Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili is delicious, simple and award winning! This is the go-to when you are tired of boring chili recipes!
You guys might tell me I’ve been living under a rock, and honestly that might not be far from the truth. But did you know that on Friday nights there is like a marathon of Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives on the Food Network? I go to turn on the TV and my six year old gears up for one of her favorite cartoons and I have to crush her dreams. I can’t take even one more episode of kid TV. Despite this somehow, at some point during the evening, the whole family ends up curled up in front of the TV drooling over all the amazing (and sometimes weird!) food and trying to figure out if it would be at all possible to plan a trip to whatever location Guy Fieri is featuring. Yep. We know how to party. Now I’m going to share with you something that you should have while you are watching your marathon TV session…. Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili. Yum! A great meal to come home to on a Friday night after a busy week. Easy to make! Easy to love this spicy, creamy goodness!
Heartier than a soup but different than a traditional chili this would be fun to serve up at a party, to take along to a tailgate, or to take to a potluck. Ground chicken instead of beef and white beans instead of chili beans make the base of this chili.
Lots of flavor from chicken broth, ranch dressing mix and fire-roasted tomatoes and some heat from the buffalo sauce are balanced out with some sweet corn and cream cheese. Top it all of with some cilantro for some super fresh flavor. And I can’t forget the blue cheese crumbles on the top! I leave them out of the soup since not everyone is a fan but I can guarantee you I have my bowl topped of with some!
So park yourself on the couch with a big ‘ol bowl and watch endless episodes of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives until you are convinced you should open your own funky restaurant so you can be featured on the show too. Or wait…is that just me? Yeah, I’m weird like that :). But at least it helps me dream up recipes like Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili!
MY LATEST VIDEOSThis recipe was originally published on April 7, 2014 and has been updated to reflect fresh photos and updates to the recipe based on reader feedback and re-testing.
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili is delicious, simple and award winning! This is the go-to when you are tired of boring chili recipes!
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 15 oz canned white navy beans drained and rinsed
- 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes drained
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce start with 1/4 cup and add more at end if needed
- 1 package ranch dressing mix
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 oz cream cheese
- Blue cheese crumbles optional
- Brown ground chicken until fully cooked, place in crock (or brown ahead of time and store in fridge until ready to assemble)
- Add remaining ingredients except for cream cheese and blue cheese and give it all a stir to combine
- Add block of cream cheese on the top and cover
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8
- Stir to incorporate cream cheese and add additional wing sauce as desired
- Top individual bowls with blue cheese crumbles if desired
Can’t get enough buffalo chicken?
Slow Cooker Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Original photos:
Wow, this looks like a mighty fine bowl of chili! Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.
It’s summer time in NC and this is for dinner!! It’s that good. We have made it probably 5 times and it’s a favorite by far. I use chicken breasts and shred them and only half a block of cream cheese. It’s soooo yummy!!
Hooray! I say any time is a good time for chili! 🙂
I was wondering if this could be made with rotisserie chicken meat.
Yes, but I’m not sure exactly what adjustments I would make. The slow cooker is mainly to get the chicken cooked all day, so if you still wanted to use slow cooker I’d think you’d just do it long enough to heat up the chicken and then add the pasta.
It is essential to use the correct amount of cream cheese. This chili comes out more like a chowder or cheese soup, than a brothy chili. Then just whisk the cheese until creamy smooth. I usually double everything to fill the crock pot. It’s delicious!
did you put in raw chicken at bottom and then cook?
Hi Amy! I’m not Lindsay so hopefully she will chime in here with what she did to modify the recipe, but in general, yes! I have other similar recipes and you can simply add the raw chicken to cook all day and then shred once fully cooked! Makes it so easy!
Do you use the same amount of chicken broth even if you’re using half of the cream cheese? Also did you cook and shred your chicken before hand? I think I want to use shredded chicken as well!
You mentioned fire roasted tomatoes but I don’t see them on the ingredient list.
Yikes!! Thanks! All fixed 🙂
Made this for the “big game” today. Really tasty, but on the runny side for me. More of a soup than a chili. I will definitely make it again, but with less stock. Thanks!
I used a whole onion, chopped, whole celery plant, chopped and saluted both, made my own ranch mix (just googled the spices), hot chili sauce and some molasses and honey rather than the buffalo sauce, no salt, no celery salt. Added red lentils – about 1/2 cup to thicken the liquid – and only about 3 cups broth. A lot chunkier and less runny.
REALLY like the stew!
I used ground turkey, btw. Didn’t have ground chicken where I shopped. Going to use pulled/shredded chicken next batch.
Or ground bison for Buffalo Buffalo chili 🙂
Made the soup and it’s delicious. The only problem I had was the cream cheese makes the soup look grainy. Can you tell me what I may have done wrong. Thank you!
I’m glad you liked it! Hmmmmm, did you use full fat cream cheese? I know when I’ve used reduced fat versions this can happen. Or possibly if the soup was extra hot at the time the cream cheese was added. You could always reduce the heat to low and leave the lid off for a few minutes before cutting up the cream cheese and adding it. Then stir well as it melts. Hopefully that will keep it from happening again. Let me know!!
Yeah, I got the “Grainy” look too, the cream cheese wasn’t melted all the way even though it had been sitting atop during the whole cooking cycle.
TBH, when spooned out into a bowl it looks like something rather unpleasant. :c
hmmm… well the only things I know of that cause that are using a lower fat cream cheese or if the soup is super hot when you go to stir it up. Some slow cookers get a lot hotter so sometimes you have to let it cool just a tad before stirring. I usually stir it up pretty good to make sure it all melts evenly and gets incorporated. If none of those things were the issue then I’m stumped. Maybe someone else has an idea? I will check around.
I’ve made other soup recipes where a block of cream cheese sat on top all day and when I first start to stir it in at the end of the cooking period it looks a little grainy but it then stirs in completely and smoothly. I’m not sure what’s causing the graininess. (And I can’t wait to make this one.)
I agree I’ve had them start out that way from time to time but nothing some extra stirring doesn’t fix. Let me know how it turns out!!!
I tired this for the first time and loved it. I needed a new chili recipe for our annual church chili cook-off, and wanted something related to buffalo chicken wings. I was worried about the cream cheese making the chili look grainy so I cooked everything but the cream cheese in the crock pot and before I took it to church I added the cream cheese to a approximately two cups of the chili (I had doubled the recipe and used about five cups of chix broth) and placed in a bowl and mixed in the cream cheese using an immersion blender and then stirred it into the chile for a very creamy texture to the chili. I am happy to say it one first place. Thank you o much for sharing this recipe.
Hooray!!
Ok so did you double everything but the chicken broth then just used 5 cups chicken broth?
Did you add the cream cheese to hot chili or warm, I want to try but don’t want it to look grainy for company:)
I have this problem too. the cream cheese does not melt very pretty. The directions say to put the cream cheese on top…not to add it later. ?!?! Maybe if I just melt the cream cheese on the stove top and add it?
It does take a lot of stirring. Another option is to use whipped cream cheese, which will melt a little more quickly and smoothly will less work. 🙂
Thank you. I will give that a try.
What size Slow Cooker is this recipie for?
I usually make this in my 5 quart slow cooker.
What a great combination—buffalo chicken and chili! I just wanted to let you know I have a website (Simply Creative Recipes) where I showcase recipes I find and I am linking to this post if you don’t mind. Please feel free to submit any recipes to the site if you wish. You have some amazing recipes.
I made this tonight with a reduced fat cream cheese. I had the same issues as others with it not breaking down totally but I used a whisk to break it up more and it turned out fine….just a suggestion if anyone is having issues….just whisk it in the pot for a few minutes and it blends in…also added a little cornstarch to thicken bc my tomatoes had a bit more juice than expected and it was slightly runny
Same here! My 1/3 less fat cream cheese dissolved just fine with a few whisks. It’s delicious!
Good to hear!!
This sounds yummy….ground chicken? You can buy that like you would ground beef or sausage? I’ve never noticed. Just wondered if I could use cubed chicken breasts and get the safe effect?
Yep! I’m able to find the ground chicken along with the rest of the chicken in the meat market section at most of the grocery stores I shop at. If you can’t find it then I think diced chicken breast is a good alternative! Let me know which way you end up making it!! 🙂
I made this this past weekend and had similar issues that others have spoken of. The cream cheese never fully blended, making it look curdled/grainy, and it was overall very liquidy. I am thinking next time I will cut down on the chicken broth, or thicken the chili with cornstarch. And I am thinking of skipping the cream cheese block altogether.
Hands down best Pinterest recipe find to date, and I’ve tried lots! This was phenom!! I left the cream cheese on top barely melted the entire 8 hours, then mixed at the end and it was only clumpy/grainy for a few minutes. Keep stirring people. This is SOOO delicious, thanks!!
You are too sweet! Love hearing this and so glad you loved it!
Tried this tonight. I had the same grainy cream cheese issue and it was very watery so I put it in a pot on the stove to simmer for an hour. It worked perfectly to thicken the soup and incorporate the cream cheese. We also finely chopped celery to top the chili.
can I use shredded chicken? I usually put a batch of chicken breasts in the crockpot and shred them for sandwiched and tacos so I have plenty around.
Hmmm. If your chicken is already done then I’d be tempted to just toss this together as a quick stove top meal 🙂 Just reduce the amount of broth and add the cooked noodles to the sauce and toss!
What noodles? Do you serve over noodles?
No noodles! Just chili in a bowl 🙂 Although it might be yummy with a baked potato on the side? Hmmmmm 🙂
OK, thanks. Just curious about your “add the cooked noodles to the sauce” comment above. Looking forward to making this!
Just as a random stalker, I think what she might mean is add the cooked chicken!
ha!! I need more sleep 😉 Or I have too many buffalo chicken recipes! Yes, for the chili it can be easily replaced with shredded!! Hope I haven’t made this too impossibly confusing! 😉
Hi, I’m new to the crockpot world and want to try this! After reading the directions and comments just have a question. After you put the ingredients in and stir you add the cream cheese, is it best then not to stir it again till the end so that the cream cheese softens as it cooks? Want to make sure understand so font mess it up lol. Thanks in advance
Yep. I don’t think it would hurt anything if you stir during but usually best to just pop the lid on and forget about it until later! Just make sure to keep stirring at the end to get your cream cheese nice and smooth 🙂
I too found that the cream cheese became “grainy” – even with full-fat cream cheese and low heat. Whisking took care of that problem. Reduced the chicken broth to 3 cups and it was more a soup than a chili – still delicious but not what I expected. When I make it again I think that I’ll reduce the broth to 1 – 14.5 oz can – less than 2 cups. Thanks for a yummy recipe.
Thanks for the feedback!! Glad you liked it 🙂
Not sure when RANCH dressing was ever included or near a “Buffalo” wing recipe! As a Buffalonian, it’s blue cheese or nothing at all!
Yum. Blue cheese!
I would like to know how you make the buffalo wing sauce or where you can by it. Is it a BBQ sauce?
It’s essentially a hot sauce with some added things such as vinegar and seasonings. You can usually find it at the store along with the hot sauces or if you can’t find it you can google and find a recipe for it. Looks pretty simple to make but I haven’t tried it yet 🙂
I bought some wing sauce yesterday. It was with the hot sauces at my local Kroger store. It’s a little thicker than hot sauce.
How much does this recipe make? I am feeding about 8-10 people. Should I double it?
It makes quite a lot! If you are having sides/snacks this should be enough. If you have hearty eaters I might at least increase it to 1.5x.
Making this for tonight’s trick-or-treating neighborhood chili cook off. Have you ever added colby/jack cheese or used peas/carrots instead of corn? (We have a corn allergy so adapted it!)
It is smelling really good so far!
I hope it turns out great for you!! I have not tried those things but I do think carrots would be a great additions and the colby jack cheese should be good too! It’s a nice mild cheese that should blend right in! Let me know how everyone likes it!
4 cups of chicken broth seems like a lot of liquid. Is this more like a soup than chili? Also, should the cream cheese be softened or does it not really matter? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
You can certainly reduce the broth if you prefer a thicker consistency 🙂 It is a little thinner than some other chili’s. The cream cheese will soften as the chili cooks so no need to soften before.
It had a super good taste but really soupy vs. like a chili. Also had the cream cheese issue but think the cream cheese definitely adds to the flavor, it just took a while to dissolve completely. Used shredded chicken also. Thinking of putting it over some tortilla strips for a buffalo chicken tortilla type soup! Thanks for the recipe, good combination of ingredients. Very simple to make.
I’m excited to be making this tonight. However, I just realized that I accidentally added a Ranch Dressing ‘Dips’ packet instead of a Dressing packet. Here’s hoping it doesn’t make too big of a difference. I used 1/3 fat cream cheese as well, and appreciate the recs to whisk it such that it blends better. I’ll definitely come back and rate after dinner:)
I think the dip is pretty much the same thing? It should be totally fine! Let me know!
I’m also making this (man, the house smells good!) tonight……based on what I read and what a good friend did, I reduced the amount of broth to 3 cups. I also added about 1/4 cup chopped frozen onion (I keep that in the freezer at all times). Looking forward to having this later!
Yum!!! Kinda wish that’s what I had going for dinner again tonight at our house!
IVE made this in a crockpot but CAN this be made on the stove ? What would be the cooking process for everything
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it tonight (stove-top due to time constraints) and it was very easy and very good! I will keep this in my rotation for some cold nights this fall and winter. Thanks again!!! 🙂
So glad you liked it!! One of my faves for sure!
Well, this was a HUGE hit in our house. The hubs declared, “Put it on the ‘faves’ board!” after trying it. I doubled up the beans and ground chicken and added a little corn starch for thickness. I was also a little generous with the buffalo wing sauce, since we like things spicy around here. This was incredibly flavorful and might be one of our favorite fall/winter recipes to date!
I’m so excited to be making this tomorrow. I make a similar one , but southwestern… I may be changing a few things using chicken breasts and canned corn I will see.
This is my new favorite chicken crockpot recipe. It was just right and so easy. I used shredded chicken and left out the bleu cheese. I know not (real) buffalo chicken without it, but I just don’t like it. The wing sauce I used was TexasPete. Yum-o!
Hooray!!! And yay for it finally being chili season again!
This is delicious and super easy! The whisk got rid of all of the “grit.” I also used chicken breasts that I shredded instead of ground chicken. YUM! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Glad I read the comments, I don’t like my chili soupy. I used 2 cups of Chicken broth and it came out amazing. I never had this kind of soup. I did make changes, i used 1/4 frozen onion, Spicy Ranch Dressing mix, 2 cans of White Kidney beans (only thing i had) and used a bit more hot sauce. Soo good. Thanks for this recipe. I didn’t use Blue cheese, not my thing.
I made this with 93/7 lean ground turkey and put it in the crockpot this morning. Talk about an AMAZING dinner to come home to! Just had to make a quick batch of corn bread & dinner was served. I use My Fitness Pal & guessed this would serve about 8 – at 239 calories per serving I’m definitely having seconds! My fiancé was super impressed as well – thanks for such a great recipe!
Yay!!!
What is a serving size? 1cup?
Yes it is.
Made this tonight and it was great! Husband and kids loved it. I used 3 cups of chicken broth instead of 4. Did not add any additional salt. Also, I did not put the cream cheese in on top in the beginning. I waited till the end, then cut the 8 oz block into cubes, microwaved it in a bowl for about 30-45 seconds. Then I ladled 3-4 ladles of hot broth from the chili into the cream cheese and whisked it up and it made a creamy sauce, then I stirred that into the crockpot and it made it nice and creamy and not at all grainy. We also sprinkled it with fresh chopped cilantro. I planned to add avocado chunks as a garnish too but did not have any avocado (next time I will, that would have been an awesome addition). I did not use blue cheese. I served it with bread, but tortilla chips would have been awesome and will do that next time. I also had celery sticks on the side. Yum! will definitely make this again.
Thanks for the recipe! It tastes really good and was pretty easy to make! (And would probably have taken less time if I hadn’t over cooked the meat beforehand!) Next time I make it, I will also reduce the amount of broth because it was a little soupier than I like. I also stirred it every hour to help dissolve the cream cheese, though it still came out lumpy. Some other changes I made: I used the hot sauce, but because we like things spicy in my house, I also added some super-hot red chili powder I got from an Indian market. Also, used ginger-garlic paste instead of powder (I would try onion paste too if I had any in the house). At the store they were out of frozen corn, so I used a can of corn with poblano peppers. I also found that the longer the chili stayed on “warm” (I’d cooked it on “high”), the faster the cream cheese melted. Thanks again for the great recipe!
May be a little spicy for me, but yum!!! Those sound like great changes!
Do you think adding 2 raw chicken breasts to the recipe (instead of the gound chicken) and then shredding it at the end (much like I do with chicken tortilla soup) would work? The chicken cooks in the the tortilla recipe, I wonder if it would be okay for 4 hours on high for this recipe?
yes, that should work just fine!
This recipe looks DELICIOUS!!!! Can’t wait to try it!!
On a side note…..I WAS IN ONE OF THE EPISODES OF DON’T DRIVE IN’S AND DIVES!!!!!! You may have seen me!!!
Starlite Lounge, Pittsburgh, PA…..I’m the girl with the brown hair and glasses that they put in a lot!!And if you look real hard in one of the clips, there’s a big table with a family around it. That’s my family! You can see my baby’s bald head (he’s 7 now!!) And my other son is in that clip too! It was a fun experience 🙂
That is SO AWESOME!! If I ever see that episode again I will look for you 🙂
I plan on making this soon but, I think I would prefer cooked chicken breast or just shred some chicken meat from a rotisserie chicken.
Soup was delicious. I used shredded chicken from rotisserie chicken and 2 – 15.5 oz cans of Navy beans. I cooked on top of the stove and had no problems with the cream cheese.
Yay!
Is there anything I could use instead of cream cheese. My husband won’t eat anything with cream cheese or sour cream in it.
Hmmmm. Well, I haven’t tried anything out specifically with this recipe but I have a couple of chili recipes that utilize a cheese sauce instead. Maybe that would be a good workaround? Either homemade or store-bought. Let me know if you give it a try!
What about using some evaporated milk? It will give you that creaminess that would be missing by not using the cream cheese since your husband won’t eat it. It might be more like a creamy soup than a chili though.
I’m going to try this tomorrow. My kids love all things buffalo chicken so I can’t wait to surprise them with this for dinner!
Great suggestion!! Let me know how you like it! 🙂
Can u make u make this into a freezer meal?
I think it would work. I would just cook the chicken and add everything to a baggie except for the broth and cream cheese and blue cheese.
We’re not big cream cheese fans, either, so I plan to take an additional can of navy beans and smash them and whisk them in for thickness and creaminess. I do the same thing with refried beans in my tortilla soup, and it works well and is likely more nutritious.
Made as written except for used shredded chicken because I couldn’t find ground. It waS DELICIOUS! Thank you for sharing the recipe. My kids, husband and next door neighbor all LOVED it as well! Definitely going in the fall/winter meal rotation!
Thanks so much for letting me know! It sound like shredded chicken works great in this recipe too!
I made this for a gathering tonight but have made it once before. We love it. I omit the celery and onion salt and instead chop and onion and some celery and sauté before cooking the ground chicken. It’s simmering now and smells amazing! Definitely a keeper!
Was this too salty for anyone? I don’t know what I did wrong and I’m not sure how to fix it. It’s a lot to go to waste so if you have any ideas on the salty problem, please share.
Try ladling out some of the liquid. Then replace it with some water, cream, or unsalted broth. Hopefully that will help!
This is in the crockpot for dinner tonight! My only issue so far is I doubled the recipe and my crockpot is at max capacity lol
I made this tonight. I whisked it up about about 7 hours in. I also added more Franks Hot Sauce. I REALLY liked it!!! I added some shredded cheese to the top (since we do not like blue cheese) and some crackers. Yuuuuum!!!
I tried making this in the crockpot last night and experienced the cream cheese issue as the others have previously mentioned. I let mine cook on high for over four hours,, and the cream cheese was still not melted. (My crockpot must not get as hot as others.) My husband and I didn’t end up having time to eat it last night due to time constraints, but we plan to reheat on the stove tonight for dinner. I am hoping that will help melt the rest of the floating pieces of cream cheese as I saw where someone else also simmered on the stove and it fixed the problem. On a side note, I tasted it last night, and the taste was great, especially if you like that traditional buffalo flavor! (We used Texas Pete Buffalo Sauce.) Hoping it turns out wonderful!
This was very tasty and easy to make. It goes into my list of things I’ll want to make again.
My recipe devaitions:
– about 2.5 lbs diced boneless, skinless chicken thighs (they were on-sale) instead of 1 lb ground chicken
– about half the cream cheese (all I had on hand)
– chopped tomatoes instead of fire roasted (it’s what I had on-hand)
– no cilantro (none on-hand)
– added one dried, seeded habanero with ribs removed
– served over rice and topped with some shredded cheddar
Made this tonight I used 2.5 cups of broth and 3/4 cup of wing sauce since others said it could have more flavor. It had plenty for me, in fact it was pretty spicy. I also didn’t have celery salt and omitted that garlic and onion powder and used seasoned salt. Knew it would be too hot for the bf so I just added a half a can of cream of chicken soup hopefully this will balance out the hot factor. It is really good highly recommend.
The cream of chicken worked great and made it thicker too!
I need something to make mine a little thicker as it came out too runny and I wanted more of a chili consistency….do you think the cornstarch will change the taste of the chili if I add it to thicken up?
A few tablespoons of cornstarch should be fine.
Made this for my family and everyone loved it, only change I made was I use shredded rotisserie chicken instead of ground chicken. Will be making again very soon for my husband and myself, need left overs, did not have any the first time I made it.
No leftovers is always a good sign! 😉
Awesome!!!! Next time though I think I would use only 3 cups of the chicken broth and maybe low sodium. I used shredded chicken and browned it with a cup of chopped onions in some butter. I also topped mine with not only blue cheese crumbles, but my husband I are big fans of onions so those as well as some avocado and a dollop of sour cream. My cream cheese was fine once I stirred it. I might try lower fat cream cheese next time and see how that is. It was a great recipe with a salad and some garlic bread on the side. Will definitely be making this again…in fact for the holidays this would be great!
This sounds sooo yummy! I only have regular ranch dressing instead of the mix. Would this work and if so, how much should I use?
I haven’t tried it that way but it should work okay. Maybe start with about 1/2 cup then add more later if needed? Let me know if you give it a try!
I did end up using 1/2 cup of bottled ranch dressing, thank you for suggestion. I only added 1/2 bar of cream cheese thinking it may become too thick with an entire bar and I was right. It came out just creamy enough!!
Made this twice now. It is really quite delicious. My recommendations are double everything to completely fill the crock pot, except reduce the chicken broth to half. There are now 2 lbs of chicken, so there is plenty of natural broth, & I don’t drain the veggies completely. Plenty of liquid. Personally like a thick stew, like a main course. With the cream cheese, leave it out until it gets to room temperature. Then put the cream cheese in, push it down, it will break up easily. Then stir after it warms. Then stir again. The cream cheese will break down into a creamy beautiful dinner. There was no graininess. Looks great & tastes even better. Even better the next day, after spending some time in the frig.
Great suggestions!! Thanks!!
I made this today and it was delish! I used 3 cups of broth- all I had- and it was not runny at all! I just whisked the cream cheese right before I served it and it was nice and creamy. No grainy issue. Somehow I forgot to add the corn- I will make sure I add it in next time! The hubs loved it!
I don’t have frozen corn but have everything else. Can I use canned corn drained and add it maybe half way through?
I think that would work just fine!!!
Do you or has anyone done the nutritional information label on this. Just curious. It’s cooking now and I might wanna eat the entire pot it smells so good.
haha!! I have not but there are a few great calculators out there if you want to plug it in and see! I don’t use any of them so I can’t personally recommend but maybe someone here has a favorite?
Made this on a very cold November day. GREAT flavor, although I think I would prefer a bit thicker consistency. I used a rotisserie chicken instead of ground chicken and substituted fresh chopped onion and celery for the onion/celery salt. Next time I’ll reduce the chicken broth….YUMMY!
Making this tonight. Soooo excited! Doubled the recipe (perfectly fills my crockpot), but cut broth to 1/2 (so only 4 cups for a double batch). Will try softening the cream cheese at room temperature, per someone’s suggestion. I’ll post results after dinner! I have a diabetic daughter, so am going to try to estimate carbs per serving. I’ll share that too!
Awesome!! Can’t wait to hear the results!
I made this today I am not a crock pot type of girl so I made it on the stove , I doubled the batch and added onion ,carrots and celery to the recipe I had read there were issues with the cream cheese I softened mine in the microwave and then added chili broth to it with a wisk until it was a creamy liquid consistency and then mixed it into the pot of chili ~ it worked well!
How long did you cook on the stove? I don’t have a crock pot yet…
Just bought all the stuff to make this tomorrow. I am really excited to try it out for my boyfriend and me. I think I try every buffalo wing recipe I find!
Sounds yummy! I’m thinking this would be really good with cooked shredded chicken or turkey instead of ground. Could be a great way to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey!
I made this today in crock pot but mine was awfully thin. Now, I did not have corn to put in, and I had just shy of a pound of ground chicken. Nonetheless, it was really good. I got a bit impatient (hungry) and only cooked it for about 3 hours on high. Next time I think I will use shredded chicken and add more chicken. It really is good though, love all the flavors..
making this tonight
I added shredded carrots diced celery and BACON
Smells good. Will see how it tastes!
I have issues with beans & I’m lactose intolerant. I think I can use plain yogurt instead of cheese, but any suggestions for the beans?
Leave ’em out! Maybe add a little extra meat? It will be fine! You may want to reduce the broth by 1/2 cup or so…
Good thing I live in buffalo with all kinds of wing sauce options! Making it today can’t wait
haha!! That would be my dream!! Amazing how it can be tricky to find good wing sauce in the mid-west! Let me know how it turns out!
It turned out amazing, I used DUFFS hot wing sauce and reduced the chicken broth to about a little less than 3 cups.
Wow! Made this today for a potluck at church and it was Amazing! Everyone loved it. I made it on the stovetop and kept it warm in the crockpot. The only changes I made was to use 1 1/4lbs chicken that I simmered in broth and shredded, rather than chop meat. I added an extra can beans and tomatoes just because I wanted it to go further for the event. I reduced the chicken broth because of the tomatoes. I didn’t have cilantro in the house so I left it out. The flavors were all this recipe and it was great. I will make this again. I like to have soup ready all winter, and this fits the bill.
That’s great!! I love chili and soup at potlucks and I’m so glad everyone loved this one!
I made this a few weeks ago and followed the recipe exactly. I live with my fiancee and 2 of our friends (fully grown men) and they all LOVED this! Everyone went back for seconds and within a day, it was demolished! It was so good, I’m making it again tonight and doubling the recipe!
Hooray!! Love finding meals that will fill up even the guys! It’s cold and rainy at my house today and I wish I had thought ahead to put on another pot of it! 🙂
I have doubled the recipe. We have 4 kids and they all love spicy food. Glad we don’t have any wimpy kids who think pepper is spicy
First of all, I only used about 2 1/2 cups of chick broth and added an extra can of beans not drained. (Drain and rinse 1 can but not the second one). As for the cream cheese problem, I used the 8 oz container of soft spreadable kind. Let it set out and soften for about 30 min. Put it in a medium size bowl and add 1 big ladle of hot liquid from soup (chili, whatever you want to call it) and wisk it up. (Did this step about 30 min before end of cooking time). Add to the pot slowly, stirring constantly. Worked like a charm. Getting raves from family and friends on this recipe! We love it.
Hooray!! Great tips!!
Just wondering what the correct serving size is and how many servings based on your recipe? In the crock pot now and smelling yummy!
oh gosh!! I did not measure out the finished recipe here. But I would say it will easily feed 4-6 people with enough for leftovers. I hope you enjoy!
Just wondering if you think I could sub greek yogurt for the cream cheese? Looks great! Thanks!
I’ve never tried greek yogurt in a recipe like this so I can’t really say. If you want to lighten it up a bit you could cut back on the amount of cream cheese. I’m thinking the flavor and texture of the yogurt might just be a little too different to work as a sub here.
How spicy is this? Really want to make it, but not sure if it’ll agree with my 5 year old. He doesn’t quite have the spicy tolerance built up like his parents!
It’s kinda spicy as is, but you could easily just cut way back on the buffalo sauce in the slow cooker and then scoop out his portion then add a little more for you guys at the end!
This sounds delicious and am making tonight for dinner. Some comments were made about the soup being to thin or runny.. Would draining the tomatoes before adding help? I like a thick hearty soup.
Yes, you could drain the tomatoes or if you really want it thick and hearty I would just cut back the broth by a cup or so. Let me know the results!!
Jennifer,
I’m super excited to give this recipe a try…however I’m not familiar with Buffalo wing sauce…can you enlighten me?
Thanks!
It’s basically hot sauce! With just a few things added. Are you in the US? It can be found right near the hot sauce at the grocery store. If you can’t find it there are a few recipes out there for what to add to plain hot sauce to use it for buffalo wings!
I love anything with buffalo sauce and this was no exception! Like other people, it was a bit runny but less chicken broth next time should do the trick. I added a bit of normal ranch dressing which helped thicken it a bit. When I finally got to eat it, I put some celery and red onion on top, sooooo good!
This was super good. Even my 4 yr old and 9 yr old ate it! When the oldest came home from school he said, “What smells so good?”
I used shredded chicken and Neufchâtel cheese to lower the fat. It was still great! Thanks!
That’s great! Always a good thing when the kiddos love it to 🙂
It’s been a cold, icy day in my city so I made this buffalo chicken chili to warm up. It was so good!! Took others advice and only used half the chicken broth. I used diced chicken breasts because that is what I had on hand and only used half the ranch mix, as I was afraid it may be too “ranchy”. I’ll definitely be making this again! Does anyone know if it freezes well? I put a small bowl in the freezer but figured I’d ask to see if anyone else has been successful freezing it.
So glad you loved it! I haven’t tried freezing it but maybe someone else has and will chime in. 🙂
I thawed the small bowl of soup I had put in the freezer for about a week. It looked as though it had separated a bit but after heating it up and giving it a good stir it was perfect! Definitely freezing some for a quick easy meal in the future!
Awesome!
I saw this on pinterest and am super excited to make it this weekend for the super bowl party at my house, I would really like to omit the cream cheese if possible. I was hoping that I could use one can of the navy beans in the food processor and use that to help thicken the soup. Any ideas on what to substitute the cream cheese with, could I use Greek Yogurt?
I have only tested it out with cream cheese so I’m not sure how it would turn out with greek yogurt. I think it would change the flavor and maybe not be as thick? I’d be nervous to try it out that way at party time without giving it a test run first….
I made this for my church’s chili cook off on Wednesday and won!
I definitely agree that 4 cups of broth is too much. Halving it to 2 is better.
Otherwise, great, award-winning recipe!
Hooray!! Congrats on the win! And thanks for the feedback about the broth! 🙂
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for this recipe. Just made it and my family enjoyed it. Definitely recommend the blue cheese crumbles — nice touch! I cut down on the cream cheese (6 oz instead of 8) and used only half of the ranch dressing packet. And I went with 3 cups of chicken broth instead of 4. Added sliced carrots. Came out great.
For some reason, none of the actual recipe appears today when I scroll through this post….any help?
So sorry about that. Should be fixed now. The hosting company was trying to fix something and shut down some functionality and it was not working correctly for a short period of time.
Super good made it today 8 hr cream cheese at the start it melted and ‘incorated’ as the recipe suggest…give it time people
This buffalo chicken chili looks great! I’ll definitely try it! Any idea of the calorie count on this (dare I ask)?
TIA~!
I don’t even want to know the calorie count! 😉 But you could always plug it into myfitnesspal.com or caloriecount.com if you need a estimate.
Excited to start cooking from your recipes.
Great!! Be sure to let me know what you try out!
I’m making this tomorrow night and was wondering how many servings this recipe makes. I’m cooking for 6 adults and wanted to make sure I don’t need to double the recipe. Also, any suggestions for a tasty side and dessert to go with this meal?
Hi! I think this should easy feed 6 especially with sides and desserts. I love it with tortilla chips or you could even do some little sandwiches. Chocolate chips cookies or brownies for dessert!!
I know you posted this a year ago, but I just made it for the first time and it was awesome! I actually won a cookoff at work. As others suggested, I halved the liquid. I also used pinto beans simply because they’re my favorite bean. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to a “t” and it was fantastic. Great website too!
http://www.hauteashbury.com
Congrats on the win!! Very exciting!! So glad you liked it!
Any idea what the nutritional facts are on this?? Thank !
I don’t have that info… BUT you can plug the recipe in at My Fitness Pal or in another online calculator and customize to the specific ingredients you use to get a very good estimate. I love using those sites when I need an idea of nutritional content!
Hi, the most exotic tomatoes in my local grocery store out in the boonies is with Italian herbs! What are fire roasted tomatoes and what could I use instead? Thanks 😀
you can just use plain canned diced tomatoes instead, it will turn out just fine 🙂
Thank you 😀
Made this over the weekend and everyone loved it. My two year old kept coming back for more! I doubled the recipe but used 3 lbs of shredded chicken (boiled first and then shredded it) and did not double the chicken stock. The cream cheese melted fantastically and it was a nice, thick consistency. Will make for my chili cook-off at work tomorrow!
Woohoo!! Good luck at the chili cook off!!
I made,this for a chili cook off, and won! In fact, it was all gone an hour before the contest ended! Everyone raved about it. The only changes I made was to add cayenne, celery, jalapeno, red onion and spicy ranch mix. This was so deliciious!
yay Paula!!! Congrats!! That’s so fun, thanks for letting me know!! 🙂
Made this for a Chili Cook off last night, and it was a huge hit! Added Bacon and used 3 cups of chicken broth after reading comments. Not soupy or grainy at all! Will definitely be making again!!
Nice!! Glad it was a hit and the bacon sound yummy!
I love this soup! I have made this soup about a dozen times since last winter and it is a keeper!! If you like buffalo sauce you will love this!
Yummy! I used chicken breasts instead of ground chicken, no need to pre-cook. Just put them in the bottom of the crock under every thing else. After 9 hours on low, it was super tender and easy to shred.
As others have commented, it is more of a soup as written. I used less chicken broth (about 3 cups I think), and next time will probably thicken it up with another can of beans, pureed, or my secret ingredient in lots of soups and stews: pureed cauliflower! It a great way to add some extra veggies in!
Pureed cauliflower… love it!!! Great idea!
I cannot wait to try this, my son likes chili but he doesn’t like the beans I put in mine (light red kidney beans), so I am going to try this for him. My son bought me a crock pot that you can take the crock out and use on the stove, to brown your meat or whatever and I also have one that has a paddle that attaches to the lid and after your soups or stews cook for like 2 hrs. it will start stirring every thirty min.. So I can’t wait to try it on this chili. Thanks so much and keep the recipes coming for us. 🙂
oh nice! The one that stirs would be so perfect for this chili! Let me know once you make it!!
I recently made this, and it was very good. I used very small pieces of chicken instead of the ground chicken. I did everything else as written (I used the high crock pot setting for 4 hours). The chicken sort of dissolved, making the texture of the chicken strange. Do you think it would help to use bigger pieces? Or, maybe not browning the small pieces of chicken and putting them in raw would help? Thanks for any tips!
Hi Brita! What I would if you want to use regular chicken (boneless skinless breasts I’m assuming?) is to leave them in whole pieces. Just toss them in and then when everything is done cooking you can shred them up! Makes prep work easier and the chicken will hold up to slow cooking all day.
Thanks for the quick response! So, just to clarify, if I’m using regular chicken, I would put **uncooked** whole pieces of boneless skinless breasts in the crock pot? Would you recommend cooking on low for 8 hours or high for 4 in this case?
yep! Uncooked. Then either high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours should be fine!
Hi! I just made this again yesterday. I used two whole raw chicken breasts this time. After 4 hours on high, I shredded the chicken. It turned out perfectly!
Awesome!
I am definitely trying this for dinner tonight…I am thinking about adding diced red potatoes and doubling the recipe.
Hi Jean!! Potatoes will certainly add some heartiness to this chili and doubling will certainly help you feed a crowd 🙂 Let me know how it turns out!!
Loved this! Even my 18-month old ate it. I replaced the celery salt and onion powder with fresh diced celery and onion, and also diced up a carrot as well for some extra veggies. Was definitely more of a soup consistency than a chili to me, but that is a non-issue in my opinion. I may try do 2 or 3 cups of broth next time and I think adding uncooked chicken breasts and shredding them once cooked would be equally delicious and even easier.
That’s great! Yes, decrease the liquid and it will make it more of a chili consistency. Using the chicken breasts will also be delicious and thicken it up a bit (and make the prep even easier!). Glad your little one loved it too! 🙂
NOTE: I cooked it on top of the stove this time.
I made this for the Super Bowl, and this is REALLY GOOD! The secret to the cream cheese melting is to leave it out to come to room temperature before adding to the mix, and it will melt right in.
I made a few changes in the ingredients to up the veggie contents: subbed real garlic, a small onion diced, and celery for the garlic powder, onion powder, and celery salt. I used 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce, added two cans of beans drained and rinsed (cannellini and great northern) and no additional salt at all (salt is in the wing sauce). Lastly, I used fired roasted Rotel tomatoes with green chiles and non-fat cream cheese. The non-fat cream cheese melted right in after I left it on the counter for a while to come to room temperature…no problems at all.
This was a GREAT chili…..different but really good. I served it with the blue cheese crumbles, and had both Fritos and tortillas chips to crumble in the soup. My husband said this is a keeper. He didn’t think he was going to like it, but he had 2 bowls. Very good recipe!!!
Hooray!
I am eating the leftovers today, and I think they are better than the day I made the soup. I just got a text from hubby, and he just asked me how hard would it be to TRIPLE this recipe…LOL 🙂
Apparently he took this for lunch today too, and he wants me to make more to add to our big freezer’s ‘grab and go’ section. (I bulk make soups, stews, one pot meals, and casseroles on the weekend, and we portion them into individual servings. We then put them in the freezer on one shelf that is our “grab lunch and get to work without any hassle” shelf.)
He has even offered to go to the store today and buy 3 packs of the ground chicken for the recipe! Hubby is GOING TO THE STORE without me asking him….that’s the best compliment I can give this soup!!!
That is so cool! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
Super tasty!! I followed the recipe kinda. I didn’t have ground chicken, so I used boneless chicken thighs chopped fine. It was a bit soupy, so I thickened it with Masa and added another can of beans. The tomatoes were to chunky for my taste so I pulsed them quick in the blender. I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and only added 1/2 the amt called for. It’s a keeper!!
I made this for a chili cook off at work today and it was a HUGE hit. So huge that I ran out before the contest was over… I was still able to secure second place, but would have had 1st had the chili not been so popular! AWESOME, easy recipe.
Just as a suggestion to those saying the chili is too “soupy”, I used 3 cups of broth instead of 4. MUCH more of a chili consistency. Thank you for such a fun and Pinterest perfect recipe! I cannot wait to make this again. 🙂
Also, I used chicken breast, boiled then, and then shredded them myself. Seasoned with just a little bit of salt.
Woohoo! Great job!! Thank you so much 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! Mine isn’t done yet, but it’s turning out awesome! I used some leftover Kahlua Turkey and turkey stock instead. The only other thing I did different was to start with a reux (4oz butter/4oz flour) and it’s giving it a nice consistency. Also I’m not bothering with the crock pot since my turkey is already cooked. I can’t wait for dinner. 🙂
I made this today with ground turkey breast. Used 2 cups broth, eyeballed the Texas Pete’s wing sauce, used cannelini beans, sauteed some mirepoix veg (carrot celery and onion) with the turkey and used fresh cilantro after stirring the cream cheese. Hubby and I thank you for a delicious 28th anniversary dinner in cold Indiana 🙂
Awesome! Happy Anniversary!
This has been my favorite recipe since 2014! I am a very young college student and I found that this recipe is very cheap and delicious. Thank you!!!
Yay for delicious, simple and inexpensive recipes! And, aren’t the leftovers even better than the first time around? 🙂
This is a fantastic recipe. I did change it a little, because I wanted to bulk it up. I added an onion, a large zucchini and a second can of beans, without changing the amount of seasoning. I also used water instead of chicken stock. It is phenomenal. I’m regretting my decision to give away half the recipe to my sister like I promised…Thanks!
Thanks Laurie! I love the veggie additions, what a great idea! I hope your sister enjoyed it too! Maybe she can make the next batch to share 🙂
How many servings is this at what size do you think?
As written it should be around 8 1-cup servings, give or take.
How many servings does this make?
about 8
Woot woot! Won my churches chili cook off tonight with your awesome recipe. Brought home a nifty little trophy. Thanks for the deliciousness!
Hooray! Nice work!
How many servings does this make? I have a 6-qt crock pot, can I make a double batch?
Hi Leslie! This should serve at least 6. You could probably make a double batch if you reduce the chicken broth a bit to make it a bit of a thicker chili.
I found your recipe on Pinterest and it was a big hit at our Superbowl Chili Cook Off. I got 2nd place!! Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Yay! And congrats!
Hi Jennifer! I just had to leave a comment because this is so good!! I’ve never been a fan of buffalo sauce, but I loved it in this. What a clever play on flavors and textures that somehow work so well together! It’s no wonder everyone is winning awards with it! I made it just like the recipe called, except I boiled a few chicken breasts with the bones and skin. After they were cooked, I removed the skin and cut the chicken up in small shredded pieces and used the broth in the chili. I dumped the cream cheese on top, but couldn’t resist from stirring it about every half hour and didn’t have any of the trouble with it melting or mixing in that several other people said they had. I also really liked the consistency. It was hardy, creamy and so full of flavor. Thank you for the delicious change! It’s so easy to make and everyone loves it. It’s hands down my favorite recipe now.
Thanks Angie!!!
I absolutely love this chili and have shared with so many friends! I come back to it again and again, no matter the season!
I am so glad you love it, Beth!
I plan on making this today at lunch! I was going to double it though to save some for later, would doubling the recipe fit into a regular sized crockpot? I wasn’t sure exactly how much one recipe made. Can’t wait to try this as the Buffalo Chicken Casserole is my absolute favorite.
I think you’ll need a 7 or 8 quart to double the recipe.
Just made this for tonight’s supper and it was hearty and tasty! I made it on the stovetop instead of a crockpot, and I had no trouble with the cream cheese being grainy. I also let the cream cheese sit to room temperature and cut it into chunks, then put the pot on simmer. I dropped the cream cheese chunks into the pot, stirred it for a few minutes, and it had a great texture! I used two chicken breasts which I cooked in a pan with some allspice before shredding and dumping in the soup pot. After I cooked the chicken, I sautéed some diced celery then put it in the soup, ‘cuz when I think of buffalo sauce, I think of the celery on the side that I dip in the sauce when all of my wings are gone! Anyway, I ate this lovely chili with some crusty bread! Very good!
So happy you enjoyed it, Mary!!
I made this tonight and it was great! After reading some reviews about the cream cheese issues some people had, I left mine out to come to room temp, then microwaved for 25 seconds before adding it to the finished chili. It worked like a dream! Other tweaks: I added a 2nd can of fire roasted tomatoes (undrained this time) and used only 1 1/2 cups broth. I topped mine with cilantro & served with pull apart garlic knots & it was a big hit. Thank you!
That’s awesome Chris! So glad you loved it! The garlic bread sounds delicious!
I love chili and this sounds great!
Looks yummy!!
Looks great for cold days!
I love making chili in a crockpot!
What a fun twist on chili! Sounds delicious.
This looks so yummy!
Wow, this looks spicy and yum!
This was so delicious! I’m going to make this a staple in our home. Everyone absolutely loved it! Even the picky toddlers!!
So glad to hear!
How many ounces of ranch dressing mix should be used? I could only find a large packet at the store. Looking forward to trying this recipe!
one ounce. Enjoy!!
I should have commented a while ago, but I made this chili for a chili cook-off at my office last December (2017) and won first place! It was AMAZING and everyone loved it. This is definitely a go-to recipe for my family. Thanks for sharing!!
That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing!
Wish I read through all the comments first. So runny I had to pour it all out. Waste of money and now have nothing to dinner. I even used half recommended liquid and added flour it was still runny.
Interesting… I’m making this tonight for my 5th time & ive never had an issue with it being too runny.
I only recently found this recipe- about 2 months ago & tonight is my 5th time making it. I am obsessed! I’ve made it for a group of 8 & also for just me & my husband- which is my favorite way to make it because then I get leftovers for days. 🙂
Every time I make it I’ve used 2 whole chicken breasts & then shred the chicken at the end.
Thanks for such an easy & delicious recipe that is now a family favorite! 🙂
Thanks Lacee! I’m so glad you love it!!
This turned out great!! I used turkey (seasoned with smoked paprika) instead of chicken, and I just won first prize at our company chili competition. 😀
That’s great news!! Congrats!
I also won the chili cookoff at work with this recipe! Only changes I made were to use spicy ranch seasoning packets instead of regular, and to add half a red onion and a clove of crushed garlic. (I also thickened it slightly with a spoon of cornstarch). Went heavy on the wing sauce, and it was a winner!
That’s amazing!! Congrats! Those additions sound delicious!
I have been making this for awhile now so I just had to come say THANK YOU! It’s one of my favorite soups!! It’s in my crock pot now and I’ve doubled it so I can share with a friend at work who just had a baby. It’s so easy and delicious. Always feels like finding a golden ticket when you can find a recipe that passes all the taste, ease and “works with our crazy schedules” tests and can go into the dinner rotation. Thanks so much for sharing! We will continue enjoying it for years to come!
Thank you so much Debbie!