Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
This zesty buffalo chicken chili is a cozy, easy dinner recipe for chilly days — with just 5 minutes of prep! Serve the cream cheese chicken chili with a side of corn chips for scooping, a skillet of cornbread, or a simple green salad. It’s a creamy, crowd-pleasing slow cooker meal that the whole family will love!
Table of Contents
If you love buffalo chicken recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this dump-and-bake buffalo chicken pasta, these buffalo chicken sliders, and this buffalo chicken casserole, too!
Buffalo Chicken Chili with Cream Cheese
We all need those quick dump-and-go slow cooker meals that don’t require any extra hands-on effort. On busy days when you don’t have much time for cooking, this buffalo chicken chili comes to the rescue. It’s also a great party food to serve at Game Day gatherings, tailgates, or other festive occasions when you need to feed a crowd. Keep it warm in the Crock Pot and let your guests serve themselves!
Is Buffalo chicken spicy?
Yes, a classic buffalo chicken wing sauce is quite spicy — thanks to plenty of cayenne red peppers! The good news is that you can control the heat in your pot of chili when you prepare this dish at home. The recipe calls for ½ cup of buffalo sauce, but you can cut that back to ¼ cup for a more mild option. You can also kick it up and make it even spicier by serving extra wing sauce on the side. Let each individual add more heat to his bowl as needed.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a batch of crock-pot buffalo chicken chili. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Chicken: either boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs will work, so pick your favorite.
- Chicken broth: start with a small amount, and then add extra at the end to reach the desired consistency.
- Buffalo wing sauce: gives the chili that classic buffalo chicken flavor! I use Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wings Hot Sauce, but any similar variety will work. It makes the chili a bit spicy, and adds a nice acidic, vinegar-based tang that cuts through the rich, creamy broth.
- Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles or petite-diced tomatoes: the Ro-tel adds even more spicy “kick” to the chili, so substitute with plain diced tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes for a mild option.
- Corn: for a hint of natural sweetness that bulks up the meal.
- White beans: I like navy beans in this recipe, but cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, or other chili beans like pinto beans or kidney beans will all work.
- Dry Ranch Seasoning Mix: a packet of this dry ranch dressing mix is an easy seasoning blend that adds bright, flavorful herbs and spices to the dish.
- Chili powder, ground cumin, and onion powder: classic chili seasonings for a warm, zesty pot. Feel free to add garlic powder or a couple cloves of garlic, too!
- Cream cheese: adding a block of cream cheese at the end gives the broth a creamy, cheesy taste and a thick, rich, smooth texture.
How to Make Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
There’s no prep work involved, so you can throw all of the ingredients into your slow cooker on the way out the door in the morning and come home later to a warm pot of tasty buffalo chicken chili in a perfectly-seasoned broth.
- Place all of the ingredients except for the cream cheese in a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- Shred the chicken with two forks.
- Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot, along with the cream cheese.
- Cover and cook for 5-10 more minutes, until the cream cheese melts into the broth.
- Ladle into bowls, garnish with toppings, and enjoy!
How do you make chicken chili thicker?
There’s nothing worse than a watered-down, soupy pot of chili! Instead, the best chili has a thick, rich consistency that you can scoop with chips. That’s why we only add a little bit of chicken broth to start. It seems like it won’t be enough, but a lot of condensation falls back down into the Crock Pot, thinning the chili as it cooks. Have some extra broth on hand, though — you might want to loosen it up at the end if it’s still too thick. Think of this like a chili version of the classic party-favorite buffalo chicken dip!
Chili Toppings
Set out plenty of fresh toppings for your buffalo chicken chili with cream cheese, including:
- Grated cheese
- Sour cream
- Diced avocado
- Fresh cilantro
- Sliced green onion or minced red onion
- Hot sauce
- Sliced jalapeño peppers
- Lime wedges
- Crushed tortilla chips, tortilla strips, or other corn chips (like Fritos)
What do you eat with buffalo chicken chili?
Here are some easy sides to pair with a warm bowl of chili:
- Jalapeno Cheddar Mexican Cornbread, Southern Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, or Cake Mix Cornbread
- Cornbread Muffins or 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
- 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, or Cheese Biscuits
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Wedge Salads, House Salad or Caesar Salad
- Fritos chips
- Saltine crackers
- Carrots or celery sticks
- Easy Homemade Guacamole with tortilla chips and salsa
Storage
Leftover chili will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
How to Freeze
I do not recommend freezing the chili after you add the cream cheese. A dairy-based broth tends to “break” or separate when thawed from the freezer, giving the chili an undesirable texture. Instead, you can prepare the chili in advance, but do not add the cream cheese. Allow the chili to cool to room temperature, store in airtight containers, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw frozen chili in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat, stirring the cream cheese into the pot during the final 5-10 minutes.
How to Reheat
Place chili in a saucepan. Cover and warm over low heat, just until heated through. If it seems too thick, thin the chili with a splash of extra broth. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for 1-2 minutes on high power.
Recipe Variations
- Add more veggies to the chili with diced celery or diced red bell pepper.
- Instead of navy beans, use other white beans such as Great Northern beans or cannellini beans. You can also substitute with pinto beans or chickpeas.
- If you prefer the texture of ground meat in your chili, substitute with 1 ½ – 2 lbs. of ground chicken, ground beef, or ground turkey. You’ll need to cook the ground meat in a skillet and drain off the fat before using it in the recipe.
- Instead of canned corn, substitute with about 1 ¾ cups of frozen corn.
- No Beans: if you don’t care for beans in your chili, you can just omit that ingredient altogether, or substitute with an extra can of corn.
- For a mild taste, swap out the Rotel tomatoes and green chilies for a can of regular petite-diced tomatoes or fire-roasted diced tomatoes.
- Make it less spicy by using just ¼ cup of buffalo sauce.
Tips for the Best Buffalo Chicken Chili Recipe
- Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, depending on your preference. Chicken thighs tend to stay more moist and juicy in the slow cooker than the white meat chicken breast, but either option works fine!
- All slow cookers run on slightly different temperatures, so cooking times vary. My Crock Pot tends to cook dishes pretty quickly, so my chili is always done after 3 hours on HIGH. Kara leaves her chili in her Crock Pot for 8 hours on LOW, so that might work well for you, too.
- Start with a small amount of broth. The condensation from the Crock Pot will add more liquid to the dish. If you prefer a thinner chili, simply add extra broth at the end, until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature and dice into cubes before stirring it into the pot. This will help the cheese melt smoothly into the chili.
- Make ahead! This chili just gets better as it sits, so you can make a batch on the weekend and keep it packaged in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat individual bowls for quick lunches and dinners throughout the week.
More Chili Recipes to Try
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Stovetop White Bean Chicken Chili
- Pumpkin Chili
- Slow Cooker Chili
- Easy Texas Chili
- Classic Beef Chili
- Southern Chili
- One Pot Chili Mac
- Beef and Beer Chili
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
- 1 cup chicken broth (plus an extra 1-2 cups to thin the chili at the end)
- ½ cup buffalo wing sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot brand
- 1 (15 ounce) can petite-diced tomatoes or 1 (10 ounce) can Ro-tel tomatoes and green chilies, not drained
- 1 (15.25 ounce) can of corn, drained
- 1 (16 ounce) can of navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (1 ounce) packet of dry Ranch seasoning mix
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature and cubed
- Optional for serving: chips or cornbread; sliced green onions; sour cream; cilantro; grated cheddar cheese; blue cheese crumbles
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients (except for the cream cheese) in a large slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- Remove the chicken and shred with two forks or chop. Return the chicken to the slow cooker and give everything a good stir.
- Add the cream cheese to the slow cooker, stir, cover, and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cream cheese melts and incorporates into the broth. At this point, stir in additional broth, as necessary, to thin the chili and reach your desired consistency.
- Serve with optional toppings, chips, or cornbread!
Notes
- Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, depending on your preference. Chicken thighs tend to stay more moist and juicy in the slow cooker than the white meat chicken breast, but either option works fine!
- All slow cookers run on slightly different temperatures, so cooking times vary. My Crock Pot tends to cook dishes pretty quickly, so my chili is always done after 3 hours on HIGH. Kara leaves her chili in her Crock Pot for 8 hours on LOW, so that might work well for you, too.
- Start with a small amount of broth. The condensation from the Crock Pot will add more liquid to the dish. If you prefer a thinner chili, simply add extra broth at the end, until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature and dice into cubes before stirring it into the pot. This will help the cheese melt smoothly into the chili.
- Make ahead! This chili just gets better as it sits, so you can make a batch on the weekend and keep it packaged in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat individual bowls for quick lunches and dinners throughout the week.
Made this today and substituted cannellini beans for the navy beans to keep it ‘white’ looking. One of the most delicious crock pot meals so far. Will definitely be making this regularly over the winter months. Many thanks from the UK!!
I’m so glad to hear that, Mark. Thank you for letting me know. Have a great week!
I’ve followed you for many years and make so many of your awesome recipes over and over again and they never fail to turn out so wonderful! I do so miss the old blog and following the stories of your boys. I’m sure you like the privacy, and respect it totally, but always think back to that time and greatly enjoyed that era! I do wonder what brand slow cooker you are using in this recipe? Thank you and keep up the great work.
The good old days of blogging! 🙂 Thank you for your kind note, Kathleen! Yes, I do try to limit what I share about the kids these days, since they’re all getting older and have their own opinions about being online. I do weekly recaps from our life in my Sunday morning post, so the kids still make appearances there, but I do try to keep it to just the highlights.
Thank you for following along with us for so many years!
My family loved this chili, so I made it twice in one week and doubled the recipe the second time. I am wondering if this could be frozen? I like to keep a few bowls of a variety of soups frozen for later use. Thanks!
I’m so glad that your family enjoyed it, Dee! Freezing cream-based soups and chilis can be tricky, since the creamy broth can separate or curdle when thawed (giving the dish an undesirable texture). Instead, what I do, is freeze the chili BEFORE adding the cream cheese. When ready to enjoy, thaw the chili in the fridge overnight, reheat on the stovetop or in the Crock Pot until warm, and then stir in the cream cheese just before serving (as instructed in the original recipe). Hope that helps!
Yes! Thank you! I will do that.
I made this for a large gathering at my house and it was delicious! I used shredded rotisserie chicken which made it super easy to throw together. Everyone enjoyed it!
We’re so glad it turned out well, Abigail!