Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili.
My only words for this bowl: OH MY GOSH.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Seriously, I want nothing else in this bowl!
Check out the video of my buffalo chicken chili!
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
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
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Could probably survive on toppings alone.
81 Comments on “Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili.”
Buffalo chili cheese fries?! I can’t even.
i knooooow. need.
Wait this sounds AMAZING!! I love buffalo everything. My husband isn’t a huge soup guy, either, so I’ll just make a big batch of this for myself :)
thanks lucia!
We just got through a giant batch of our families’ favorite chili, and I don’t think anyone would be mad if this entered the rotation next week. We are a buffalo wing loving fam, and this looks right up our alley!
thanks hannah!! xo
This looks so good – I can’t wait to try it! Also, I bought the same slow cooker you have after you raved about it (I think over the holidays? I remember it was shown in a video) and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I tell everyone looking for a new slow cooker to spring for this one because I’m convinced it can do anything!
isn’t it the best?! i love it so, so much!
Yum! I don’t know what goes together better during fall and football than this combo. This is another I must make!
thanks kristina!
Do you mind sharing your preferred buffalo wing sauce? I’ve only tried one and I wasn’t a fan.
We love Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing! Not the regular stuff, but the buffalo wing version.
I want this tonight!! Do you think it’d work ok on the stove? Any changes (besides the time, of course)? I’m too impatient to wait for tomorrow night haha
yes you can def make it on the stovetop! i would just use rotisserie chicken or cook and shred/cube your chicken separately and it will come together quickly!
I am 1000% percent in this looks, sounds and almost smells amazing from where I’m sitting!
thank you lindsey!
That looks nice and hearty
thanks!
This looks delicious! (As do all your recipes, duh.) But for all those over here in Europe who can’t get their grubby little hands on buffalo sauce, I’d LOVE it if you could find a way to maybe reverse engineer your fave and post the recipe on this site! I am always so sad when I see a recipe on here that uses buffalo sauce because it means I can’t make it, and they always sound so mouthwateringly delish! Please help put an ex-pat out of her misery! ;)
oooooh I know rachel, I have tried so hard to replicate this in the past and can’t find a recipe I love to make it just right. I will work on it!
why do you always deliver the perfect recipe when I’m about to host people ;) This looks awesome…perfect for a staygate as I watch the Michigan v. Michigan State game this weekend. YUM. Can’t wait.
I hope you tried it tara!! :)
Buffalo chicken anything, thank you! This looks fab – think I can use raw chicken breasts and cook on low for 6 hrs, then shred? That’s how I do my BC dip.
Thanks for the tasty recipes!!!!
I think that you probably can, but I can’t say for sure! I’d probably brown them first?
is buffalo wing sauce = Franks Red Hot?
I’m trying this with just Frank’s Red Hot and not the wing sauce. Using a little less and adding in a few pats of butter. Wish me luck.
hi patty, i use the Frank’s Red Hot brand and just use the buffalo wing flavor that they make!
Awesome! Can you tell us how to modify it, or even if it will work, if we put in uncooked chicken and shred it all up once cooked? For the ultimate lazy chef, I want to cook it all at once (except for the sauteed veggies of course). Thanks mucho!
i don’t think i would just add uncooked chicken. i think i’d at least brown the chicken first in a crockpot/dutch oven and then add it?
OMG– this looks beyond amazing! The perfect meal for the big Michigan State/U of M Football game Saturday night! Thank you!!
i hope you guys enjoyed it!
Can’t wait to try this… for a game Michigan might actually win, HAHA.
This recipe caught my eye…and it is cooking in the crockpot this very moment! I’m so excited to try it tonight! Thanks so much for sharing!
i hope you loved it cara!
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This turned out terrific! I doubled the recipe and took it for Thirsty Thursday and every loved it. Definitely will make it again.
so glad it was a hit! thanks jeanette!
Hi! Do you know if I could cook this in a dutch oven? Start it on the stove and finish in the oven? Would I cook on a lower temp to make it similar to the slow cooker? So excited to try this for game day tomorrow. Thanks!
i think you definitely can – you can really just make the entire thing on the stovetop! sorry i didn’t get to you in time for the weekend – did you end up making it?
I’m super behind on all of my blog reading and man am I bummed I’m just now seeing this! I will definitely be adding this to our rotation. Buffalo Chicken Chili?! It’s like all of my Frank’s Buffalo Sauce dreams are coming true!
thanks ryan!! xoxo
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I made this recipe on Saturday night. It was absolutely wonderful! I paired it with Cookies and Cup’s Angel biscuits and let me tell you about a match made in heaven. Thank you for this recipe! Definitely will be going in the repeat and repeat again recipe arsenal :)
Have you tried freezing it or have any recommendations for doing so? I live alone and it made a lot more than I expected! Which is great, but I don’t think I can eat it for lunch and dinner every night!
Sooo guess what? We made this. And after about Bite #8, as my hatred grew and grew, I came here to the comments to see what others experienced. And that’s when I realized we used Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, but NOT THE WINGS VERSION. Noooooooooooo!
Big mistake. Huge. I have to go shopping now.
OMG! Made this tonight for dinner and I’m in love. I am already planning on making another batch to freeze in the next month for when our baby comes because I need this again! So so good!
Thanks for the recipe! I just wanted to clarify, the cannellini beans are not rinsed and not drained but the pinto beans are? Thanks!!
they both are! sorry about that, i fixed it!
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Can this be made without the beer? I don’t drink alcohol, but love all things buffalo!
Emily, the boiling point of ethanol (the alcohol in alcoholic beverages) is 173 degrees F. A slow cooker, even on low, should get that hot to cook off the alcohol. (But you could always use a meat thermometer if you want to make sure.)
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We liked, but didn’t love it. Which is sad, because we are major buffalo hot sauce fans. I didn’t think the full buffalo hot sauce flavor was there… But it was still tasty! (Perhaps that’s the problem – I sort of imagined I’d be eating buffalo chicken wings in chili form)
Drooling over this and adding it to the meal plan now! Do you have any suggestions to modify for an instant pot perhaps? Thanks!!
Perhaps a silly question, but how does this freeze? I’m a single lady, and love crockpot meals for their leftovers! How will those main ingredients (Beans, mainly) reheat? Thanks!
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This recipe has quickly become a fan favorite here at home and work. I love it.
I substituted chicken thighs (diced up) in place of shredded or ground chicken with fantastic results. I added the chicken in with the saute and cooked until done.
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Made this last night and my family raved. The flavor of the wing sauce really came through. We put blue cheese on ours and served with avocado, green onion and more wing sauce. Served with hot cornmeal drop biscuits. I will definitely be making this again.
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Made this and it turned out PERFECT! Used Franks original 3/4 cup and added half a stick of butter. Used 2 cans of pinto beans and no cannellini and was not too soupy at all. Actually ended up adding jalapeños and cayenne because it wasn’t spicy enough for me! Makes for great leftovers :)
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I made this tonight to see if it would be good for a neighborhood “chili night.” It was excellent! Even my husband who says he does not like “buffalo anything” said it was delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe.
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