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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
So yummy! Loved making and eating this can you store a batch in the freezer?
Hey Ruby,
Fantastic! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it! Yes, you can definitely freeze this. Happy Thanksgiving! xxT
This is my 2nd time making it. It was one chili packed with flavor! We all loved it!
Hi Shelley,
Happy Monday! I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish and appreciate you making it! Have a wonderful week! xxT
Made this tonight and it was SO delicious!! It was hearty without feeling heavy and had so much flavor! This is my first white chili (I am pretty attached to my more traditional chilis!) but will definitely make this again!
Yay!! So glad to hear this, Sarah! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment! xx
Do you think I can make this in a slow cooker?
Hey Emma,
Sure, that would work nicely for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Very, very good! I made it for our book club and loved by all. Thank you
Hey Mary Jo,
Happy Weekend!🍁 I’m so glad this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xXT
I prepared a large batch of Buffalo Chicken Chili for our Halloween open house and trick-or-treat street party. I love the option of scaling up recipes, so I made enough to serve 20 people. Everyone loved it, but by the time I realized I had forgotten the Buffalo sauce most people had already eaten. I can only imagine how much better it would have been if I added the extra flavor.
Hey Kym,
Happy November!! Thank you so much for trying this chili and sharing your feedback! Glad to hear it was a hit! 🍂
i had this recipe at a friend’s “stews and brews” gathering. Immediately I knew it would win 1st and it did! I made it for a girl’s weekend and we devoured it! I shared it with two other friends and they made and their groups raved. wonderful flavor and the dill surprised us all but we loved it! per usual – Tieghan hits it out of the park on this one!
Hey Kari,
Happy November!! Thank you so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback! Glad to hear it was a hit! 🍂
This is a weekly go to recipe in the winter. We add an extra can of beans so it has a nice balance of chicken and beans 🙂
Hey Madison,
Wonderful! Thank you so much for making this recipe so often, I am so glad to hear it always turns out nicely for you! Happy Halloween! 🎃
SO tasty and super filling. Can’t wait to make again!
Hey Chase,
Thanks so much:) So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, I appreciate you giving it a try! xT
What would you substitute for cream cheese to make it dairy-free? Coconut milk?
Hi Lauren,
I would just use a dairy free cream cheese, that will work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! XxT
Hi! Could I use heavy cream instead if I don’t have any cream cheese?
Hi Josie,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
This recipe always wows the crowd. I’m constantly sharing it with others after I make it. It never disappoints! Just fantastic!
Hey Paige,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe always turns out nicely for you, thanks for making it so often! Hope you are enjoying fall! XxT
This recipe is super delicious! Teighan do you have a salad you would recommend to go with it?
Thanks so much, Autumn!! You bet, here are some salad recipes you might enjoy:
https://fett-weg.today/cheddar-apple-kale-salad/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/butternut-squash-orzo-salad/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/lemon-parmesan-sesame-salad/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I hope this helps! xT
One of my favorite recipes, make it multiple times in the fall/winter!
Hey Grace,
Wonderful! So glad to hear this recipe always turns out well for you, thanks for making it so often! Xx
I’m making this for the second time this week. So delicious.
Thanks so much, Chloe! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe:) Thanks for making it! xT
Love this recipe!!! Does it freeze well?
Thanks so much, Linda! Yes, you can totally freeze this recipe:) Have a great day! xT
So good! I made this tonight, and substituted Impossible Sausage instead of chicken to make it vegetarian, and it was so delicious! I also did only 2oz of cream cheese and 2 oz of greek yogurt like others suggested, and added a can of pinto beans. It was really phenomenal! Next time, I plan to add even more beans, and a couple of fresh jalepenos.
Hey Lauren,
Happy Friday! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! xT