Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
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!
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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!
This 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
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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
Nutrition
Can’t get enough buffalo chicken?
Slow Cooker Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Original photos:
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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 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 🙂
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 🙂
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! 😉