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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: 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 today and it was SO good! I followed the crockpot instructions but used an Instapot instead. Only thing… there was an orange oil slick on top of the chili so next time I think I’ll omit the butter from the buffalo sauce. I doubt it’ll be missed. Anyhow, great flavor and a must repeat recipe!
Hey Laura,
Happy Sunday!😃 Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed:) xT
Made for Super Bowl Sunday and it didn’t disappoint. Delicious.
Hi Kim,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Made this tonight!! Didn’t have poblano so we substituted jalapeño.. so much spicier but SO good. We loved it so much!!
Hi Sara,
Happy Friday!!☘️ Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out and sharing your review, I’m so glad to hear it was delish! xx
Made this today and it was amaze bowls!!! I tried it today for first time with a GF that came over for lunch. it had the perfect amount of spice and zest of soup. Made the house smell really aoramtic as well. Keep the recipes coming, your mixing it well.
Hey Robyn,
Happy Friday!!☘️ Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out and sharing your review, I’m so glad to hear it was delish! xx
Great crock pot recipe!
Hey Paige,
Happy Wednesday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xx
My partner is NOT a soup person and he absolutely DEVOURED this and the leftovers! Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Hey Jill,
I appreciate you making this recipe and I’m thrilled to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend! xx
I’ve made this a few times and it never fails to be awesome.
the poblanos give it great flavor
Hey Roger,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks a bunch for giving this dish a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)
This was a crowd pleaser!! I served it with some corn tortilla quesadillas for dipping. Used Anaheim Peppers instead of Poblano since they weren’t available at my store. It was a great substitute.
Hey Ashleigh,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks a bunch for giving this dish a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)
I loath cream cheese in my food so will this still taste good by omitting it?
Hi Julie,
Yes, that will be just fine for you to do. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
This was one of my first recipes I made from Tieghan, and boy was I impressed!! My husband was on a boys trip so I had the opportunity to make this and I can’t wait to make it again, I did the stove option but I can’t wait to try the crock pot method… simple and flavorful my two favorite methods in the kitchen 🥰
Hey Haley,
Happy Friday!!❤️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it was delish! xT
For best results in crockpot do you sautée onion and peppers first?
Hey Christina,
No need to sauté first, the peppers and onions will softened in the crockpot:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Aloha from Hawai’i Tieghan! We sadly don’t have poblano peppers here and I really want to make this chili for Super Bowl this Sunday! What might be good substitutes for poblano peppers? Dried pasilla-ancho rehydrated? Jalapeño and bell peppers, adobo/chipotle peppers, or canned green chiles? Any suggestions are welcomed!
Hey Eileen,
I would do jalapeños and bell peppers:) I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out! xT
My family loved this! I added large diced celery for crunch and used 3 cans of beans. Definitely the perfect combo of heat and flavors. I used a Costco rotisserie chicken carcass for my stock, and I shredded the chicken for the chili. We ate it with tortilla chips. It’s going in the regular rotation.
Hey Stacey,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)
This is outstanding. Such a nice switch from regular chilli! Didn’t expect such amazing flavours to shine through. Solid 10/10. Sauce was perfectly thick!
Couple things I think are really important:
– instead of 1 can white beans I used 2 (really makes it hearty)
– add corn (2/3 cup)
– used 4.5 cups of chicken broth
– added chilli powder to the broth about 1TBSP
– the garnish in my opinion is crucial and elevates the dish (avocado, cilantro, spring onion, Greek yogurt)
Hey Monica,
Happy Sunday!!💕 Thanks so much for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, so glad it was a hit! xx
Tieghan! This was absolutely delicious. I have made several white chicken chili recipes over the years but this one…wow. My sweetie loved it. It was definitely on the spicy side (for me – not him) but I couldn’t stop eating it. Going to make it again for the Super Bowl. Thank you!
Hey Colleen,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Loved how tangy this is, mixed with just the right amount of spiciness. Whole family loved it and I will for sure make again. White chicken chili can taste a bit heavy to me sometimes, and not interesting enough, but this was so flavorful.
Hey Shelley,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your comment, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx