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This simple one-pot Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili is perfect for game day, family dinners, and any night in between. Made with a blend of herbs, buffalo 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. Great on its own, but even better with a side of homemade soft pretzels or tortilla chips!
Some recipes have the ability to turn out so, so, good. Better than I had pictured in my head. When this happens, I’m always overly excited to share. It’s not every day that a recipe ends up working perfectly and tasting even more delicious.
Backing up a little here. I’m sure many of you are familiar with my White Chicken Chili. It hasn’t even been a year since I made the recipe and it’s already the second most popular recipe I’ve ever shared. It’s crazy how many of you have made it and enjoyed it!
It is so fun to see!
Over the weekend, I really wanted to make chili. The white chili sounded perfect and I had everything I needed. But I also wondered how I could switch it up and reinvent everyone’s favorite fall/winter dish.
I mentioned a buffalo-style chili to my mom and immediately she responded back, “oh that is what you should make, make that!”. She’s not always that enthusiastic about food, so I took her advice.
I’m sure glad I listened because I think we like this white chili even more than the original. It’s similar, but then it’s also so different. The flavors are worlds apart, but both are so good in their own ways.
We just LOVE anything with some buffalo sauce around here and it’s certainly fun for game day or a chili cook-off!
The details
Start by cooking up the onion and vegetables in a dutch oven, until they smell fragrant. For the seasonings, I wanted to add a ranch element to the chili, so I used a mix of parsley, chives, and dill with a touch of paprika. These are the herbs and spices I use in my homemade ranch, so it really gives off that yummy flavor.
Pour in the broth and simply let the chicken simmer until it’s cooked through and shreds easily.
Once the chicken is cooked, pull it out, and shred it.
Next, stir the cream cheese into the chili and finish it up with that shredded chicken and some white beans.
Now comes the buffalo sauce. I used my homemade sauce, which I shared in the notes. But you can use store-bought sauce or even just your favorite hot sauce. I love Franks Red Hot.
So stir in the buffalo sauce, your favorite salsa verde, and then a bit of cheddar cheese.
The toppings
As with any other chili recipes, the toppings are key. For this chili, I like to do a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, then cheddar cheese, cilantro, avocado, and green onions. If you enjoy blue cheese crumbles, which we do, that would be great as well!
Homemade soft pretzels, beer bread, or cornbread on the side are extra delicious if you have time.
This buffalo chicken chili recipe is a dinner the whole family really will enjoy!
Looking for other fall dinners with a little kick? Here are a few ideas:
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
Lastly, if you make this Spicy Buffalo White 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. And of course, 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!
Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 552 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried chives
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 4-6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 can white beans, drained
- 3/4 cup buffalo sauce
- 1/2 cup salsa verde
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- avocado, cheddar cheese, and Greek yogurt, for serving
Instructions
Stove
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and poblano peppers cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, parsley, chives, dill, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, until very fragrant. Add the chicken, then stir in 4 cups broth. Season with salt and pepper. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.2. Pull the chicken out and shred using 2 forks. 3. Stir in the cream cheese until smooth, slowly letting it melt into the broth. Add the shredded chicken, white beans, salsa verde, buffalo sauce, and cheddar cheese. Cook 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. If needed, thin with additional broth.4. Ladle the chili into bowls. Top, as desired, with Greek yogurt/sour cream, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Eat and enjoy!
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, combine the onion, poblano peppers, garlic, parsley, chives, dill, and paprika. Add the chicken, then stir in 4 cups broth and cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper.2. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4-5 hours.3. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the white beans, salsa verde, buffalo sauce, cheddar, and cilantro.4. Ladle the chili into bowls. Top, as desired, with Greek yogurt/sour cream, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Eat and enjoy!
Notes
Buffalo Sauce: Mix 1/2 cup hot sauce, 1/2 cup olive oil or melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, and a 1/2 teaspoon each onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a glass jar or measuring cup. Mix together.
This post was originally published on September 28, 2022
Fan favorite all around. Did a bit more verde than buffalo and even my friends who “hate buffalo sauce” LOVED this. New go to crockpot recipe.
Hey Shelby,
Lol awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! xT
I made this tonight and, as usual, you did not disappoint! Was ridiculously good and I will definitely be sharing it to my @cookingwithnormajean Instagram page! A number of my friends have found you through my page also. I have a question and that is does it work if quantities are doubled for the slow cooker? Visiting son in college next week and plan on making this for him and his friends but need a bigger quantity for college boys!
Hey Norma,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks for making it! Yes, you can certainly double it, I would just be sure your crockpot is large enough to handle it! Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xx
Amazing! It’s like buffalo chicken dip in chili form. The flavors are spot on. My family loved it. Will be going on our weekly dinner rotation for fall/winter. So so delicious!
And to specify….I used Franks red hot Buffalo sauce 3/4 cup and it was perfect.
Hey Nicole,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks for making it! Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xx
Great easy recipe for our weekday. Will definitely make it again!
Hi Katie,
Fantastic! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try! Happy Friday! xT
Delicious and easy! I used the instant pot (added cheeses, beans, sauce, and salsa at the end) and it was a perfect cozy weeknight meal. No issues here with too much spice. I also used 2 LB chicken thighs rather than 1 and I thought it was a good ratio. Thank you for another great recipe.
Hey Michelle,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Happy Friday! xT
Made this for dinner tonight! So delicious!! My store was out of pablano’s and jalapeños are too hot so I substituted a 4oz can of diced green chilis and added with the garlic. Then I started with 1/4 cup of Franks buffalo sauce to test the spiciness. That was the perfect heat for our family. I used our favorite mild salsa verde from Aldi’s. Served it up with your simple but amazing beer bread. So sooo good!
Hi Denise,
Happy Friday🍁 I appreciate you making this recipe and love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
This chili is unreal – I have made soooo many of Tieghan’s recipes (all great) but this is our favorite – Came together quickly and the flavors work so well. I substituted red kidney beans. Also, shredded the chicken with electric beaters in a bowl – easier and faster for me than with forks. I’ll make the homemade buffalo sauce next go, but in the interest of time, I used Sweet Baby Ray’s buffalo sauce which has great flavor. Thank you for always giving us new delicious recipes!
Hey Katie,
Love to hear this!! Thanks for making so many recipes, I love to hear that this one turned out well for you! Happy Friday! xx
How would you make this without cream cheese? Can I use something else – like pumpkin – as a substitute?
Hi Heather,
I probably wouldn’t add pumpkin…mascarpone or creme fraiche would be great options or just skip it:) I hope you love the recipe! xx
I used vegan cream cheese – and it turned out great!
Thanks Jessica!!
What brand hot sauce do you use in your homemade buffalo sauce recipe?
Hi Jen,
I like to use Frank’s Hot Sauce:) Let me know if you have any other questions! xx
We loved this recipe. I substituted jalapeño peppers in replacement of poblano peppers as the grocery store was out, and it turned out great!
Hi Allison,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out! xx
This is quite delicious!! Creamy, cheesy with some heat – totally a hardy dish. I was hesitant to make this but my son loves anything with buffalo sauce. Truth: my husband and I were totally dubious, but it turned out GREAT. The buffalo sauce recipe is a keeper for other future uses as well. Thanks as always!!
forgot to rate it! 5 stars 🙂
Thanks again Brooklyn:)
Hey Brooklyn,
Happy Friday🍁 I appreciate you making this recipe and love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
This looks amazing but I live in a place with no salsa verde or tomatillos to make my own. What would you recommend as a substitute or would you just leave it out?
I love your recipes so can’t wait to make this one too! Thanks in advance ❤️
Hi Anna,
You could try using just a regular salsa that you enjoy, enchilada sauce, or green enchilada sauce would work best if you have access to that! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
I hate to pan a recipe, but I just have to share my experience with this. Let me start by saying that my family LOVES spicy food. Really, really spicy, smoke-out-of-your-ears, make-your-nose-run, 9/10 spice level. This recipe was just too spicy – like an odd acidic spicy. I followed the recipe exactly and stopped in my tracks when it said add 3/4 cup of the buffalo sauce recipe. I thought it might be too much, so I only added 1/2 cup. Holy smokes! It was BLAZING. I quickly made another batch of the soup (minus the buffalo sauce recipe) and combined with the first batch. It was better but had this strange acidic spiciness that burned the back of our throats. I used a new bottle of Frank’s Red Hot sauce, which is what I use to make buffalo dip, Trader Joe’s salsa verde and poblano peppers (which should be mild), so I’m not sure what caused the heat. My advice: Make this soup but start with 1/4 cup of the buffalo sauce recipe and add more to taste. Really appreciate all the amazing recipes I find here; this one just missed the mark for me today.
You did not follow her instructions then! You used Franks sauce NOT buffalo sauce, which you can see the recipe for in the notes. Of course it was way too hot if you just used straight up hot sauce.
I’m confused by this comment. Frank’s Red Hot is Buffalo sauce.
Regular Frank’s Red Hot is simply hot sauce:) They do have a buffalo sauce version though, they are two different things.
To be clear: As stated in my original post, I DID make the buffalo sauce recipe and that IS what I used to make this soup. My original post was not to bash the recipe – it was a suggestion to be cautious and taste as you go. 🙂
Hi Rhonda,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was too spicy. You made the buffalo sauce recipe? But what kind of hot sauce did you use to make it? I’m wondering if the choice of hot sauce was just too much! Please let me know how I can help! xx
Hey Tieghan, you’re so kind to check with me. I used a brand new bottle of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce to make the buffalo sauce recipe that was attached to the main recipe. I tasted the Frank’s sauce on its own today and it’s hot, but not abnormally so. And I did use poblanos – which are usually mild. But I didn’t taste them – just chucked them in the pot. Maybe that was it? Maybe next time, I will taste them (or char grill them) to see that they are not too hot. We crumbled corn bread on top today at lunch and that sweetness helped to offset the heat. Take care!
Ahhh gotcha! Well sounds like you did everything correctly:) Maybe it was the poblano? I cooked with some last night and they weren’t as mild as they normally are! Thanks again for making this recipe💕
Did you make her specific buffalo sauce? It’s not 3/4 straight buffalo sauce. She takes 1/2 cup of buffalo sauce and 1/2 cup of melted butter and mixes together. That’s her version of buffalo sauce that she uses for all her recipes where she used buffalo sauce
Franks Red hot sauce is not buffalo sauce. The recipe calls for buffalo, that’s why it tasted acidic
I am a huge fan on HBH and this is hands down one of my favorite recipes to date. PERFECT! I omitted dill only because I didn’t have any, made my own buffalo sauce according to recipe (added whole cup) and an extra can of white beans. Winner.
Hey Kim,
Wow! So glad to hear that this recipe was such hit! Thanks for making the chili! Have a great weekend! xx
What a great recipe for fall! As soon as I saw this new post this morning I knew I had to make it. I was unsure how the different flavors would go into this untraditional white chicken chili, but Tieghan never disappoints. So. Good.
Thanks so much Kara!! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it! xT