Comforting, delicious and easy to make, this buffalo chicken chili combines plenty of ground chicken, beans and veggies. Plus, there’s ingredients like dill, cream cheese and buffalo sauce. If you’re craving the familiar flavours of buffalo chicken wings but want something a little different, then this ground chicken chili recipe is a yummy one to try.
Oh how I love buffalo chicken recipes! You too? I recently made this buffalo chicken chili in celebration of the fall season (my favourite of all seasons). I mean, what goes better on a cold day than a big bowl of comfort food, am I right?
I think it’s one of my favourite chili recipes to date. Of course, it’s way different than ground beef chili, but it’s a welcomed change when you’re looking for something a little different.
Going with that buffalo chicken vibe, this chicken chili recipe has ground chicken, celery, carrot, buffalo sauce and dill (along with other yummy ingredients). Dill goes so well with buffalo flavoured foods, in my opinion. It’s typically an ingredient in ranch dressing, and you often see things like buffalo wings served with ranch for dipping. Though there is no ranch dressing in this ground chicken chili, it does have that lovely dill flavour which adds something special.
Optional, but delicious and a must-have in my opinion, is to top your bowl with crumbled blue cheese. Like dill, it’s such a classic pairing with buffalo flavoured recipes and so tasty.
Fan of buffalo chicken recipes? Check out this buffalo chicken pizza!
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil: Used for cooking the veggies and ground chicken.
- Ground chicken: Two pounds of ground chicken is used in this buffalo chicken chili recipe, making it super hearty.
- Veggies: Include onion, celery, carrots and garlic.
- Canned beans: White kidney beans (or cannellini beans) are the bean of choice for this ground chicken chili recipe.
- Canned green chiles: These can usually be found in the grocery store alongside jars of pickled jalapenos and the like.
- Cream cheese: Adds a slight creaminess to the chili. Make sure it’s softened and cut into small cubes before adding to the pot so it blends in easily.
- Seasoning: Simple (but delicious) seasoning includes dill and smoked paprika. You can also add some salt and black pepper if you feel it’s necessary.
- Chicken broth: Use whatever variety (no salt added, reduced sodium or regular) you like best. If you use a no salt added or reduced sodium chicken broth, then you may need to add a little more salt to the chili. Of course, this depends on the broth itself and your preference.
- Salsa verde: Salsa verde, or green salsa, can typically be found in the grocery store alongside regular bottled salsas.
- Buffalo sauce: Use one that you enjoy. I like Frank’s buffalo sauce.
- Fresh herbs: I like to add fresh cilantro and fresh dill and the end of cooking for an extra punch of flavour. The cilantro is optional and can be omitted if you prefer.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Chili
Here is an overview of how to make buffalo chicken chili (full details are in the recipe card below):
- Heat some vegetable oil in a large pot, then add the ground chicken and veggies. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies start to soften.
- Stir in the garlic and cook until it gets nice and fragrant.
- Add the white kidney beans, green chiles, cream cheese, dried dill, smoked paprika, chicken broth, salsa verde and buffalo sauce.
- Give everything a good stir to combine.
- Cover ajar and cook until the chili is nicely thickened and the veggies are tender.
- Stir in fresh cilantro (optional) and dill. Add some salt and black pepper to taste if you like. There ya have it, easy buffalo chicken chili!
What To Serve With It
My favourite thing to serve with this buffalo chicken chili is tortilla chips for dunking. Other than that, it pairs lovely with a simple side green salad, Caesar salad, garlic bread, corn bread or cheesy toast.
Optional Chili Toppings
This buffalo chicken chili is quite tasty as is, but if you want to add some toppings, go for it! Some of my favourites for this chili are:
- Crumbled blue cheese (a must, if you ask me!)
- Chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro or dill
- Sliced green onion or chives
- Dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Drizzle of buffalo sauce
Leftovers
Properly store leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 2 to 4 days. Reheat before serving.
Reheating
Reheat buffalo chicken chili in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. If you need to thin out the chili, add a slash of chicken broth or water until you reach the consistency you like best.
Tips and Variations
- Mix up the protein: For something a little different, try this recipe with ground turkey instead of ground chicken.
- Veggies: Don’t chop the celery too thick. Sometimes celery can take a little while to soften, so you don’t want it too large. Having said that, if you like a little bite in your veggies, you can certainly cut the celery a little thicker.
- Salt: Depending on your preference and how salty your ingredients are, such as the chicken broth, buffalo sauce and salsa verde, you may not need to add salt to the chili (I didn’t).
- Add more spice: If you like a little more spicy kick to your chili, feel free to add some ground cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
More Easy Buffalo Chicken Recipes
If you make this buffalo chicken chili recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Buffalo Chicken Chili
Ingredients
Buffalo Chicken Chili
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and shredded
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (19-ounce) cans white kidney beans, also known as Cannellini beans
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1.5 teaspoons dried dill (dill weed)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup salsa verde
- ¾ cup buffalo sauce
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, optional
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried dill
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Optional Garnish Ideas
- Crumbled blue cheese
- Chopped green onion
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the ground chicken, onion, celery and carrot. Cook, breaking the ground chicken into small pieces as it cooks and stirring occasionally, until the chicken is fully cooked through and the veggies start to soften, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the white kidney beans, diced green chiles, cream cheese, dried dill, smoked paprika, chicken broth, salsa verde and buffalo sauce.
- Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat (to about medium-low) to maintain a simmer. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring every so often to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot, until the cream cheese has dissolved into the broth and the chili has thickened to your liking.Note: If the chili is too thick, you can add a splash of chicken broth or water until you reach the consistency you like best. If the chili is too thin, you could cook it for a few minutes longer.
- Stir in cilantro (if using) and fresh dill (or dried dill). Season to taste with salt and black pepper (I didn't add any, but you can if you feel it's necessary).
- To serve, divide the chili into bowls. Garnish, if desired, with any of the optional garnish ideas. Enjoy!
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
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Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Michelle
Looks so delicious and comforting, Dawn! The addition of cannellini beans is a great idea since I’ve got cans of that in the pantry to use up!