If you’re looking for your next tasty app or perfect snack to crush at the next cookout, man, these Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Onion Rings are it. Juicy ground chicken mixed with spicy buffalo sauce, stuffed inside thick onion rings, then wrapped up tight in smoky bacon — it’s one seriously unique (and totally insane) bite!
Now, I’m not gonna lie to you — the prep for the Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Onion Rings is a little tedious. But trust me, once you get the groove down, it’s actually a ton of fun.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love These Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Onion Rings
- Ingredients Round-up
- How to Make Stuffed Onion Rings
- ProTip for the best onion rings
- What to Serve with Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Onion Rings
- more insane onion recipes!
- Leftovers & Reheating Instructions
- FAQs
- This sauce is FYR!
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Onion Rings Recipe
Why You’ll Love These Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Onion Rings
First off, these things are just plain fun. It’s hard not to get hyped when you’re stuffing seasoned chicken and cheese between the separate layers of a white onion and wrapping the whole thing in bacon. You get the ring shape of the mixture to fit just right, and boom — magic.
They’re smoky, savory, spicy, and the textures are unreal. That crispy golden brown bacon, the tender chicken mixture inside, the soft bite of the onion ring — it all just works. Plus, you can customize it! Swap in different types of cheese like blue cheese, cream cheese, or spicy pepper jack if you’re feeling wild.
And bonus: you can easily smoke ‘em or fry ‘em. Toss ‘em into a pot of oil or stick with the smoker if you like a slower, smokier cook. Either way, the coated rings turn out freakin’ delicious.
If you’re craving some more killer appetizers (and more reasons to make homemade ranch!), check out these recipe round-ups next: Grilled Appetizer Recipes, The Best Quesadilla Recipes, and Loaded Fries Recipes.
Ingredients Round-up
Don’t get intimidated by all the steps — the ingredients are simple, and once you peel the papery onion skin and lay it all out, it flows easy.
- Onion Rings – Ground chicken, large white or yellow onions, sliced bacon, shredded cheese (any type of cheese you like), Cowboy Butter Rub, and buffalo sauce for glazing.
- Homemade Ranch – Sour cream, mayo, chopped parsley, chopped dill, garlic powder, black pepper, buttermilk, and salt.
- Other Essentials – Separate bowls for mixing and a baking dish or tray for holding your assembled rings before smoking.
How to Make Stuffed Onion Rings
Prep
First things first — start by mixing up the filling for the Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Onion Rings. Grab a bowl, toss in your ground chicken, shredded cheese, a little Cowboy Butter Rub, and mix it all up. Keep everything cold — it makes shaping easier and holds the ring shape of the mixture way better.
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Next, tackle the onions. Peel off the papery onion skin and cut the onions into large slices, about 1” thick. Pop out the separate layers, saving the biggest large rings and a few inside of the onion pieces to form the double-wall for the stuffing.
Take an outer ring, stuff some chicken mixture into it, then press a smaller inner ring inside to trap the filling. It’ll look like a donut when you get it right. Wrap bacon all the way around each one, tucking it nice and tight. Lay the assembled rings in a single layer in your baking dish or on a tray.
Dust them all with a little more Cowboy Butter Rub, then let ‘em chill in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes (or even longer if you want — cold bacon = tighter wraps).
Smoker Time
Preheat your smoker to 275F for indirect cooking. Add some wood chunks if you want extra smoke flavor. Carefully transfer the onion rings onto the grill grates and let ‘em roll for about 45–60 minutes, depending on the heat. We’re looking for an internal temp of 165F for the chicken. Once we hit that, they’re done.
About 10 minutes before the stuffed onion rings are done, drizzle a small amount of buffalo sauce over the top and glaze them. Let the sauce get tacky and caramelized — it’s a thing of beauty.
Mix up your homemade ranch in a separate bowl while the rings finish smoking. That ranch dipping sauce brings everything together.
Pull the rings off once they hit 165F internal temp. Let them rest a few minutes, and then it’s game time.
ProTip for the best onion rings
Like I mentioned, when you’re building your onion rings, keeping the ground chicken and bacon cold is key. If things start getting sticky or too soft, just pop everything back in the fridge for another 10–15 minutes. Trust me — it makes all the difference for clean wraps, tight rings, and even cooking.
What to Serve with Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Onion Rings
Honestly, these buffalo chicken onion rings are so loaded you don’t need much else. But if you want to make a whole spread, serve them with extra buffalo sauce, more homemade ranch, some crispy fries, or even a side of crunchy celery if you wanna lean into that classic wing vibe.
If you’re throwing a big party, you can even set up a mini breading station with panko breadcrumbs and bread crumbs for people to coat their rings before frying instead of smoking. Totally different texture but still crazy good.
more insane onion recipes!
Leftovers & Reheating Instructions
If you end up with leftovers (good luck), store the bacon onion rings in an airtight container. They’ll keep for 2-3 days in the fridge no problem.
When you’re ready to reheat, throw them back on the smoker or in an oven at 350F until warmed through — about 10–15 minutes. Try to avoid microwaving unless you like soggy bacon (and we definitely don’t around here).
For freezing, you can freeze the stuffed rings before cooking too. Freeze in a single layer first, then bag them up. When you’re ready to cook, just add a little extra time to get them to temp.
FAQs
Absolutely. Heat up a pot of oil to 350F and fry the frozen rings until crispy and golden brown. Just make sure you coat them with panko breadcrumbs for that epic crunch if you’re going the frying route.
You bet. Go crazy — blue cheese, cream cheese, shredded cheddar, pepper jack — any types of cheese you like will work. Just make sure it melts nicely inside.
Because it holds its shape better! Warm bacon and ground chicken get too soft and make it hard to wrap and stuff the onion rings cleanly. Keeping everything cold lets you build that perfect ring shape without the mess.
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This sauce is FYR!
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Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Onion Rings
Ingredients
Onion Ring:
- 1.5 lbs Ground Chicken
- 2 Large Whole Onions ideally yellow or white
- 2 lbs Sliced Bacon
- 2 cups Shredded Cheese
- ¾ cup Cowboy Butter Rub
- 1.5 cups Buffalo Sauce for glaze
Homemade Ranch:
- 2.5 tbsp Sour Cream
- 2 tbsp Mayonnaise
- 1.5 tbsp Chopped Parsley
- 1 tbsp Chopped Dill
- 1.5 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- Buttermilk to desired consistency
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the ground chicken, cheese and 2 tbsp of Cowboy Butter Rub. Mix together thoroughly.
- Peel the outside layer of your onions and slice into 1” thick onion rings. Grab 6-8 of the largest “rings” and inside “rings” to make the outside shape for our burger stuffed onion rings.
- Take an outside ring and grab a handful of ground chicken and place it in the center. Shape the ground chicken to the outside of the onion then place the smaller inside ring into the ground chicken to make a “donut” shape.
- Next, wrap bacon around the outside and set on a tray. Repeat these steps until you have all the stuffed onion rings you like.
- Season all the onion rings with my Cowboy Butter Rub and set in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.
- Preheat your smoker for indirect cooking at 275F. Add some wood chunks or chips for added smoke flavor if you like.
- Add the stuffed onion rings to the smoker to cook for 45-60 minutes or until they are 165F internal. In the last 10 minutes, drizzle your favorite buffalo sauce over the top and glaze the onion rings. Once the BBQ sauce is “tacky” and the rings are done, pull off and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Mix together the homemade ranch dressing and set to the side.
- Serve with ranch for dipping on the side and enjoy!
