Name: Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili at Home
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large); 1 medium yellow onion (diced); 3/4 cup finely chopped carrots; 15 ounces (canned) diced tomatoes with green chiles (like Rotel) (hot or mild); 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth; 3/4 cup buffalo sauce; 30 ounces great northern beans (rinsed and drained (or 2 cans)); 2 tablespoons dry ranch seasoning (from-scratch or store-bought (regular or spicy)); 1 tablespoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 8 ounces cream cheese (softened); 1/2 cup heavy cream; shredded monterey jack cheese (or pepper jack cheese); sliced green onions; avocado; sour cream or plain nonfat greek yogurt; chopped cilantro; corn tortilla chips (or fritos)

This Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili is a simple and savory! Chicken breasts simmer with great northern beans, diced tomatoes and green chiles, buffalo sauce and spices. Before serving, quickly shred the chicken and stir in heavy cream and cream cheese. Serve in bowls and top with your regular toppings. Yields 6 servings.

It’s cold. And snowy. And did I mention cold??

When the weather outside is in the negatives, I prefer to stay in doors. Typically you’ll find me under a heated blanket reading a book and sipping a cup of coffee. And if dinner is in the slow cooker, it only adds to the comforting vibes. This slow cooker buffalo chicken recipe was shared with me from my friend, Rhiannon who found it on TikTok. She brought it to a get together and I completely fell in love with it. It was the reliable consistency and the level of spice was only right. I only made a few minor changes to it, like adding additional can of beans, reducing the amount of carrots and adding garlic powder. But the method is still the same; chicken breasts cooks with white beans, diced tomatoes and green chiles with spices and broth. Then, right before serving, you shred the chicken, mix in the softened cream cheese and heavy cream. It actually couldn’t be any easier.

What A regular here about this method, besides how straightforward and flavor-packed it is, is that you can control how spicy you want it. Like extra heat? Use spicy ranch seasoning (or add 1/2 up to 1 teaspoon of cayenne to your kitchen-made ranch mix) and use “hot” diced tomatoes and green chiles. Want it more tame? Use regular ranch mix and “mild” diced tomatoes and green chiles. Either way it’s striking.

Then serve in bowls, topped with your go-to chili toppings and tortilla chips!

For this Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili Gather:

boneless skinless chicken breasts – You’ll need about 1¼ pound or about 2 large.
yellow onion – Adds a sweet and subtle onion flavor.
carrot – Adds color, texture and subtle sweetness.
diced tomatoes with green chiles – Use hot or mild depending on what you prefer.
great northern beans – For ease, I use canned beans that have been rinsed well and drained.
low-sodium chicken broth – Use kitchen-made or store-bought.
buffalo sauce – Use kitchen-made or store-bought. If using store-bought, I like Kinder’s Buttery Buffalo (not sponsored).
ranch seasoning – Use regular or spicy ranch mix. Or add 3/4 to 1 teaspoon cayenne to kitchen-made ranch mix.
chili powder – Adds flavor and can be mild to moderately spicy.
cumin (ground) – Lends earthiness and warmth, with an edge of citrus.
garlic powder – Adds flavor that’s sweeter yet milder than fresh garlic.
onion powder – Lends additional bold oniony flavor.
cream cheese – Gives the chili creamy texture and richness.
heavy cream – Also lends richness.

optional toppings:

greek yogurt or sour cream
monterey jack cheese
avocado
green onion
tortilla chips

Prep Slow Cooker The Buffalo Chicken Chili:

Into your slow cooker, add 1¼ pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Then add in 1 medium diced yellow onion, 3/4 cup diced carrot and 1 (15 ounce) can of diced of hot or mild diced tomatoes with green chiles (aka Rotel).

Next, add 2 (15 ounce) cans of great northern beans that have been rinsed well and drained. Then pour in 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth.

Pour in 3/4 cup of buffalo sauce. Use kitchen-made or if using store-bought, Kinder’s buttery buffalo was recommended to me and it’s savory.

Next, season with 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning (1 packet if using store-bought), 1 tablespoon chili powder and 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin, garlic powder and onion powder.

Stir well to combine.

Slow Cook The Chili:

Cover and slow cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.

Finish The Chili:

With 1 hour left on the slow cooker, remove 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese from your fridge and let soften at room temperature. After 30 minutes, add the cream cheese to the slow cooker, cover and let it get genuinely soft for 30 minutes.

After the cream cheese has been in the slow cooker for 30 minutes, remove the chicken breasts to a bowl or cutting board and shred using two forks. Set off to the side for a moment.

To the slow cooker, pour 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Using a spatula, stir everything until its thoroughly combined.

Add the shredded chicken back in.

And stir once more to incorporate and heat through.

Serve The Buffalo Chicken Chili:

Ladle chili into bowl and top with any and all desired toppings.

We like ours with plain greek yogurt (or sour cream), shredded monterey jack cheese, sliced avocado and green onions and a few shakes of your go-to hot sauce. Also, I feel like I should note that I rarely use a spoon for this chili, any chili truly, and use tortilla chips instead.

How To Store Kitchen-made Chili:

Transfer the chili to bowl or bowls that has an air-tight lid. Allow the chili completely cool uncovered. The chili doesn’t have to be completely cold, only not hot or extremely warm as it can negatively affect the food surrounding it in the fridge.

How Long Can Chili Last In the Fridge?

If stored properly Chili will last for 4 to 5 days in the fridge.

Can you Freeze Buffalo Chicken Chili?

Yes! However, please note that the texture may change due to heavy cream and cream cheese being in the recipe. The cream and cream cheese can sometimes separate, become grainy, or lose its smooth, creamy consistency upon thawing.

How long does Chili last in the freezer?

Store chili in the freezer for up to 3 months. (see below)

How To Freeze Chili And Reheat Later:

COOL: It’s always dependable to make sure the chili is has cooled before freezing. Never place hot or quite warm items in the freezer (or fridge!) as it can thaw and negatively affect the nearby food.
PORTION: Once cooled, divide chili into portions, leaving room for expansion. Whether it’s a single serving, two or four, portion the cooled chili into either freezer safe bags or air-tight containers. I prefer using freezer safe bags and removing as much air as possible, this helps with storing.
FLATTEN: After you’ve portioned out the chili, lay flat on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze for a few hours. Like how I did it in this post.
STORE: Now you can stack the flat frozen chili portions vertically or horizontally saving so much freezer space.
REHEAT: I prefer to thaw frozen chili overnight in the fridge. However you can soak in a sink of lukewarm water for 20 to 30 minutes – flip every so often and change out the water at least once or twice. When reheating chili with cream or cream cheese, reheat heat slowly to avoid separation and texture changes. You can also make the chili ahead of time, leaving out the cream and cream cheese, and then adding it in after reheating.