Description
This Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili is a hearty and flavorful dish that combines tender shredded chicken with white beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, and a spicy buffalo sauce base. Cooked low and slow in the crock pot, it's perfect for an easy weeknight meal packed with bold flavors and creamy texture from cream cheese and fresh cilantro.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts
- 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans drained and rinsed
- 2 (15-ounce) cans fire-roasted tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 cup buffalo or hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons dried chives
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
Finishing Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese or Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Toppings to taste (such as sour cream, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, blue cheese, cheddar cheese, green onions, or cornbread)
Instructions
- Add Ingredients to Slow Cooker: Place the chicken breasts, white beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, chicken stock, buffalo sauce, dried chives, garlic powder, dried dill, onion powder, paprika, kosher salt, and chili powder into the slow cooker. Stir gently to combine.
- Cook: Cover with the lid and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Shred Chicken: Carefully remove the lid, transfer the chicken breasts to a clean cutting board, and use two forks to shred the chicken into small pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir well.
- Add Cream Cheese and Cilantro: Stir in the cream cheese and chopped cilantro until the cream cheese is melted and fully incorporated into the chili.
- Serve: Serve the chili hot with your choice of toppings like sour cream, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, or fresh herbs for extra flavor and texture.
Notes
- You can substitute the chicken breasts with 2 lbs of browned ground chicken cooked in a skillet before adding to the slow cooker for a different texture.
- Use Great Northern beans, cannellini beans, or navy beans interchangeably.
- Toppings such as blue cheese, cheddar cheese, baked tortilla chips, green onions, or cornbread enhance the dish.
- For Instant Pot preparation, cook all ingredients under high pressure for 8 minutes, quickly release steam, shred chicken, then add cream cheese and cilantro in sauté mode.
- To cook on the stovetop, simmer all ingredients in a large pot over low heat for about 20 minutes until chicken reaches 165°F, shred chicken, then add cream cheese and cilantro.
- For a dairy-free option, substitute cream cheese with dairy-free alternatives like Kite Hill cream cheese or canned coconut cream and top with dairy-free toppings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 750 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
