Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili is a great way to change up chili night and it’s sure to be a hit with buffalo chicken lovers! Spicy, creamy and full of shredded chicken, white beans, corn, fire roasted tomatoes, green chiles and so much more!
I’m embarrassed to say that when I pulled my slow cooker out of the pantry to make this Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili, it was covered in a lovely layer of dust. I’ll be the first to admit that my slow cooker doesn’t get a ton of action, especially in the summer. Grilling and salads take priority in the warmer months.
Now that the weather is starting to cool down, I decided it was time to put it to use again. Nothing tastes better on a cold day or night than a bowl of soup of chili. I already have a few chili recipes on the blog, this Slow Cooker Bison Sweet Potato Chili is delicious! Since my husband and I both love buffalo chicken, creating a recipe for this buffalo chicken chili was a no-brainer.
Ingredients Needed to Make Buffalo Chicken Chili
- Chicken breasts
- Chili powder, ground cumin, garlic and onion powder
- Celery
- Green onions
- Frozen corn
- Diced green chiles
- Fire roasted tomatoes
- Cannellini beans or other white beans
- Hot sauce / buffalo sauce
- Low sodium chicken broth
- Cream cheese
- Plain Greek yogurt
How to Make Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
As with most slow cooker meals, this chili is incredibly easy to throw together. Add all of the ingredients except the cream cheese and Greek yogurt to your slow cooker. Stir everything together and cover it with the lid. If you cook this on high it will take approximately 3 hours and on low 4-6 hours. The timing will be determined by the size of your chicken breasts and your slow cooker.
When the chicken is no longer pink inside, remove it from the slow cooker and shred it. Add the cream cheese into the slow cooker and whisk it in. Whisking gets rid of any lumps of cream cheese. Dump the chicken back in and cook for another 30 minutes. Turn the slow cooker off and quickly stir in the Greek yogurt. At this point the chili is ready to serve.
Toppings for Buffalo Chicken Chili
- Crumbled Blue Cheese. Blue cheese and buffalo sauce are a great combination. That’s why they’re often paired together when you order chicken wings.
- Green onions
- Cilantro or celery leaves
- Cheddar, Monterey Jack or Colby Jack cheese. If you love cheese, I highly recommend doing both blue cheese and Colby Jack cheese on top of this chili.
- An extra dollop of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Extra buffalo sauce, My go-to is Frank’s Buffalo Sauce
- Tortilla or corn chips crumbled on top if you need some crunch. They also make a great edible spoon to eat the chili with.
Tips to Prevent Chicken Breasts From Getting Dry in the Slow Cooker
- They don’t need 8+ hours to cook. Have you noticed how dry and stringy chicken breasts are after you leave them in the slow cooker all day? Even on a low setting they only need 4-6 hours.
- Don’t put frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker. This will add a significant amount of cooking time to whatever recipe you are making. I have also found that the texture of the chicken isn’t very appealing and often dry as well.
More Buffalo Chicken Recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats
- Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Buffalo Chicken Salad with Spicy Ranch Dressing
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Wonton Cups
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 14.5 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- 15 ounce can cannellini beans or white beans
- 1/2 cup hot sauce such as Franks Buffalo Sauce
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 4 ounces low fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- Blue cheese, cheddar cheese, cilantro and green onions for toppings
Instructions
- Add the chicken breasts and all of the other ingredients except the cream cheese and Greek yogurt to the slow cooker. Stir everything together then cover it with the lid. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours or until the chicken breasts are cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and onto a plate. Use forks or your hands to shred it. Add the cream cheese into the slow cooker and whisk it in until there's no lumps. Add the shredded chicken back in and cover with the lid. Cook on low for another 30 minutes.
- Turn off the slow cooker and quickly stir in the Greek yogurt. Don't let it sit or it may curdle. Taste for seasoning. Top the chili with shredded cheese, blue cheese crumbles, green onions, cilantro and extra hot sauce if desired.
Notes
- Cooking times for the chili will vary depending on your slow cooker and the size of the chicken breasts you are using.
- Leftovers will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. I don't recommend freezing the chili as there is dairy in it and the texture will change after being defrosted.
- Nutritional info for this recipe does not include toppings.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 361Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 807mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 7gSugar: 6gProtein: 47g
Another winner Danae!! Adding blue cheese takes it to another level. I don’t have a slow cooker so I braised the chicken for 20 minutes, shredded it and added it to the pot with the ingredients which had been simmering simultaneously. Perfect!
I’m so glad you liked the chili Diane!
Easy to make and such a fun twist on a classic chili—great flavors with the Buffalo sauce and blue cheese, but not too overpowering!
I’m so glad you liked the Chili Rachel, thanks for trying it out! The blue cheese crumbles are my favorite.