Buffalo Chicken Chili
This Buffalo Chicken Chili recipe is delicious, high protein, full of fiber, and perfect if you want to switch up your chili recipe! It can be made in a slow cooker or on the stove, and it’s great for meal prep, too!
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I love a good chili, but sometimes I want to switch up the flavor. And if my beef and sweet potato chili or pumpkin turkey chili aren’t the vibe, this buffalo chicken chili usually is!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Classic buffalo chicken flavor – it’s got shredded chicken, hot sauce, and is thick and creamy — truly like buffalo chicken dip in chili form!
- Packed with protein – between the chicken breasts and subbing cottage cheese instead of cream cheese at the end, one serving of this chili packs over 50 grams of protein!
- Fiber-rich – with all of the beans and vegetables in this chili, it clocks in with 11 grams of fiber per serving.
- Meal prep-friendly – whether you’re making ahead and freezing for a future meal or making for lunches for the week, this recipe needs to be added to your meal prep repertoire!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions:
For a full ingredient list with quantities, please check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chicken – boneless, skinless chicken breasts are added whole, straight to the slow cooker, then shredded after cooking.
- Beans – white beans are perfect in this chili. I use great northern beans, but cannellini beans work well, too.
- Vegetables – seeing as one of my goals is to help people eat their veggies a little more effortlessly, of course we need to add some vegetables here! You’ll need to dice an onion, bell pepper, and celery.
- Diced Tomatoes – helps create the consistency and add a little more flavor and nutrition. Any canned, diced tomatoes will work, but I highly recommend fire roasted for max flavor.
- Hot Sauce – you need Frank’s hot sauce (not buffalo wing sauce) or any similar hot sauce.
- Broth – since we are using some canned ingredients here, go for low sodium or unsalted broth to keep sodium content a little lower.
- Seasonings – dial up the flavor with garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Cottage Cheese – definitely seems untraditional, I’ll give it that, but adding blended cottage cheese (or Greek yogurt) after cooking gives a thick, creamy texture with extra protein.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Chili
For complete instructions, please check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Add all ingredients (except the cottage cheese) to a slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours. When the chicken is done, shred it and stir it back into the chili.
Turn the heat off for at least 10 minutes. Blend cottage cheese, then stir into cooled chili. Adjust hot sauce and seasonings to taste, then serve and enjoy!
Tips and Variations
- Make it on the Stove – need dinner faster? Follow the same instructions as above, but instead of using a slow cooker, use a large pot or Dutch oven on the stove. Bring to a simmer, then simmer for 30-ish minutes, or until the chicken is done.
- You MUST cool the chili before adding cottage cheese! By far the most important tip is to cool the chili before adding the cottage cheese or Greek yogurt. These can be great subs for cream cheese that add protein, too, but they will curdle if the chili is too hot.
- Try tempering the blended cottage cheese – if you’re a little nervous if your chili is too hot, whisk in a little of the liquid into the blended cottage cheese to help bring the temperature up more gradually before adding it straight to the chili.
- Blend cottage cheese – I use an immersion blender and just blend mine straight in the container or in a tall jar, but I’ve been told some stores are starting to sell pre-blended cottage cheese. It creates such a rich, smooth texture!
- Sub Greek yogurt or cream cheese – you can substitute an equal amount of Greek yogurt or cream cheese if you prefer. Plain Greek yogurt requires no blending, but offers a little more tang. Cream cheese can be added right on top of the other ingredients in the slow cooker. It doesn’t have the risk of curdling like cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, but it also is lower in protein.
Buffalo Chicken Chili Toppings
One of the fun parts of serving chili is all the topping choices, right? Here are some of my fave toppings for this stove top or slow cooker buffalo chicken chili:
- Blue cheese crumbles
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Green onion
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Greek yogurt/ sour cream
- Tortilla chips
- Pita chips
Meal Prep: Storing & Reheating
Buffalo chicken chili is great for meal prep! The only potential concern is that if you are reheating with the cottage cheese already blended in, don’t bring it back to a simmer or boil or anything, as it can cause the cottage cheese to break. Reheat gently in the microwave or over medium-low on the stove, just until warm.
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Buffalo Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds chicken breast boneless, skinless
- 2 15 ounce cans Great northern beans
- 1 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 large bell pepper diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- ¼ cup hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth unsalted or low sodium
- 1 cup cottage cheese reduced fat, blended (or Greek yogurt or cream cheese)
- optional garnishes: blue cheese crumbles, green onion, parsley, cilantro, cheddar cheese shreds, tortilla chips, pita chips, etc.
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add all ingredients except cottage cheese to your slow cooker. Stir, then cover. Cook on high heat for 3-4 hours or low heat for 5-6 hours (or until chicken reaches 165°).1.5 pounds chicken breast, 2 15 ounce cans Great northern beans, 1 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 medium yellow onion, 1 large bell pepper, 2 stalks celery, 1/4 cup hot sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 3 cups chicken broth
- Turn the slow cooker off. Remove chicken, shred, then return it to the slow cooker. Let the chili cool for at least 10 minutes with the lid off and heat off. Once cooled slightly, add blended cottage cheese (or Greek yogurt). Stir, then adjust salt, pepper, and hot sauce to your preference. Serve with desired garnishes, and enjoy!1 cup cottage cheese, optional garnishes: blue cheese crumbles, green onion, parsley, cilantro, cheddar cheese shreds, tortilla chips, pita chips, etc.
Stove Top Instructions:
- To a large Dutch oven or pot, add all ingredients except cottage cheese. Stir and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and maintain a simmer for 25-35 minutes, or until chicken reaches 165°F.1.5 pounds chicken breast, 2 15 ounce cans Great northern beans, 1 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 medium yellow onion, 1 large bell pepper, 2 stalks celery, 1/4 cup hot sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 3 cups chicken broth
- Remove the chili from the heat. Shred the chicken, then let the chili cool for at least 10 minutes before adding the cottage cheese (or else it will curdle!). Add blended cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, then stir to combine. Adjust salt, pepper, and hot sauce to your personal preference. Serve with desired garnishes and enjoy!1 cup cottage cheese, optional garnishes: blue cheese crumbles, green onion, parsley, cilantro, cheddar cheese shreds, tortilla chips, pita chips, etc.
