Buffalo Chicken Chili (High-Protein)

Award-winning buffalo chicken chili with shredded chicken, white beans, and just the right amount of heat. A creamy slow cooker or stovetop dinner!

Course dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Keyword buffalo chicken chili, chicken chili, chili, comfort food, crock pot, crockpot chicken chili, easy, one pot, Slow Cooker, spicy

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 5

Servings servings

Calories 344

1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, or thighs
3 (15-oz) cans white beans, drained and rinsed, such as Great Northern or cannellini
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups chicken stock
2-4 tablespoons cayenne pepper sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, plus more to taste

Add the chicken, white beans, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, chicken stock and cayenne pepper sauce to a 6-quart slow cooker, stirring to combine.
Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily.
Uncover, remove the chicken, and shred with two forks or dice into chunks. Using an immersion blender, blend the bean mixture for about 5-10 seconds. Alternatively, carefully, remove ½ to 1 cup of the bean mixture to a blender. Cover, blend on high, then add back to the chili, stirring to combine.

blending for just a few seconds will add a creaminess to the chili, while leaving the texture of most of the beans.

Ladle a few tablespoons of the bean mixture into a medium bowl. Add the cream cheese and stir until smooth. Add the shredded or diced chicken back to the slow cooker, along with the cream cheese-bean mixture, stirring to combine.
Taste and add additional salt or hot sauce if desired. If it's not spicy enough, this is your chance! Add 1 tablespoon of hot sauce at a time until your desired spice level is reached. Serve with any toppings you like.

Add the chicken, white beans, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, chicken stock and cayenne pepper sauce to a large Dutch oven.
Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Cook on medium-low heat at a high simmer, covered, for 40-60 minutes, until the chicken is tender and easily shreds with a fork, stirring occasionally.
Follow remaining slow cooker steps 3-5.

Optional Serving Suggestions: Hot sauce, sour cream, blue cheese crumbles, sliced green onions.
Spice Level: After cooking, my family felt like this came in at a medium to medium-spicy spice level. For a spicier option, add additional hot sauce at the end of cooking time (up to ¼ cup additional hot sauce or more). For a milder version, you can also reduce the amount of hot sauce to 2 tablespoons, but it won’t have as much of that classic “Buffalo” flavor.