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This simple Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Chili is perfect for game day, family dinners, and all the nights in between. Made with tomatoes, spices, hot sauce, poblano peppers, and shredded chicken. It’s spicy, creamy, and so delicious. Top each bowl of chili with plenty of cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, and avocado. We love to add tortilla chips on the side. Delicious!
We have a new favorite chili recipe! This has been a winter for experimenting with chili. In the last few months, I’ve shared a queso chicken chili and a beef chili and we’ve been loving them both!
We’ve had a snowy start to the year, and temperatures have been COLD. I’ve been really leaning into the coziness of the season with more crockpot recipes or braised dishes. They’re always so easy and turn out delicious!
But now that the Super Bowl is around the corner, I’ve shifted my focus to dishes with the big game in mind. It’s so fun!!
Ingredients
- Medium yellow onion
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- Hot sauce
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- Chipotle chili powder
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes
- Poblano peppers
- jalapeño pepper
- Chopped celery
- Bone or chicken broth
- Salted butter
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Fresh cilantro
- Avocado
- Cheddar cheese
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
A buffalo chicken chili sounds different, but you have to trust me; this is one of our favorite recipes right now.
Traditionally, buffalo chicken requires you to bread your chicken tenders, bake or fry the chicken, and then toss it up in sauce. Delicious, of course, but sometimes this is more work than we want, especially during the week.
But buffalo chili? It’s easy! Simply mix all the ingredients together and slow-cook. You can use the crockpot or make the chili on the stove. Easy enough for everyone!
These are the details
Step 1: mix the chili base ingredients
For this chili, you’ll need chicken breasts or thighs (I like a mix), hot sauce (we love Franks), then a mix of seasonings, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and chipotle chili powder.
For produce, you’ll need a can of fired roasted diced tomatoes, an onion, a couple of poblano peppers, jalapeños, and celery.
I like to use bone broth in place of regular broth for added protein. Then add a few tablespoons of butter.
Step 2: cook the chili
For the crockpot, mix everything listed in step 1, then cover and slow-cook either on low or high.
For the stove, mix all the ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked and shreds easily.
Completely no fuss.
Step 3: finish the chili
Once the chili has finished cooking, shred the chicken. It should be falling apart.
Now mix in plain Greek yogurt and melted cream cheese. I love to use yogurt as a higher protein option! The yogurt helps to cut down and tame the heat of the chili. Mix until the chili is a little creamy.
Finish it with cilantro.
Step 4: the toppings
The best part of any chili recipe? The toppings, of course!!
My must-haves for this chili are plain Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, extra cilantro, and green onions. Oh, and I like to add an extra spoonful of buffalo sauce! So yummy!
Instead of crackers or bread, tortilla chips are the way to go here! I bake my own with corn tortillas and olive oil. I use the chips to scoop the chili. It’s so delicious and a great recipe for the Super Bowl, too!
As with most chili recipes, the leftovers are even better. The more time the chili has to sit, the more flavor it develops!
I served this to my family last week and everyone certainly enjoyed it!!
My only tip is to make sure to adjust the recipe heat to your liking by using more or less hot sauce!
Looking for other dinners with a little kick? Here are a few ideas:
Crockpot Spicy Queso Beef Chili
Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili
Healthy Slow Cooker Chipotle Bean Chili
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Healthy Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Skins
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Crockpot Chipotle Queso Chicken Chili
If you’re looking for a round up of game day recipes, check this post out!
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Chili be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Chili
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 289 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1/2 cup hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder, use to your taste
- 1 can (28 ounce) fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped, and seeded if desired
- 3/4 cup chopped celery
- 2-4 cups bone or chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or cream cheese, melted
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- avocado, cheddar cheese, and Greek yogurt, for serving
Instructions
crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, combine the onion, chicken, hot sauce, garlic powder, paprika, chipotle chili powder, diced tomatoes, poblano peppers, jalapeños and celery. Stir in 2 cups broth. Add the butter slices. Season with salt and pepper.2. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.3. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the cream cheese/yogurt, and cilantro.4. Ladle the chili into bowls. Top, as desired with Greek yogurt, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. We add extra buffalo sauce and tortilla chips too! Eat and enjoy!
Stove
- 1. In a large Dutch oven, combine the onion, chicken, hot sauce, garlic powder, paprika, chipotle chili powder, diced tomatoes, poblano peppers, jalapeños and celery. Stir in 2 cups broth. Add the butter slices. Season with salt and pepper.2. Set over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.3. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the cream cheese/yogurt, and cilantro. Simmer over low heat, adding broth as needed until ready to serve4. Ladle the chili into bowls. Top as desired with Greek yogurt, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. We add extra buffalo sauce and tortilla chips too! Eat and enjoy!
This post was originally published on February 1, 2024
This is absolutely delicious! I used a splash of Ranch dressing as a topping instead of yogurt. I think it would also be yummy with bleu cheese crumbles. I also added cooked tepary beans from Ramona Farms for added protein. The beans are extremely rich in protein and have wonderful flavor. Thanks for the recipe.
Hey Sarah,
Awesome! Love to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it!
I wanted something I could quickly put in my crockpot while I worked that my family would love. It was soooo good! When I left home, the crockpot was full; one hour later it was almost empty. I’ll definitely be making this regularly thoughout the cooler months!
Hey Malea,
Happy Friday!🎃 Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad it was enjoyed!
This look amazing and I’d love to try, but I’d like to make it in the instant pot – would it still be ok?
Thanks so much, Courtney! So sorry, I have never tried this recipe in the instant pot, I would do the stove top version. I hope you love it!
Thoughts on searing the chicken before adding to the crockpot?
Hey Erin,
Sure, that would be just fine for you to do. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
Hi! This was so delicious. What is the serving size? Thanks!
Thanks so much, Caitlin! I would say about 1 1/2-2 cups for a serving.
Can you use shredded rotisserie chicken with this recipe?
Hey Marjorie,
Sure, that would be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this recipe!
Would this recipe freeze well? I’m thinking without the yogurt and then when reheating to add it?
Hey Jen,
Sure, that would be a great idea for this recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Amazing!! My husband said don’t make it – I don’t like buffalo sauce. I said it looks so good! Made it. He said it was amazing!!
Really really good!! Definitely a keeper!! ❤️❤️❤️
Hi Jill! Thank you so much for trying out this chili! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xT
I added one can of garbanzo, red kidney and black beans each as I always use those for any chili I make. Thanks.
Hey there,
Awesome! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best week:)
We love this recipe and had a last minute craving for it today. I have always cooked the recipe on low in my crockpot, but as I’m just putting this together this afternoon, I’m wondering if there is a difference in taste and consistency if I cook it on high. Does the chicken get tough? We used thigh meat. If low is the way to go then we will wait to eat and enjoy tomorrow.
Hey Kate,
Thanks so much for making this recipe so often! Cooking this on high is totally fine, the chicken will not be tough:) I hope this helps!
Love this one!
Hey Alex,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! xx
So delicious! My husband doesn’t prefer chili peppers in his food so I had to puree the jalapeño and poblano peppers but it totally worked!
Adding another recipe from Tieghan to my favorites list.
Hey Jenea,
Yay! Love to hear this:) Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment! Have the best day!!
The soup looks delicious. Can you please provide the nutritional info (protein, fat, carbs and fiber)? I need to see if it fits in my macros. Thanks
Hi Jodi,
So sorry, I do not have that info at this time. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
Can you please provide the nutritional info (protein, carbs, fat and fiber) for this soup? It sounds delicious but trying to make sure it fits in my macros. Thank you!
Hi Jodi,
So sorry, I do not have that info at this time. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help! I hope you love this recipe! xx
One word – Yummmmmmm! Followed the recipe to a tee, used cream cheese, and topped it with green onions & cheese. Thank you for providing SO many scrumptious and flavorful recipes on your website!
You posted a TikTok of a soup thats very similar to your Creamy Chicken Gnocchi soup, but this video had bacon in it, and maybe kale too. Can you pretty please share that recipe on here if possible? I’m totally a recipe follower and am too terrified to wing it. Huuuuuuuge thanks! 🙏🏼❤️
Thank you so much, Erica! So glad to hear this dish was a winner, I appreciate you making it! Is this the recipe you were looking for?
https://fett-weg.today/chicken-and-rice-soup/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> xx
No, that’s not it 🙁. The video definitely started with you cooking bacon in the pan. And there was kale, coconut milk… errr that’s all I can remember. I’m not on TikTok a lot, and can’t seem to find that video, which is super annoying. I believe you even called it creamy gnocchi soup. Ack! Oh well, just thought I’d try asking for it. Tons of other amazing recipes I can try from your site. 🙏🏼❤️
Ohhh is it this one?! https://fett-weg.today/chicken-gnocchi-soup/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I hope so!!
Yessssssss that’s the one!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Huge thank you! Saved it to my recipe box and will give it a try next week! Yayyyyy!
Thank you for this delicious and surprisingly easy recipe! Another hit! Just the right level of spice for me, opted out of the jalapeños and added a can of corn and black beans. Love this
Hey Kristie,
Happy Monday! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, I appreciate you making it and your comment! xx
My daughter (she’s a huge fan by the way) just made this a few days ago and suggested I give it a try. Making now. Question on the bone broth. The recipe says 2 to 4 cups that’s a pretty broad range. What does the difference from 2 to 4 cups depend upon?
Hey Casseo,
So glad to hear your daughter enjoyed this recipe! It really just depends how thick or thin you like your chili. I would start with 2 cups and go from there:) I hope this helps! xT
Thinking about making this. Do you think it’s okay to make with shredded rotisserie chicken and just cooked less time?
Hey Heather,
Totally, that would work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT