30 Minute Buffalo Chicken Soup.

January 24, 2012 · 155 comments

Welcome to the easiest soup ever. Ever ever.

Just 30 minutes and you can have a big, steaming bowl of chicken soup with a cute and cheesy toasted baguette and tons of other stuff piled on top. In a snap I tell you.

You are going to like this. I promise.

 

This is what it looks like when you ladle soup into a bowl from behind a camera.

This is what it looks like when you miss. Missing is my middle name.

These things down here… they equal the best flavor combo ever. Takes potatoes to the next level too. Trust me. Do this.

Here is my really tan hand.

See? Really tan.

When I first started this blog thing, my brother mentioned that he had an incredible buffalo chicken soup that I needed to recreate. It’s been on my radar and I’ve been harassed for… the lack there of. But sometimes things just don’t sound good to me. That’s the only way I develop recipes. What sounds good to me righthisveryinstant? With few exceptions, obviously. I mean if I had it my way, we would eat mashed potatoes, gravy, pulled pork and chocolate chips every way ’til Sunday.

Then I’d make something out of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Hellllllllo lover of 1996.

Luckily for me and my mouth, I was in the mood for buffalo chicken soup.

Not luckily for my lips, which are the most chapped (chappiest? chappest? most chappedetest?) they’ve ever been in my life. They currently hate me. Seriously. This is becoming a problem. I’m ’bout to go to the ER for my lips then stuff my head in a jar of vaseline.

This soup is straight up broth. No cream and just a little cheese, but not enough to make it super thick. In fact… I claim that this soup is healthy. Not all of you might… but I’m weird. Or maybe it’s you that’s weird. Whatever. It works for me.

So let’s get all of the bits and pieces out of the way:

Do I think you can make this in the crockpot? Sure.

Do I think you should add heavy cream? Definitely. I was out. And lazy.

Do I think you should make it for the Super Bowl? Yes, but quadruple it. Or more.

Do I think you should make it because it’s Tuesday? Um, duh. I’ll be over.

Do I think you can use other cheese? Frankly, no. But what am I gonna do, hunt you down?

Do I think you can skip the cilantro, because you know, cilantro is disgusting and you’d rather put the bar of soap in your mouth before actually even eating it? Don’t get me started. But I love you anyway.

Buffalo Chicken Soup

serves 2 as a meal, 4 as a starter

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8-10 oz), cooked and shredded

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon flour

32 ounces low-sodium chicken stock

1/3-1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce

1/3 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

sliced whole wheat baguettes, toasted with parmesan cheese

sliced green onions, crumbled gorgonzola and cilantro for topping

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onions with a sprinkle of salt to the pot, stirring to coat, then cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Add in garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Sprinkle in flour and stir for another 1-2 minutes. Add in stock, buffalo sauce, chicken and grated cheeses, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring every so often.

Serve soup and top with toasted baguettes, cilantro, green onions and gorgonzola.

Now why are you still here? You should be in the kitchen.

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{ 145 comments… read them below or add one }

honeywhatscooking January 24, 2012 at 11:27 am

Omg Jess, this looks amazing. So I have 2 questions for you…
When you cook and shred the chicken, you simply boil a pot of water, once it is hot, you add the chicken to it and once it is all white, remove it and shred? this method is poaching I believe.
Also, what brand of hot wing sauce did you use? Frank’s Red Hot Caynenne Pepper? Or something else. I think I’ve seen another brand for wing sauce that competes with Frank’s. Thanks.

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Amy W January 24, 2012 at 11:40 am

If this sounds rude I’m really sorry, I don’t mean it to be. Boiling water and cooking chicken in said boiling water is called “boiling” the chicken… (I don’t know how to say that any other way without feeling mean.) “Poaching” would be a simmering liquid. They are basically the same thing but it’s like the difference between sweating onions and caramelizing onions, ie. not a whole lot. ;)

As for the sauce, my personal favorite is Sweet Baby Ray’s, but I think you should use your own favorite. :)

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honeywhatscooking January 25, 2012 at 11:07 am

that wasn’t mean. :-) relax.

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Jessica January 24, 2012 at 11:41 am

I almost always have chicken already on hand, so I say cook it in a way that works for you! Poach, boil, grill, broil, bake… whatever is easiest for you to make at the time. And I use Frank’s Buffalo Wing – it’s different than Frank’s Red Hot. More of a buffalo flavor!

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Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga January 24, 2012 at 11:30 am

Love the humor and wittiness in this post…and the soup looks great but…

But..”Then I’d make something out of Cinnamon Toast Crunch” <– I want more of that :) Cinn Toast Crunch trumps buffalo things in my world :)

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Michelle January 25, 2012 at 10:34 pm

Greatest snack ever: cinnamon toast crunch (or golden grahams, either will do) mixed with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. It like a little s’mores snack mix and it is so super addicting.

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Cookbook Queen January 24, 2012 at 11:31 am

Ugh. Amazing deliciousness. I need this NOW.

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Rachel @ The Avid Appetite January 24, 2012 at 11:45 am

delish! I just made a cheesy chicken tortilla soup, but I bet it could be adapted to include this! Yum!

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Elizabeth @ the kitchen counsel January 24, 2012 at 12:07 pm

this looks amazing! and i’m so glad it doesn’t have blue cheese. i’m so not a fan of blue cheese, but it is in most buffalo chicken recipes. here, i won’t have to wrack my brain to find a substitution. jessica for the win!

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Katie January 24, 2012 at 12:22 pm

You and Bev with your buffalo chickeny things today – I think it’s a sign.

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Kathy January 24, 2012 at 12:22 pm

Seeing that we are originally from western NY, we can’t wait to give this a try!

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Jen Marie January 24, 2012 at 12:23 pm

Sounds amazing. My lunch at work is often leftover chicken breast, heated. I sit at a table and pull off chunks and dip it into Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce, which is fat free cause they add a butter flavoring. Totally good for you. So, this recipe is a no brainer!

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Tracy January 24, 2012 at 12:47 pm

Have I told you lately that I love you? ;-) This is seriously amazing. Plus the fact that it has no cream, because my hubby hates creamy soups…I’m making this pronto.

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ashley January 24, 2012 at 12:54 pm

lolll about the cilantro. I don’t think it tastes like soap but I still don’t like it! Must make this soup for chris. He is a buffalo sauce loverrr. Hilarious post my friend. :)

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Ann January 24, 2012 at 12:54 pm

Please don’t hate me for asking. I’m totally craving this recipe, but don’t eat meat. So I know I was going to sub the Veggie stock for the chicken stock. but I’m at a loss on the actual chicken. I know it needs something else. I was thinking celery and leeks? potatoes? I could add some mock chicken at the end, but just not sure. Anyone have any thoughts?

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Jessica January 24, 2012 at 12:56 pm

I think leeks and potatoes would work! A few veggies up at the top of the comments suggested tofu? The soup is pretty simple with the chicken (just broth, chicken, onions, wing sauce, cheese) so I don’t think you’d need to add a ton more!

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Paige January 25, 2012 at 8:28 am

I recently substituted chickpeas in another buffalo-sauced dish, and it was tasty! I wonder if adding some of those might work here too?

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Ann January 30, 2012 at 7:17 pm

I ended up adding just 4 stalks of celery. What’s buffalo without celery and ranch?! It was super delicious. I didn’t get the cheese to melt though, it just ended up in a clump at the bottom of the pan. Maybe because I used fat free? Dunno. It was so good I’m making it again tonight!! I’m going to add cooked ramen noodles to the bowl so it will be like Spicy Buffalo Pho!

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Mrs. Jen B January 24, 2012 at 1:05 pm

I’m starting to believe that you enjoy it when I see the title of your post and tilt my head to the side and mutter “You b!tch” – as in “I can’t believe you’re going to make me make this, because now it’ll be in my head and I’ll absolutely have to make it or die”.

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Ashley @ Coffee Cake and Cardio January 24, 2012 at 1:08 pm

Sold! This is what I’ll be making for the super bowl!!

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Midwestern Belle January 24, 2012 at 1:12 pm

♥ Buffalo chicken! Seriously… Buffalo chicken salads, wraps and now soups – bring it on :)

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Kelly January 24, 2012 at 1:15 pm

Yummy! This looks fantastic! :)

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Melissa (MelissaLikesToEat) January 24, 2012 at 1:16 pm

I love buffalo chicken hot wings in an inappropriate way. Buffalo anything really. Therefore, I must make this soup.

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Erin January 24, 2012 at 1:18 pm

I love that you’ve delighted me with yet another buffalo chicken recipe. You rock.

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Sarah January 24, 2012 at 2:11 pm

Your soup looks delicious!
I also wanted to suggest Burt’s Bees Nourising Lip Balm with Mango Butter for your chappiest of lips. It’s totally saved my lips this winter.

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Amy January 24, 2012 at 4:08 pm

i was just going to suggest this!! skip all petroleum based lip balms and go with burt’s bees! or eos! or dr bronner’s! all of them are great choices. i had super chapped lips one winter and nothing was working, switched to burt’s bees and never looked back. and as weird as it is, i get compliments on how soft my lips look constantly.

oh yeah….this recipe…oh my lordy. this looks deliciousssss :D

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April January 24, 2012 at 8:41 pm

I was going to suggest Mary Kay Extra Emolliant Night Cream (or as we call it around here, the pink stuff)…It is WONDERFUL for chapped anything. It even works on sore noses when you have a bad cold.

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Cristy January 25, 2012 at 3:19 pm

Bag balm is great.

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Michelle@AHealthyMrs January 24, 2012 at 2:30 pm

Ohhhh that looks sooooo good! I love anything with Buffalo sauce, so this is right up my alley! Yum!

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Quiche-ing Queen January 24, 2012 at 2:39 pm

Spicy buffalo is a recurring craving we have in our house. I must make this soon. Looks so delicious. My lips also take a beating in the winter. I always have carmex in my pocket.

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Heather of Kitchen Concoctions January 24, 2012 at 2:57 pm

I am loving all the buffalo recipes I am seeing around the web right now! This is no exception!

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Cat @Breakfast to Bed January 24, 2012 at 2:57 pm

my husband’s totally going to make out with me for this one.

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Legally Delish January 24, 2012 at 4:22 pm

I’m shoveling shredded buffalo chicken topped salad into my mouth right now (well, until I put the fork down to type this). This soup looks so much better than my salad. Damn it.

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Kilee January 24, 2012 at 4:39 pm

I am pretty obsessed with buffalo sauce and find any excuse to pour it all over my food. Making a soup based on it is even better thinking. Genius!

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Ashlee January 24, 2012 at 5:26 pm

Okay, don’t laugh at me for this stupid question. I have chicken, but it’s frozen. I want to do this for dinner tonight, but I don’t have stock/broth, either. Can I do 32 ounces of water and use it to cook the chicken, remove and shred it, and then as the broth for the soup? Or should I just man up and run to the store? Also, if I’m just boiling the chicken to shred it, does it have to be thawed first, or can I just boil it longer? Would that be gross? My husband hates microwave-thawed meat, and I didn’t remember to take the chicken out this morning when I read this initially.
- signed, stupid vegetarian wife of a carnivore

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Jessica January 24, 2012 at 5:34 pm

Not stupid at all! First off, I have thrown frozen chicken in to boil and boiled it longer – mainly because we go through so much chicken in our house. Second, I think you probably could boil the chicken and use that broth, just maybe strain it a few times to get rid of some of the pieces.

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Ashlee January 24, 2012 at 5:36 pm

You’ve made my whole day! The last thing I want to do is throw my kids in the car to get 1 can of broth (darn it if I didn’t use the last of it last night). Thank you!

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Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes January 24, 2012 at 5:31 pm

Cannot pass on anything buffalo chicken!

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Jennifer | Mother Thyme January 24, 2012 at 6:27 pm

Love. This. Soup! I am a lover of all things Buffalo (and it doesn’t hurt that I’m from Buffalo as well) and this soup is delicious! Love the fact it doesn’t incorporate cream so I can indulge on a big ole bowl or delicious soup!

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Cassie January 24, 2012 at 7:57 pm

All over this…like, right now.

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Cookin' Canuck January 24, 2012 at 8:06 pm

Yep, this would definitely be a hit on Super Bowl Sunday (or any other day). I promise not to substitute any other cheese and cilantro will definitely be involved.

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jana @ newly wife healthy life January 24, 2012 at 9:08 pm

Wow!! This looks amazing.. My husband would love it!

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Melissa H from So. Fla. January 24, 2012 at 9:37 pm

I made this tonight and it’s absolutely wonderful!!

Thanks for sharing…and thank your brother! ;)

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Jessica January 24, 2012 at 10:06 pm

Awesome!

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Jill January 24, 2012 at 9:53 pm

I made this for dinner tonight! It was fabulous! Hubby loved it. So yummy!
Thanks!

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Jessica January 24, 2012 at 10:05 pm

SO glad you liked it!

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Elina January 24, 2012 at 10:26 pm

Hello! I really would like to try out this recipe, but… In Finland we don’t have buffalo wings, yet alone buffalo wing sauce. So, umh… What is in it? How could I replace it? Any hints or tips?

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lori January 30, 2012 at 1:31 pm

i think any hot sauce should work in place of the buffalo sauce :)

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Ashley @PeaceLoveYumminess January 25, 2012 at 12:19 am

WOW! I am addicted to anything buffalo and this just sounds and looks amazing!

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CouponClippingCook January 25, 2012 at 4:30 am

What a great idea. The spicy kick of the buffalo wing sauce sounds so delish for soup. Love the idea of using shredded chicken too. Wonder how this would be if a small cooked…maybe fried or browned chicken wing was put in the soup….in the bottom of each bowl like a crouton is in onion soup where you don’t really see it until you eat some of it. kind of a fun twist…..or maybe my imagination just got away from me here. Another one of your recipes that I’m bookmarking!

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Mindy@FSLblog January 25, 2012 at 2:17 pm

Wow. You has me at buffalo.

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sage January 25, 2012 at 7:19 pm

buffalo and soup, i’m going to make everyone in the house try this! it sounds amazing:)

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Kat January 25, 2012 at 10:04 pm

How many people ask you to feed them, cook for them, or just plain come over on a weekly basis? I’m guessing approximately 98459204860598605349860534986. Oh..plus 1 – me

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Becca January 25, 2012 at 10:56 pm

made this tonight! i added corn to the soup pot, and topped with cilantro, toast, and tomatoes. so so yummy!

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nicole {sweet peony} January 26, 2012 at 1:25 am

ooooh buffalo chicken soup?! sounds delicious! and healthy, to me ;)

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Lori January 26, 2012 at 8:21 pm

I found a cook WHO DOES NOT LIKE CILANTRO! We are kindred, I do not like anything cilantro. I am the one who fishes it out of the Charro Beans…..When I make this soup, it will skip my mind…..

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Carbzilla January 27, 2012 at 12:54 am

I was having the snakiest icky chapped lips, and I determined that I’m probably allergic to almonds. Once I gave them up, I stopped having skin reactions. Good luck!

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chelsea January 29, 2012 at 10:49 pm

made this for dinner tonight and we loved it!!! will definitely be making it again. i just saw the recipe for buffalo chicken pasta in your super bowl post and am adding that to my list of things to make soon :) YUM!!

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lori January 30, 2012 at 1:36 pm

The buffalo chicken pasta ROCKS. Its pretty much a weekly occurrence in my house now, if not the kids request it! Great for feeding teenagers.

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Savannah January 30, 2012 at 12:53 am

I was JUST looking for a good buffalo chicken soup recipe too! You never let me down!!!!

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lori January 30, 2012 at 1:01 pm

soups on……added celery…….i like my buffalo chicken with a side of celery and blue cheese, now i have it all….lol…..ty

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Sally January 30, 2012 at 9:05 pm

i made this soup tonight and it is awesome. i added a few more veggies (celery, onion, tomato) and cooked them in the broth before adding the chicken. then i used an immersion blender to make a thin puree / thicker broth… this is how i sneak extra vegetables to myself. i am sorry you don’t like cilantro, as it is one of the great joys in my culinary life, but i feel the same way about fennel and bananas so i respect your haterade. thanks for the recipe!

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Jessica January 30, 2012 at 9:07 pm

Oh no – I LOVE cilantro.

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Sally January 31, 2012 at 12:30 pm

oh good! i think i misread :)

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Autumn February 1, 2012 at 1:22 pm

I made this soup last night for my boyfriend and I and YUMMY!!! I’m actually eating some leftovers right now at my desk! Mmmm Mmmm Good! I was so bummed though because I took out my cilantro since I LOVE it too and it must be a few days to old bc it had no smell at all! :( So I didn’t get to top it with that but I did add the green onions and Gorgonzola :) FYI this made 4 big servings for us.. I can’t imagine this only being 2 servings! hehe

I am also making your Buffalo Chicken Baked Pasta for a Superbowl party and I just can’t wait to try that because it looks divine! I have a feeling people are going to request it for all future parties :)

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Michelle February 1, 2012 at 10:56 pm

Great receipe! Made this tonight and the hubby asked for seconds. (Bonus). All I had was cheddar cheese so I doubled it in the receipe and topped it on top. Yummy!

Thanks! Its a keeper!

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John I. Carney February 5, 2012 at 10:40 am

The church I attend has “Souper Bowl Sunday” each year on the day of the big game; we all bring crock pots full of soup to share right after church, and there are donation baskets on each table for our church youth group. I ran across this recipe this week, and I’ve made it this morning, doubling the recipe. Yum! Because of the way the event is set up, I haven’t done the baguette slices or the other toppings; I’ve just got the crock of soup with some croutons for those who want them. I have a feeling this will be popular, but I hope there’s a little left for me to bring back home.

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Cassie February 5, 2012 at 7:47 pm

LOVE this soup! Made it tonight. Thank you!!!

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