With a slightly spicy and tangy kick, this slow cooker buffalo chicken chili is made in the slow cooker for a healthy and comforting family meal. It’s simple to prep, full of flavour, and you can let your Crock Pot do all the hard work for you! {Gluten-free}
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Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Chili
As the weather starts to get cooler, there’s nothing quite like a big bowl of hot chili to warm your body and soul!
And it doesn’t get much easier than this slow cooker buffalo chicken chili. Just add the ingredients to the crock pot earlier in the day and a warm and hearty chili will be waiting for you with minimal effort required.
Made with chicken breasts, beans and fresh veggies, this recipe is incredibly satisfying, and the added buffalo sauce gives it a wonderful tangy kick. Just be sure that you don’t forget the toppings, which totally take this chili to the next level!
If you’re looking for more healthy chili recipes, be sure to try my White Chicken Chili with Salsa Verde and Ground Turkey Chili too!
Why we love this recipe
- Healthy: With 40 grams of protein and 11 grams of fibre per serving, this is one lean and satisfying chili. Because it’s made with chicken rather than beef, it’s also lower in saturated fat.
- Make ahead: This chili recipe is great for meal prep. Make up a big batch and enjoy it throughout the week, or freeze some for easy-to-grab weeknight dinners.
- Easy: It’s hard to go wrong with slow cooker recipes like this one! They take minutes to prep and then you come home to a tasty, hearty and filling meal that the whole family will love.
Ingredient notes
- Vegetables: Onion, garlic and red pepper add flavour and extra fibre and nutrients to the chili. You can also add in other vegetables like carrots or celery as well.
- Chicken: Use skinless boneless chicken breasts, or use skinless boneless chicken thighs. You can also toss in shredded cooked chicken towards the end of cooking.
- Beans: I like to make this chili with low sodium black beans, but any canned beans like kidney or Great Northern will work well. Drain and rinse your beans well before using them.
- Diced tomatoes: Use low sodium canned diced tomatoes for this recipe. You can also sub in fire-roasted tomatoes for even more flavour.
- Wing sauce: We love Frank’s buffalo wing sauce, but any hot sauce will work well in this chili recipe.
- Honey: I like to add a little honey to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes and buffalo sauce. You can also use maple syrup or brown sugar.
- Seasonings: Chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper are used to flavour up the chili.
- Broth: Use a low sodium chicken or vegetable broth for this recipe. You may wish to add more if you prefer a thinner chili.
Step by step instructions
- Step 1 – In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and peppers. Sauté until the vegetables are fragrant and softened, about 5 minutes.
- Step 2 – Add all of the ingredients to a large slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Step 3 – Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Add additional chicken broth if you prefer a thinner chili. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Recipe Tips
- This chili tends to thicken the longer that it sits. You may wish to add additional broth if you prefer a thinner chili.
- I typically use Frank’s buffalo wing sauce for this chili, but you can also sub in regular hot sauce as well.
- If you want to speed up the cooking time, you can toss in about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken instead.
- To make this recipe more kid-friendly, reduce the amount of buffalo sauce used and add additional hot sauce to your own portion if you want more heat.
- If you are using higher sodium beans and tomatoes, you may wish to reduce the amount of salt added.
- If you’re not a big fan of blue cheese, you can also top with shredded mozzarella or Monterey jack to add some extra flavour.
Recipe FAQs
You can store this buffalo chili with chicken in the fridge, covered or in an air-tight container, for up to four days. Let the chili cool fully before storing it.
Yes! This chili will freeze well for up to three months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating. You can also freeze the ingredients raw and dump them into the crockpot when ready to cook.
This chili is easy to reheat on the stovetop. Heat it on a medium low heat, stirring occasionally until heated through. You may wish to add more broth when reheating if the chili has thickened.
Absolutely! Soften the vegetables in a large pot over medium heat, then add in the chicken, beans, tomatoes, broth and seasonings. Let it simmer for around 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and is tender enough to shred. Shred the chicken and stir back into the chili. If the chili becomes too thick during cooking, you can add in some more broth.
For sure, it works out well in the instant pot as well! First, saute the vegetables in the Instant Pot until soft, then add in the rest of the ingredients. Cook on high for 18 minutes, naturally release for 10 minutes and then do a quick release.
It does have a bit of a kick to it, but I didn’t find it to be overly spicy. It was mild enough that my toddler gobbled it up! If you prefer less heat, add less hot sauce.
Serving suggestions
This slow cooker buffalo chicken chili recipe is delicious served by itself, but it’s also great with some white rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice too.
And when it comes to chili, it’s all about the toppings, of course!
Here are our favourites to add:
- Blue cheese
- Cilantro
- Green onion
- Lime juice
- Avocado
- Crushed tortilla chips
Recipe variations
- Use different protein: Sub in ground chicken or turkey instead of chicken breasts.
- More veggies: You can add in any other veggies you like. Mushrooms, celery or carrots are great additions.
- Add more of a spicy kick: Make it spicier by adding some cayenne or red pepper flakes to your chili.
More similar recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Dip without Cream Cheese
- Spaghetti Squash Buffalo Chicken Casserole
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers
- Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Buffalo Chicken Meal Prep
- Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash
- Buffalo Sliders
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1.5 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 2 (15 ounce) cans low sodium black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (28 ounce) can low sodium diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup Frank's buffalo wing sauce (or sub in favourite hot sauce)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth (or more to taste if you prefer a thinner chili)
Optional Toppings
- Crumbled blue cheese
- Cilantro
- Green onion
- Lime juice
- Avocado
- Crush tortilla chips
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and peppers. Sauté until the vegetables are fragrant and softened, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the vegetables, chicken, beans, diced tomatoes, Frank's buffalo wing sauce, honey, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and salt to a large slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Add additional chicken broth if you prefer a thinner chili. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Notes
- This chili tends to thicken the longer that it sits. You may wish to add additional broth if you prefer a thinner chili.
- I typically use Frank’s buffalo wing sauce for this chili, but you can also sub in regular hot sauce as well.
- If you want to speed up the cooking time for this chili, you can toss in about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken instead.
- To make this recipe more kid-friendly, reduce the amount of buffalo sauce used and add additional hot sauce to your own portion if you want more heat.
- If you are using higher sodium beans and tomatoes, you may wish to reduce the amount of salt added.
- If you’re not a big fan of blue cheese, you can also top with shredded mozzarella or Monterey jack to add some extra flavour.
Doris says
Are the raw chicken breasts put into the crockpot whole or cut up?
Elysia Cartlidge says
You put the chicken breasts in the crockpot whole and then shred them once cooked. Hope that helps!