My only words for this bowl: OH MY GOSH.

slow cooker buffalo chicken chili I howsweeteats.com

If you’re a buffalo wing flavor fanatic like we are, you’ve gotta try this slow cooker buffalo wing chili. It might be my new favorite chili recipe even though I make a new favorite chili recipe every single year and two days ago I made a totally different chili recipe that in three weeks, I will probably deem my new favorite chili recipe.

SORRY.

I can’t help it. Run on sentences and all.

slow cooker buffalo chicken chili I howsweeteats.com

Ooooh this chili is so perfect for game day or a cool fall day in general. I used cooked and shredded chicken but if you’re more of a ground beef person then you could totally do ground chicken too. You can make it however you’d like!

I ended up cooking this big pot of love overnight and our house smelled like absolute heaven. It is so delicious and one thing that I really love is that it’s kind of customizable based on how much buffalo wing flavor you want. I thought it was strong enough while still being “chili” enough. Eddie was into it to. My brother who is a buffalo wing fanatic drizzled more wing sauce over top because he wanted more of the flavor.

slow cooker buffalo chicken chili I howsweeteats.com

My favorite part, obviously, are all the toppings. Life is alllllll about the toppings. If you’ve been following along then you know that I have my perfect “buffalo wing” topping combination that includes:

Fresh cilantro

Sliced scallions

Fresh chives

Crumbled blue cheese

And a spritz of lime if you’re into it.  Sometimes avocado depending on the dish, for that creamy and cooling factor. And a bit of sliced jalapeño if you want more heat!

slow cooker buffalo chicken chili I howsweeteats.com

Plus an extra drizzle of wing sauce, always. Maybe a slight drizzle of ranch if that’s your thing. Sometimes it’s my thing, but only very rarely in these buffalo wing sitches. Usually not my thing. Dipping pizza crust in ranch is my worst night. You can un-internet friend me now.

Also though! In this case, some crumbled up tortilla chips went on top. What is chili without them? That are just salty perfection. These ones are actually sweet potato tortilla chips and oh so good. Major flavor explosion.

slow cooker buffalo chicken chili I howsweeteats.com

This is one of those recipes that will make our dinner rotation once a week or every other, easily. Eddie isn’t a huge soup fan (ugh!) unless it’s a hearty chili, so this is a winner that makes us all happy.

Plus, I’m super into the idea of buffalo chicken chili cheese fries. DEAD.

slow cooker buffalo chicken chili I howsweeteats.com

Seriously, I want nothing else in this bowl!

slow cooker buffalo chicken chili I howsweeteats.com

Check out the video of my buffalo chicken chili!


Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili

4.95 from 72 votes
Leave a Review »

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 sweet onion diced
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1 14 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
  • 1/2 cup beer
  • 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 14 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
  • 2 14 ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 14 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

for topping:

  • extra wing sauce
  • grated sharp cheddar
  • crumbled blue cheese
  • sliced green onions
  • freshly sliced chives
  • lime wedges for spritzing
  • avocado slices

Instructions 

  • Note: my slow cooker has the ability to sear and sauté, so I can do everything in the cooker. If yours does not do this, sauté the veggies in another pot on the stove, or just add everything into the slow cooker together and don’t worry about sauteing the veg!
  • Heat the olive oil in your slow cooker or in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, red peppers and garlic and stir. Stir in the paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook until the veggies soften slightly. Stir in the cooked, shredded chicken. Add in the beer and let it simmer until it reduces by about half. At this point, either transfer the mixture to your slow cooker or turn your slow cooker to the low setting. Add the crushed tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, wing sauce, pinto beans and cannellini beans. Cover and cook on low for however long you need – since the chicken is cooked, this chili is technically “done,” but letting it cook for a few hours will deepen the flavor! I like to cook it for about 4 hours on low, but you can cook it for 2 hours or even 8 hours – whatever you have. I would just keep it on the low.
  • When it comes time to serve, serve in bowls with toppings of extra wing sauce, grated cheddar cheese, crumbled blue cheese, green onions, chives, avocado and lime wedges!

Notes

Also, if you prefer the ground meat texture to chili over shredded chicken, brown 1 pound of ground chicken with the veggies and use that as your meat instead!
Instagram

Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!

slow cooker buffalo chicken chili I howsweeteats.com

Could probably survive on toppings alone.