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This simple one-pot Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili is perfect for game day, family dinners, and any night in between. Made with a blend of herbs, buffalo sauce, poblano peppers, and shredded chicken. It’s spicy, creamy and so delicious. Top each bowl of chili with plenty of cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, and avocado. Great on its own, but even better with a side of homemade soft pretzels!
Some recipes have the ability to turn out so, so, good. Better than I had pictured in my head. When this happens, I’m always overly excited to share. It’s not every day that a recipe ends up working perfectly and tasting even more delicious.
Backing up a little here. I’m sure many of you are familiar with my White Chicken Chili. It hasn’t even been a year since I made the recipe and it’s already the second most popular recipe I’ve ever shared. It’s crazy how many of you have made it and enjoyed it!
It is so fun to see!
Over the weekend, I really wanted to make chili. The white chili sounded perfect and I had everything I needed. But I also wondered how I could switch it up and reinvent everyone’s favorite fall/winter dish.
I mentioned a buffalo-style chili to my mom and immediately she responded back, “oh that is what you should make, make that!”. She’s not always that enthusiastic about food, so I took her advice.
I’m sure glad I listened because I think we like this white chili even more than the original. It’s similar, but then it’s also so different. The flavors are worlds apart, but both are so good in their own ways.
We just LOVE anything with some buffalo sauce around here and it’s certainly fun for game day!
The details
Start by cooking up the onion and vegetables until they smell fragrant. For the seasonings, I wanted to add a ranch element to the chili, so I used a mix of parsley, chives, and dill with a touch of paprika. These are the herbs and spices I use in my homemade ranch, so it really gives off that yummy flavor.
Pour in the broth and simply let the chicken simmer until it’s cooked through and shreds easily.
Once the chicken is cooked, pull it out, and shred it.
Next, stir the cream cheese into the chili and finish it up with that shredded chicken and some white beans.
Now comes the buffalo sauce. I used my homemade sauce, which I shared in the notes. But you can use store-bought sauce or even just your favorite hot sauce. I love Franks Red Hot.
So stir in the buffalo sauce, your favorite salsa verde, and then a bit of cheddar cheese.
The toppings
As with any other chili, the toppings are key. For this chili, I like to do a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, then cheddar cheese, cilantro, avocado, and green onions. If you enjoy blue cheese, which we do, that would be great as well!
Homemade soft pretzels or beer bread on the side are extra delicious if you have time.
A dinner the whole family really will enjoy!
Looking for other fall dinners with a little kick? Here are a few ideas:
Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili
Healthy Slow Cooker Chipotle Bean Chili
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Healthy Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Skins
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Lastly, if you make this Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 552 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried chives
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 4-6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 can white beans, drained
- 3/4 cup buffalo sauce
- 1/2 cup salsa verde
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- avocado, cheddar cheese, and Greek yogurt, for serving
Instructions
Stove
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and poblano peppers cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, parsley, chives, dill, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, until very fragrant. Add the chicken, then stir in 4 cups broth. Season with salt and pepper. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.2. Pull the chicken out and shred using 2 forks. 3. Stir in the cream cheese until smooth, slowly letting it melt into the broth. Add the shredded chicken, white beans, salsa verde, buffalo sauce, and cheddar cheese. Cook 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. If needed, thin with additional broth.4. Ladle the chili into bowls. Top, as desired, with Greek yogurt/sour cream, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Eat and enjoy!
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, combine the onion, poblano peppers, garlic, parsley, chives, dill, and paprika. Add the chicken, then stir in 4 cups broth and cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper.2. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4-5 hours.3. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the white beans, salsa verde, buffalo sauce, cheddar, and cilantro.4. Ladle the chili into bowls. Top, as desired, with Greek yogurt/sour cream, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Eat and enjoy!
Notes
Buffalo Sauce:Â Mix 1/2 cup hot sauce, 1/2 cup olive oil or melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, and a 1/2 teaspoon each onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a glass jar or measuring cup. Mix together.
Made this last night, downed the whole pot between three of us, and my husband is asking for it again TONIGHT. That might be a first.
Such a different take on chili and I found the recipe super flexible.
Didn’t have dried parsley and chives but I did have the dill–which is probably a non-negotiable for the ranch flavor profile. The cream cheese is an unexpected game changer. Added some celery too, only made sense with the buffalo chicken theme!
Tight on time and energy so I didn’t make Tieghan’s buffalo sauce, just threw in a heavy splash of Frank’s Red Hot and the spiciness and tanginess level was perfect. I think I’m addicted.
Hey Bailey,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
I made this for my fiance and he very confidently stated this was the best dish I’ve ever made and to serve it 3x a week. We had dinner at his father’s later in the day, and his father his very well known for his chili. Well my fiance stated this chili was far better and could win some tailgating competitions. Excited to keep this in the rotation! Thank you!
Hey Kelly,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Hi! Made this tonight and everyone absolutely loved it! One question.. what would you do to thicken it some? My husband likes a little thicker chili.. I personally thought it was perfect. Thanks!
Hi Megan,
So glad to hear that you enjoyed this chili, thanks for giving it a try! To thicken it, I would use less broth, or add some additional beans! I hope this helps! xT
Delicious! Very flavorful!
Hey Cameron,
Love it!!🤩 So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xx
Hi! I made this for a Family mountain weekend and everyone loved it! In fact all the guys said it was the BEST chili I have ever made! I’m making it again tonight for a Halloween get together.
Well done Tieghan!
Awe thanks so much Carla!! So glad to hear this chili was enjoyed, thanks for sharing:) xT
Hi! Would love to try this in my instant pot…any recommendations for timing that??
Hey Olivia,
I would try 10 minutes on high pressure. Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xT
BEST CHILI RECIPE EVER. I made this for a chili cook-off over the weekend and it won 1st place.
The spicy Buffalo chicken was so unique and flavorful. It’s the perfect chili for a cozy fall football watching weekend. Thank you Tieghan!
Hey Amanda,
Love it!!🤩 So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xx
I made this for my boyfriend because he loves chili but has never had white chili before. He LOVED it! He won’t stop talking about it, I made it Friday night and he’s asked me to make it again for Halloween when we have friends over to hand out candy outside! I used chicken thighs instead of breasts (I prefer chicken thighs and it’s better on the wallet with how expensive groceries are in Canada) deboned them, made my own chicken broth from the bones and then crisped up chicken skins in the oven with some old bay as a crispy garnish! I used bell peppers and a big jalapeño from my garden because poblanos are not usually sold in stores where I live and I had to use some veggies from the garden because we had our first frost! I also added kale from my garden and used fresh herbs instead of dried (I edited the amount of herbs because they were fresh), but great way to use lots of produce from my garden due to the frost warning! I wish I could post a pic because it looked great! I served it with tortilla chips and home made cheddar jalapeño corn bread. Looking forward to having it again tomorrow! Was also fun to make my own buffalo sauce for the first time! Really amazing thank you so much for the recipe!
Hey Morgan,
Happy Monday! 👻 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! Happy Halloween! 🎃
All six of us including my parents and kids LOVED this recipe. Definitely going to make it again.
Hey Emilie,
Happy Monday! 👻 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Happy Halloween! 🎃
Planning on making this recipe this week!
Are you able to advise of any fave brands of salsa verde you love using?
Thanks!
Hey Amy,
Totally, I love Frontera brand! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
This was delicious, but too hot for me. I didn’t follow the directions for the Buffalo sauce because I didn’t see it until now. I just used straight buffalo sauce from a bottle. As we continued to eat it throughout the week, I just added more broth and cream cheese to try and cool it down. I will be making this again but with modifications.
Hi Mary Beth,
Thanks so much for making this chili and sharing your feedback! So sorry it was too hot! Next time, you could try the homemade recipe or use a more mild store bought sauce. I hope this helps! xT
We just got through eating this for the first time and my husband proclaimed it to be the best chicken chili I have ever made. He said it was the perfect spice level. I made the buffalo sauce and used EVOO. He requested I book mark it and make it on repeat this winter. Thanks for the yummy recipe. I enjoyed making it and the combination of flavors.
Hey Heather,
Awe thanks so much!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out tasty for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
Any suggestions for a dairy free sub for the cream cheese? Thanks!!
Hey Sabrina,
Your local grocery store should have some great dairy free cream cheese options, I really like Kite Hill. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
YUM! Love this bright and spicy chili. I added an extra can of beans as someone else suggested and used Frank’s buffalo. For those saying it is too spicy, perhaps did not top with green yogurt or sour cream and cheese? I found it to be well balanced and delicious, as long as you like spice (which you should if you chose this recipe…). Another delicious recipe, thanks!!
Hey Kaley,
Happy Monday! 👻 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Happy Halloween! 🎃
I made this when my husband and I were sick and it was incredible. I love the tang of the Buffalo sauce and the ranch flavors. It is different than any other chili I’ve ever had in the best way and I will be making it again for Halloween!
Hey Harley,
Perfect!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it:) Happy Sunday! xT