require a bunch of kitchen clean-up. That’s a win-win for me!
Speaking of wins, this Buffalo Chicken Pierogi Bake is a champion. I’m all about comfort food, and this dish is packed with comfort food flavor! The cheese-stuffed pierogies combined with the shredded buffalo chicken is a combination that just earned itself a spot on our regular dinner rotation! Plus, this recipe is super easy to make. Just turn on the slow cooker in the morning for the buffalo chicken. Then about 30 minutes before dinner, just build the casserole and toss it in the oven until all the cheeses have melted.
Buffalo chicken dip is a favorite comfort food for me, and I’ve told Laura on a number of occasions that I could eat buffalo chicken dip for dinner. And that’s where this Buffalo Chicken Pierogi Bake comes in! This is essentially buffalo chicken dip…in casserole form. If your family loves buffalo chicken as much as we do, then promise me you’ll put this pierogi casserole recipe on the dinner menu. It’s delicious!
Did you make this Buffalo Chicken Pierogi Bake for dinner? Leave a comment! Or better yet snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version! And for more easy recipes, check out EasyHomeMeals.com!
Buffalo Chicken Pierogi Bake
Ingredients
For the Shredded Buffalo Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 12 oz. buffalo wing sauce
- 1 oz. dry ranch dressing mix
For the Pierogi Bake
- 2 12.8-oz. packages frozen Mrs. T’s Mini 4 Cheese Medley
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup thinly-sliced red onions
- 1 cup thinly-sliced celery
- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese plus more for garnishing
- ½ cup chopped green onions plus more for garnishing
- buffalo wing sauce for finishing
- ranch or blue cheese dressing for finishing
Instructions
For the Shredded Buffalo Chicken
- Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Pour wing sauce on top and then sprinkle ranch mix over wing sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
- Once cooked, place chicken breasts on a plate and shred using 2 forks.
- Drain cooking liquid from slow cooker, reserving ~¼ cup. Return shredded chicken to slow cooker and add reserved cooking liquid; stir until well combined.
For the Pierogi Bake
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Spray a 9”x13” casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread pierogies evenly on bottom of pan; set pan aside.
- Using a medium saucepan, add garlic, cream cheese and chicken broth. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until cream cheese has melted and mixture is well combined.
- Pour cream cheese mixture evenly on top of pierogies.
- Using a large mixing bowl, add shredded buffalo chicken, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, red onions, celery, blue cheese and green onions; stir until well combined. Spread this mixture evenly on top of pierogies.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese has completely melted.
- Remove pan from oven and garnish top with additional crumbled blue cheese and green onions.
- Before serving, drizzle top with buffalo sauce and ranch/blue cheese dressing.
Looking for more easy dinner recipes? Check out these other favorites:
Philly Cheesesteak Mac and Cheese
Man, I got to try this one as I love pierogis.
I just checked with our online grocer and they don’t have frozen pierogis. What about using cheese tortellini instead of the pierogis?
Oh man, that’s a super bummer than you can’t get frozen pierogies over there, Ron. I thought you might be able to since you’re in Europe. Either way, I do think cheese tortellini would work in a pinch. The flavors of this are downright delicious – think comfort food taken to the max! 🙂
What an excellent and hearty comfort food meal — which I love all year long. 🙂 ~Valentina
You’re right, Valentina! Comfort food might change in definition throughout the year, but I’m always down for tasty comfort food for dinner. And this one? Excellent! It’s perfect for the return of Autumn. Thanks so much!
Sounds like the perfect comfort food. I can just imagine how yummy this was. This dish would be perfect fall or anytime of the year.
This really is a great comfort food casserole no matter the time of the year! And as long as you start the buffalo chicken in the slow cooker that morning, then the whole meal comes together in a jif. So much flavor going on here! Thanks, Dawn!
Ahh! This is so genius, a pierogi bake! I love casserole dishes, and this one looks like such a winner, especially for the fall and winter. Yum!
We’re definitely heading into warming comfort food season here in upstate New York. The mornings are getting chilly, and I’m craving food that warms you up – and this pierogi bake totally does that! There’s so much flavor going on here. Thanks, Michelle!
i remember when we lived with a friend for a few months in Philly, that we were amazed when at the shops how huge the frozen section was! so much stuff, and good stuff it was too. tho we were stunned that the only coconut milk you could get (not frozen of course) was sweet and for cocktails i guess rather than the curries we used it for. interesting! and your bake looks interesting too!
I would love to go wandering in a grocery store down there in Australia, Sherry! I love shopping at foreign grocery stores and looking for unique ingredients/items that we can’t find here!
If this doesn’t scream comfort food, I don’t know what does! Pierogi, buffalo sauce, blue cheese dressing…what’s not to love here??! There are so many good frozen products out there now and these pierogis sound like a must try. I’ll have a look out for them next time I’m out and about. Delish, my friend 🙂
There is so much comfort food flavor going on here, Dawn! This is a keeper recipe for sure…and as long as you hit ‘go’ on the slow cooker in the morning, then dinner comes together in a flash. Thanks so much, my friend!
Pierogi are so delicious, but I’ve never had them as a bake. My kind of comfort food for sure! Love that this is easy to make on a weeknight.
I’m with ya, Marissa! I love a good pierogi, but you have to try them in a casserole form. It takes a good thing and makes it even better! 🙂
ooo I have to try this one! I love pierogi! One of my friends growing up was Polish and she introduced me to them in high school — I’ve been obsessed with them ever since. Cannot wait to try this recipe, thanks for sharing!
We love pierogi around here, too, Lauren! However, adding the buffalo chicken flavors was a new twist…and now we’re hooked on this casserole form. It’s seriously delicious! Thank you!
A perfect blend of cultures! What a great meal to serve to a crowd on a chilly fall weekend. I love the buffalo chicken flavor! 🙂
We love buffalo chicken everything here, too, Kathy! I’ve gotta say that using pierogies in a casserole back form are really high up there on our list now – especially with the buffalo chicken flavors! 🙂
Cant agree more, that thing looks very comforting
Thanks, Raymund!
Can’t say I’ve ever tried pierogies before David. I think I’ve been seriously missing out! I’m going to have a hunt for them in my local supermarket. Love your comfort food casserole here. It was chillier out on my morning run this morning so I think dishes like these will definitely be IN soon! Have a fab week!
You totally need to look for pierogies next time you make a market run, Neil! They’ll be in the frozen aisle. Warning – they’re delicious! They usually come in a bunch of varieties, and I used the 4-cheese for this recipe. We’re starting to get a bit chilly in the early morning and late night here, too. Bring on the comfort food! 🙂