This Healthy 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's 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!
Chili has long been one of our favorite foods. Truthfully, we eat it year round, but when it starts to cool down, we eat it a lot! We live in the Midwest, so it's chilly a large portion of the year. In the cooler months, we make chili at least once a week. Frank's Red Hot Sauce is an ingredient that is ALWAYS in the cupboard. We mean, always. It's great on absolutely everything. So we decided to combine chicken and our favorite hot sauce in a soup form. Okay truly, this recipe isn't entirely our idea. We've seen numerous recipes all over the internet over the years, but we had to make our own keto version with a lotta extra flavor and veggies!
This recipe doesn't have any beans, like the other chili recipes on our site. Speaking of, you should check out our beanless low carb chili made with beef. We also have a delicious spicy keto turkey chili that you'll love! Another thing we'd like to mention about many of our recipes is that we have a bit of an affinity for spice. If you're less than enthusiastic about spicy food, you could probably just skip the jalapeños or add less Frank's Red Hot. We'll get to more of the spice notes later. Either way, you're going to love this healthy buffalo chicken chili. Serve with some sour cream, cheese, more Frank's, and your favorite veggies on top for a truly delicious keto friendly, gluten free and low carb dinner.
Ingredients:
The Base:
- Avocado oil or butter (Chosen Foods avocado oil) - To cook down the chicken and vegetables. Use whatever you want!
- Organic chicken breasts - You could use leftover rotisserie chicken, chicken thighs or canned chicken instead if you prefer!
- Kosher salt - Great for seasoning your food in steps, to ensure well seasoned food without over salting.
- Ground black pepper - To taste!
- Frank's Red Hot Sauce - This is the base of the buffalo flavor, add to taste! (We love a lot!)
- Frank's Red Hot seasoning blend - Optional, but delicious! You could sub for a pinch of cayenne pepper if you prefer.
- Chicken broth - Pacific Foods is our favorite. You could also use chicken bone broth for more flavor and nutrients!
The Veggies & The Rest:
- Bell peppers- We diced up bell peppers and used red and yellow. You can use whatever you prefer.
- Carrot, diced - A little bit to add some great flavor!
- Celery, diced - For freshness and for flavor.
- Yellow onion, diced - The base to any great soup.
- Jalapeños, diced - Optional, and you can remove the seeds to lower the spice level.
- Garlic cloves, minced - You could substitute garlic powder, but fresh is so good!
- Diced green chiles - For flavor, also optional.
- Full fat cream cheese- We use this to make the soup creamy and mellow out the spice. You could use sour cream, or heavy whipping cream if you prefer.
- Top with: Sour cream, shredded cheese, Frank's Red Hot Sauce, cilantro, green onion, jalapeños, celery, Epic Pork Rinds, Whisps snacks cheese crisps (use our affiliate code ’20AFullLiving’ for 20%!)
How to Make This Buffalo Chicken Chili:
Prep all of your ingredients ahead of time. There are quite a few veggies to chop, so if you do this ahead of time, it will make your life a lot easier.
Preheat your dutch oven over medium heat. Dry you chicken off with paper towels, then season liberally with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne of your Frank's Red Hot seasoning. 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 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 your cooked and shredded chicken breast, then add the green chiles, chicken broth, and Frank's Red Hot Sauce. We'd recommend starting with about half the amount, then adding more to taste laster. Give it a stir, add a pinch of salt and pepper, then bring to a boil. After the chili starts boiling, immediately reduce 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 buffalo chicken chili with your toppings of choice, and dig in!
Is This Buffalo Chicken Chili Spicy? What If I Don't Like Spicy Food?
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.
Personally, if you like things with a healthy kick, we think this recipe is perfect. Maybe 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, 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 this keto buffalo chicken chili. We are all about flavor around here, that's number one. Add what you like! If you're really counting carbs, definitely track your own macros.
What Are Some Low Carb and Keto Friendly Snacks You Can Eat With This Chili?
The topping selections when it comes to this healthy keto buffalo chicken chili are just enormous. Try it with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced jalapeños, celery, cilantro, green onions, or a wedge of lime even. We didn't have any avocado on hand when we made this, but that would have been delicious as well.
Oh, and you can always add more Frank's Red Hot sauce or a bit of their delicious seasoning blends. These amazing pork rinds by Epic Provisions are perfect for scooping. Recently, we also tried some of Fat Snax almond flour crackers and they are to die for! We also looooove to top this chili with Whisps Parmesan Cheese Crisps in it. (You can use our affiliate code '20afullliving' for 20% off on Amazon!) We're sure there are loads of great options we are missing. Go nuts! Do tell us about your wildest chili topping dreams.
Can I Make This Chili in a Pressure Cooker, Instant Pot or Slow Cooker?
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. If cooking in a slow cooker, leave in there for 8 hours until everything is nice and tender. Take the lid off, and add the cream cheese. Cover again, then allow it to melt and mix everything together. In a pressure cooker or instant pot, you probably only need this to cook for about 30 minutes at full pressure, 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.
Can I Use Chicken Thighs Instead?
Definitely! We actually generally prefer chicken thighs over breasts, because they are a little fattier, have more flavor, and are less prone to getting dry. You can certainly use chicken thighs instead. In fact, we almost did, but we had chicken breast on hand when we went to shoot this recipe. Just make sure to adjust the macros accordingly, since chicken thighs are slightly more calorie dense and fat heavy.
How Long Can I Save This Buffalo Chicken Chili?
You should store this leftover chili in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To reheat, simply simmer on the stovetop or reheat in the microwave. You can also freeze this chili for 3-4 months and reheat by defrosting in the fridge, then warming 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.
Looking For More Keto Recipes You Will Love?
- Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
- Beanless Low Carb Chili
- Jalapeño Popper Chicken Skillet
- Greek Style Ground Lamb Salad
- Chorizo Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Shop This Recipe!
Want to get supplies for this buffalo chicken chili recipe or shop our keto kitchen or pantry? We've linked our favorites above and right here in our Amazon Store! A Full Living is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate program, an affiliate advertising program designed to promote a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking products to amazon.com. We only share products we use and love. It doesn't cost you anything extra to shop using our links, but we earn a small commission that helps us keep this site going!
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Until Next Time,
Briana & Chamere
Buffalo Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 lbs organic chicken breast
- 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 oz diced green chiles (one can)
- 4 cups chicken bone broth (can sub chicken broth)
- 1/2 cup* Frank's red hot sauce (or to taste, we used 3/4 cup)
- 1.5 tsp kosher (or to taste, added slowly)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste, added slowly)
- 1/2 tsp Frank's red hot seasoning blend** (optional and to taste, for seasoning the chicken, could sub cayenne pepper)
- 3 oz full fat cream cheese
- Top with: sour cream, cheese, cilantro, celery, jalapeños, etc.
Instructions
- Season your chicken liberally with salt, pepper, and cayenne or Frank's red hot seasoning. Heat your dutch oven over medium heat. When the dutch oven is hot, 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 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 your cooked and shredded chicken breast, then add the green chiles, 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 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!
Notes
Nutrition
These nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy and are only estimates. We cannot guarantee the accuracy.
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