This Healthy Keto Buffalo Chicken Chili Recipe is a family favorite that can be ready in under an hour! Packed with tender, juicy chicken breast, simmered in a spicy, flavorful, and creamy broth with Frank's Red Hot Sauce. There are plenty of vegetables snuck into this delicious chicken soup. A gluten-free dinner that will be perfect for chilly fall and winter evenings, or really any time that you can go for a warm bowl of hearty soup!
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Disclosure: This recipe was originally published in February 2016, but it has been updated a few times with better photos and instructions. We hope you enjoy it!
This delicious chili is a classic dish with a few fun twists! Buffalo chicken lovers rejoice! This soup is basically all the best things about buffalo chicken wings, in chili form!
It's bursting with buffalo flavor, veggies, and a little creaminess to round it all out. This will be your new favorite chili recipe! It's a great meal for game day event, or just everyday dinners.
Looking for more chili recipes? Make sure to check out this beanless chili recipe made with beef, this dutch oven chili recipe, or this spicy keto turkey chili that you'll love!
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Naturally low carb, high protein & gluten free - This recipe is pretty simple, with lots of whole foods, seasonings, broth, and nothing funky. It's naturally very high in protein, low in carbs and keto-friendly, and gluten free.
- Packed with veggies - There's a ton of veggies in this chili, so you can feel great about eating it!
- Great for leftover and meal prep - Eat this meal the entire week. It's great to reheat and even freeze.
🌶Ingredients
Here are the ingredients used in this recipe, plus a few extras we recommend.
✏️Ingredient notes
You can find the full quantities and nutrition information in the recipe card.
- Butter and oil - We like to use a mixture of both, but you could use just one or the other. Butter adds creaminess, and avocado oil or olive oil are better for getting a hard sear on the chicken, so we use both!
- Boneless chicken breasts - Skinless chicken breasts are our top choice, but you can also use chicken thighs, ground chicken, or rotisserie chicken!
- Kosher salt & black pepper - Staples in every recipe!
- Spices - We add plenty of cayenne pepper and smoked paprika for smokiness and heat. Add to taste, and we be forewarned, we are fans of spicy food around here, so start with less then add more.
- Frank's Red Hot Sauce - This is the base of the buffalo flavor, add slowly and to taste.
- Chicken broth or stock - You could also use chicken bone broth for more flavor, nutrients, and protein.
- Bell peppers- Anything you prefer here. We love for our food to be colorful, so we used yellow and red bell peppers. You can use whatever you prefer.
- Celery, carrots, and onion- Major flavor builders, plus they are classic combos with buffalo chicken! (Think, dipping celery and carrots in ranch with your hot wings!)
- Jalapeños - Remove the seeds if you're not a fan of spicy things!
- Garlic cloves - You could substitute garlic powder, but fresh garlic is so tasty!
- Diced green chiles - For flavor and heat. Technically optional, but super yummy.
- Full fat cream cheese- We use this to make the soup creamy and mellow out the spice.
- Garnish with: a dollop of sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions, celery sticks or pieces, jalapeños, carrots, cilantro, more Frank's, and more!
📖Instructions
🔪Prep work
- Prep all vegetables by chopping and mincing ahead of time, so that everything comes together smoothly.
- Dry off chicken breasts with paper towels.
Preheat a dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken breasts liberally with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper.
When your Dutch oven is warm, add in half the oil, then sear your chicken breasts. Cook through, about 3-5 minutes on each side, then set aside and allow to rest for a few minutes before shredding or cutting into bite-sized pieces.
Add the butter to the dutch oven, then add the bell peppers, jalapeños, onion, celery, carrot, and a good pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Once vegetables are softened, add in the garlic and diced green chilies. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add back in your cooked and cubed chicken breast to the Dutch oven.
Then, add chicken broth, and Frank's Red Hot Sauce. We'd recommend starting with about half the amount of hot sauce, then adding more to taste later.
Give it a stir, add a pinch of salt and pepper, then bring to a boil. After the chili starts boiling, immediately reduce it to a simmer, then cover and cook for 25-30 minutes.
After the soup has simmered for a while, add in your cream cheese, and stir until melted. At this point, add more Frank's red hot sauce, salt, and pepper to taste.
Now, just ladle into bowls and serve with your toppings of choice, and dig in!
💭Frequently asked questions
Honestly? Yes, but it's also just right. To be honest, most of the recipes we share on our website are a bit spicy! We always season from the heart, and our heart screams for spice. Both Chamere and I are spice enthusiasts, with Chamere being on the more extreme end of "I will order the hottest thing on the menu just to do it" type. We will say we can provide you a few tips to lower the heat level, as well as provide you with a range of how much Frank's Red Hot Sauce to use.
Start with a little less hot sauce if you're a little spice averse. To lessen the amount of heat in this chili, you could also skip the diced green chiles, and the jalapeños (or just take out the seeds). The seeds are where all of the heat is held in these little peppers anyways!
Additionally, you could keep all the ingredients, but just add more cream cheese later on! We like this option too, it adds more fat and delicious creamy flavor to the chili. We are all about flavor around here, that's number one. Add what you like!
Yes, 100%! We would just recommend leaving the cream cheese out until the very end. You don't want the cream cheese to curdle, that would look (and probably taste) gross.
To make a slow cooker buffalo chicken chili, we recommend searing the chicken and vegetables, then adding everything else into the slow cooker. Pressure cook for 3-4 hours on high, or 6-8 on low until everything is nice and tender. Once cooked, take the lid off, and add the cream cheese. Cover again, then allow the cream cheese to melt and mix everything together. This should only take about 15 minutes.
In a pressure cooker or instant pot, you probably only need this to cook for about 15 minutes at full pressure, after searing the chicken and vegetables, and that's it! Again, after releasing the pressure, add the cream cheese, and allow the mixture to simmer lightly, stirring every so often with the cream cheese.
✨Variations
- Make it a rich white bean chili! - If you're not eating low carb or keto, feel free to add some white chili beans, like cannellini beans or great northern beans for extra fiber. flavor, protein, and body!
- Add ranch flavor or blue cheese - Love ranch or blue cheese? They're both perfect flavors to accompany this meal. Feel free to add ranch seasoning, or if you're more of a blue cheese person, garnish with blue cheese crumbles!
- Dairy free - If you're dairy free, you can simply skip the butter, and swap out the cream cheese in this recipe for a dairy free or vegan version, or add full fat coconut milk!
🍗More recipes to try
- Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
- Buffalo Turkey Meatballs
- Jalapeño Popper Chicken Skillet
- Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Jalapeño Poppers
- Chorizo Stuffed Poblano Peppers
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🥣Storage
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently in the microwave, or on the stovetop.
You can also freeze this chili for 3-4 months and reheat it by defrosting it in the fridge, then warming it up on the stovetop.
We will say, next-day chili is always better than first-day chili, and third-day chili is the sweet spot if it can last that long! Maybe make a double batch. The flavors develop so nicely over a few days.
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📖 Recipe
Buffalo Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2.5 pounds chicken breast
- 1 tablespoons kosher salt (or to taste, added slowly)
- 1.5 teaspoons ground black pepper (or to taste, added slowly)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 100 grams yellow onion, diced (about half a medium onion)
- 2 large jalapeños, diced (you can remove the seeds if you don't like a lot of spice)
- 1 whole red bell pepper, diced
- 1 whole yellow bell pepper, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 ounces diced green chiles (one can)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 ounces Frank's red hot sauce (
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 3 ounces full fat cream cheese, softened
- Top with: sour cream, cheese, cilantro, celery, jalapeños, etc.
Instructions
- Season your chicken liberally with salt, pepper, cayenne, and smoked paprika. Heat your dutch oven over medium heat. When the dutch oven is hot, add the oil, then sear your chicken breasts. Cook through, about 3-5 minutes on each side, then set aside and allow to rest for a few minutes before shredding it.
- Add the remaining oil to your dutch oven, then add your peppers, jalapeños, onion, celery, carrot, and a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Then, add in your garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add back in the cooked chicken breast, chicken broth, and Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. Give it a stir, add a pinch of salt, and pepper, then bring to a boil. After the chili starts boiling, immediately reduce it to a simmer, then cover and cook for 25-30 minutes.
- After the soup has simmered for a while, add in your cream cheese, and stir until melted. At this point, add more Frank’s red hot sauce, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Now just top the bowls with your toppings of choice, and dig in!
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
These nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy and are only estimates. We cannot guarantee the accuracy.
Bridgett says
This was absolutely delicious and so satisfying/filling. I used a locally made hot sauce which made it extra special. The recipe was easy to follow as are all of A Full Living’s recipes! Highly recommend.
Briana says
We're SO glad to hear this Bridget! Thank you so much for trying it and for sharing your thoughts!