This buffalo chicken chili takes classic hearty chili to the next level with ranch seasoning and hot sauce. The tender chicken, fire roasted tomatoes, and white beans round out the dish in the delicious buffalo broth.
Looking for more crockpot chili recipes? Try this sweet potato chili, slow cooker steak chili, or easy no-bean chili next.
Quickly throw everything into the crock pot and forget about it until you come home to the most delicious meal. Crock pot soups like this one, healthy chicken tortilla soup, and sausage lentil soup make weeknight dinners a breeze.
The chicken breasts are cooked low and slow in a flavorful, spicy broth made with chili powder, smoked paprika, white beans, chicken broth, and fire-roasted tomatoes until the chicken is so tender it falls apart. Finishing it with cream cheese or blended cottage cheese for richness and protein.
Just like buffalo chicken stuffed peppers, adjust the spice level to your preference and enjoy the game day flavors we all love any day of the week.
Love buffalo chicken? Try dairy free buffalo chicken dip, buffalo chicken salad, or buffalo chicken casserole next.
Ingredients You Need
Here are the simple ingredients to make this buffalo chicken chili recipe. Jump to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Chicken breast: You could also add in rotisserie chicken at the end.
- Buffalo sauce: The same sauce you’d use on your favorite buffalo wings! My favorite buffalo wing sauce is Primal Kitchen, but I also like Frank’s Red Hot.
- Diced Tomatoes: Take it up a notch with fire-roasted tomatoes!
- Beans: White beans add richness and texture to this chili dish, just like slow cooker white chicken chili. Cannellini beans, navy beans, or great northern beans all work.
- Spices: chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, chives, dill, and paprika.
- Cream cheese: cut the heat and add a creamy texture with a block of cream cheese. You could also stir in blended cottage cheese for added protein.
Recipe Variations
- Ground chicken: brown 2 lbs of ground chicken in a skillet then transfer it to the crock pot and follow the instructions to finish cooking.
- Rotisserie chicken: make the soup without the chicken in it and add leftover rotisserie chicken into the chili with the cream cheese.
- Add veggies: Add bell peppers, celery, poblano pepper, canned corn, or carrots!
- More Protein: Blend 1 cup of cottage cheese until smooth (similar to cottage cheese dip) and mix it in at the end instead of cream cheese.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Chili
Here are the simple steps, with photos, to make crock pot buffalo chicken chili. Jump to the recipe card for full instructions.
Step 1. Add to Slow Cooker. Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker, except the cream cheese and cilantro. Mix and submerge the chicken in the liquid.
Step 2. Cook. Slow cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
Step 1. Shred the Chicken Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks.
Step 2. Finish and Serve. Stir in the cream cheese until melted, taste, and adjust seasoning and heat as needed. Serve with your favorite chili toppings!
Can I Make it on the Stovetop or Instant Pot?
Yes, you can make this chili on the stovetop like I do with my sweet and spicy chili, or make it quickly in the Instant Pot.
Stovetop: Place everything in a large pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165°F. Shred the chicken and add it back to the soup with the cream cheese and cilantro.
Instant Pot: add all of the ingredients to the instant pot and pressure cook on high for 8 minutes. Turn the valve to venting to quick release the steam. Remove the chicken from the chili, shred and place it back in the Instant Pot. Turn it to saute mode and add the cream cheese and cilantro and stir well to melt.
Expert Tips
- Start with less buffalo sauce. You can always add it but you can’t take it out! Taste and add more spice as needed!
- Get creative with mix-ins. Try adding veggies like celery, corn, or carrots.
- Don’t skip the toppings. Serve with toppings like shredded cheddar cheese, blue cheese crumbles, sour cream, green onions, and cilantro.
- Taste and adjust as you go. Don’t forget to adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed before serving.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Fridge: store leftover buffalo chicken chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: cool completely and store in a freezer safe container or storage bag for up to 3 months. Lay the freezer bag flat to freeze solid and save space. Thaw overnight before reheating.
Freeze before cooking: make it a freezer meal by adding everything but the cream cheese to a plastic freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months, thaw overnight, and follow instructions to slow cook.
Reheat: Warm the chili on the stove in a large pot over medium-high heat or heat individual bowls of chili in the microwave until heated through.
Recipe FAQs
There are around 300 calories in one serving of this buffalo chicken chili. It makes about 6 servings, which means there are 1800 calories in the entire soup.
This recipe has a good kick to it, but can be easily adjusted based on your preference. I recommend starting with less hot sauce as desired. You can always add more spice to get it just right, but you can’t remove it!
We wrote an entire article on ways to serve buffalo chicken. But some of our favorites are cooling ingredients that balance out the spice like cheese or sour cream. Anything crunchy is another great option!
Need more chicken soup? Try this Instant pot chicken noodle soup, marry me chicken soup, or creamy chicken tortilla soup next!.
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Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts
- 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans drained and rinsed
- 2 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 cup buffalo or hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons dried chives
- 11/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon EACH: dried dill, onion powder, paprika, and kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 8 ounces cream cheese or Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Toppings to taste
Instructions
- Add everything to the slow cooker, except for the cream cheese and cilantro. Close the lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high fro 4 hours.1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, 2 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes, 4 cups chicken stock or broth, 1 cup buffalo or hot sauce, 2 teaspoons dried chives, 11/2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon EACH: dried dill, onion powder, paprika, and kosher salt, 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Carefully remove the lid and transfer the cooked chicken breasts to a clean cutting board. Use two forks to shred the chicken into small pieces. Place the shredded chicken back in the slow cooker and stir it well.
- Add the chopped cilantro and cream cheese and stir well until the cream cheese is melted and mixed into the chili. Serve it hot with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, or your other favorite chili toppings.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Any variation of the Buffalo chicken recipe and we know we’re going to love it. This was delicious. We used coconut cream to be dairy free and I think it helped balance the spic level so it was perfect for us. A great winter night dinner. We actually enjoyed it even more the next day. It seemed like the flavors were richer and it was a bit thicker. So win-win!
#WhatWEMade
Thanks so much Liz!!
This was really good! It’s spicy and creamy but not too heavy feeling. Started with half a cup Buffalo sauce but was still too spicy for my kids so added some sour cream for them. Added more Buffalo sauce to my serving so I think I would have liked the whole cup if it was just for adults/older kids. Super easy to make, plan to try the Greek yogurt in place of the cream cheese next time.
#whatwemade
Thanks Mallory! Love that you customized the spice level.
Delicious! Buffalo Chicken Dip is my favorite, so having those same comforting flavors in a soup was a hit! i halved the amount of hot sauce for my three year old and she loved it. Topped with tortilla strips, green onion, and sour cream.
Yum!! Those toppings sound incredible!
Made this for meal prep and froze some to have later. Followed the recipe, no adjustments. It was delicious! Perfect amount of heat! This will be added to my soup rotation!
#whatwemade
Thanks, Buffie!
This is so tasty and filling! We loved adding tortilla strips and avocado as well as some chopped tomato. I kept it on the milder side for the spice-sensitive members of my family and it was still so full of flavor. A keeper for sure!
#WhatWEMade
Love it! So easy to customize for your spice preference. Thanks for sharing!
Made this with the Kite Hill dairy free cream cheese and it was perfect! Thanks for the alternative options, I don’t always know how to sub in dairy free or gluten free for my family and this makes it so easy!
Thanks so much! I love having dairy-free options! Glad it helped.
I LOVE buffalo chicken and have never done a spin off recipe before. This was really good! My kids ate some too and they’re not real good with spice.
I did reduce the hot sauce to 1/2 cup, cut the paprika by half and left out the chili powder.
#whatwemade
Thanks Nikki! Love it!
This was a tasty recipe, but I’m glad that I only used 1/4 cup buffalo sauce. I like spicy food, but that was enough.
Thanks Susan!
This recipe was so easy and so good! Made it for my parents who were visiting on a frigid winter evening. They loved it and asked for the recipe. Served with cornbread on the side. The avocado was a great suggestion as a topping. Super easy to make on a weekday night!
So glad you liked it!
Awesome recipe – I made this for meal prep and I’m sooo looking forward to lunch this week 😋. I added some celery and bell pepper, and will definitely be making this again.
#whatwemade
Thanks Sue!
Delicious! Made this for a low-key Super Bowl party and it was a hit! Used the cottage cheese for added protein and it was amazing. Topped with avocado and green onion. I will definitely be making this again!
#whatwemade
Love it! Thanks!
Made this for the Super Bowl yesterday! It was great!
Thanks Katie!
This recipe is really simple and easy to follow!!! See my previous comment about not using dried beans. Re made this with canned beans and it came out perfect! Delicious and simple! #whatwemade
So glad you like it!
This is a great recipe and I highly recommend you just follow the recipe as it’s written. If you have dried beans in your pantry that you want to sub, just skip on this one. Maybe ours were just old, I don’t know, but I soaked overnight and then had the crockpot run for 6 hours before I figured these beans weren’t going to be cooked through! I finished them on the stove. So just follow the recipe with the canned beans because this recipe is the bomb and it will taste amazing with far less time and work than using dried beans!
Thanks Sarah!
Made this recipe for the Super Bowl tonight and it was such a great alternative to classic Buffalo chicken dip! Usually I’m not a big fan of the dip, but I’m a huge fan of this chili! #whatwemade
Thanks Kelsie!!
#whatwemade
Absolutely delicious! This Buffalo Chicken Chili is the perfect mix of refreshing and heartwarming. The flavors are bold but balanced, giving that classic buffalo kick without being overpowering. It’s hearty enough to be super satisfying, yet light enough that you don’t feel weighed down. Perfect for a cold winter day—comforting, cozy, and full of flavor. This recipe is definitely going into my regular rotation!
Thanks so much Candice!
#WhatWEMade
Delicious and so easy! Makes a ton! It takes less than 5 minutes to throw this in the crockpot. Shredding the cooked chicken and stirring in the melted cream cheese will take a few more. Perfect for potlucks.
Thanks Emiley!
Love this recipe! Was a good family dinner even with little 👏🏼 not too spicy and delicious! #whatwemade
Thanks so much!
#whatwemade This soup was really good! Perfect amount of heat and great flavor. I didn’t have dried dill but saw a comment that said it was meant to give that ranch flavor you expect with buffalo chicken dip so I added a teaspoon of ranch powder seasoning. I’m not sure how much of a difference it made but we really liked the way the soup turned out. We also served it over rice and topped it with cheese and tortilla strips. We will definitely make this again!
Yes, the dill is supposed to help with the ranch flavor, so the powder was a great idea! Love it!
Made this in my instapot for meal prep this week and I have been so excited for lunch every day. Super simple to make and outstanding flavor. Perfect for cold, winter days! Crush some tortilla chips on top and it’s perfect! Wouldn’t change a thing. #whatwemade
Ahh I love this! Soup is the best for meal prep!
Absolutely love this recipe and so easy to make! Especially nice on a cold snowy day. Thank you
Thanks so much!!
Molly you have done it again. Made this tonight and this recipe is amazing. I did the blended cottage cheese substitute. Everyone loved it and my husband said ir is addicting. Thank you for sharing. ❤️❤️❤️
Love this!!
I made this recipe tonight and we both LOVED it! I used Greek yogurt and it was super creamy and flavorful. I will definitely make this one again! Thank you for this recipe!!♥️ #whatwemade
Greek yogurt is such a great add instead of cream cheese! Love it.
This was absolutely perfect. Followed recipe to the t and it came out delicious and hearty warming up the soup. Will definitely add on rotation as kids loved it to. Really yummy
Love when I make it into the rotation!!
Literally…one of the BEST soups I’ve ever eaten! I was literally sad when I finished my last bite!!
Making it in a double batch for our upcoming Family Fall Ball!
Such a compliment, Jo!! Also how do I get an invite to Family Fall Ball🤣 That sounds fun!
This came through as part of the meal plan for the week and my first thought was “nope” but considering how easy it is I decided to give it a try. Followed the recipe as printed, using Frank’s Red Hot Sauce., It was spicy like wings but nothing a little sour cream and tortilla chips couldn’t overcome. Everyone LOVED it! Will definitely add this to our easy weeknight menus. If you’re looking for easy, warming, and delicious, try this recipe.
Thank you so much!!! I know, I might be a little put off by buffalo chili too, but it’s not too spicy! You could always add less too. Love this!
This soup is a home run! Another “Molly Favorite” in our household. It is very spicey… but just what we needed on a snow day!
Made this tonight and it was delicious. I left out the dill because I didn’t feel like it would mesh with the other flavors. For the cream cheese, I scooped out some of the broth and juices towards the end and mixed that together with the room temp cream cheese in a large bowl to get it to blend easier. I already can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!
Thanks, Sara! Love this! The dill gives it that ranch flavor you’d expect from buffalo chicken dip, but can definitely be left out.