Buffalo Chicken Chili

All the great taste of Buffalo wings (even the celery and ranch!) in a hearty chili recipe packed with layers of flavor.

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This recipe combines the things I love best about Buffalo Wings and cozy, comforting chili and puts them all together in one fantastic pot!

The hearty chunks of chicken, creamy beans and celery come together with a sauce made of dry ranch dressing mix, chicken broth and a little hot wing sauce.

And it is GLORIOUS. Especially if you top it with bleu cheese crumbles like I do!

The weather has finally (finally!) turned cold here. I’m probably going to regret wishing for cold weather before winter is over but that December heat wave we had here in South Carolina was just miserable.

There’s something wrong with having to turn on your air conditioner on Christmas.

Just wrong, I say!

As soon as those temperatures dropped I was itching to make a big ol’ pot of something! Something that requires a spoon to eat! Something piping hot! Something I could love on all day while catching up on the laundry while wearing yoga pants and a sweatshirt with the last season of Game of Thrones playing in the background!

Is that TMI??

Do you love me less to imagine me with miss-matched socks on and my hair yanked back behind a headband? And a maternity sweatshirt that Husband has threatened to divorce me over if I ever try to wear it to Wal-Mart again? Too much??

A N Y W A Y . . . I couldn’t decide if I wanted to make chili or some sort of a chicken chowder so I decided on something in between! There’s nothing better than dried beans when it comes to a good, slow-cooked pot of wonder so I hit my stash of Hurst’s beans and came up with the Great Northern HamBeens and decided to use them in a chicken chili.

A buffalo chicken chili!

With everything I associate with Buffalo wings... celery, ranch, wing sauce, plus optional bleu cheese crumbles on top!

5 NOTES ON BUFFALO CHICKEN CHILI

1. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts but you can also use bone-in, skin-on breasts or thighs just be sure to remove the skin and bones before cutting into bite-sized pieces.
2. Use ranch dressing mix, not ranch dip mix.
3. Use hot wing sauce, not plain hot sauce or tabasco. I used Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce.
4. If you can’t find Hurst’s Great Northern HamBeens you use any dried white bean (great northern beans, navy beans, cannellini beans, small lima beans, etc.) then add salt to taste plus 2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke. You can also order them online!
5. Yes, I think you can make this in a crock pot! I would cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours, adding the chicken half-way through so it doesn't overcook.

MORE CHILI RECIPES TO TRY

BIG BATCH Beef & Bean Chili - A slow-cooked chili recipe with ground beef and layered flavors made with a 15-bean mix of dried beans that adds tons of variety and texture that's perfect for feeding a crowd or stocking the freezer. 

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili - Chicken simmers low and slow in your crock pot with a medley of beans for perfectly seasoned and tender chicken chili. 

The BEST Chili Mac - A hearty pasta recipe that combines chili with macaroni & cheese using ground beef, chili beans, noodles and gobs of gooey cheese. 

Really Easy Homemade Chili - A thick and hearty chili recipe with ground beef and the perfect amount of beans and spices for the best pot of chili around! 

White Chicken Chili - A white chicken chili recipe with slow-cooked creamy great northern beans, tender chicken and tons of smoky southwest flavor!

Slow Cooker Chipotle Steak Chili - A crock pot chili recipe with tender steak, smoky chipotle peppers, Mexican spices and the perfect blend of beans.

Recipe for Buffalo Chicken Chili

Buffalo Chicken Chili

Yield: 12 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 5 H & 25 MTotal time: 5 H & 30 M

All the great taste of Buffalo hot wings (even the celery and ranch!) in an easy chili recipe with layers and layers flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. chicken breasts (3-4 breasts)
• 1 packet ranch dressing mix (dry mix)
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced carrots (optional)
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1-2 cups water
• 1 20-oz. bag Hurst’s Great Northern Beans
• 1/2 cup hot wing sauce (or more to taste)

Instructions

1. Sprinkle dry ranch dressing mix over chicken breasts and coat thoroughly (I used my hands to really make sure all the pieces were coated well). Cover and refrigerate to marinate until ready to use.
2. In a Dutch oven or large pot, sauté celery, onion and carrots in butter for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, 1 cup of water and beans (with seasoning packet), stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook beans at a slow simmer for two hours.
3. Check beans throughout cooking and add more water if needed. It is necessary to maintain enough liquid for the beans to cook but not so much that things become soupy (you want to maintain a “chili-like” consistency throughout cooking).
4. Once beans have cooked for 2 hours, add chicken, cover and continue cooking over low heat for two more hours.
5. Remove chicken from pot and cover tightly with aluminum foil; set aside. Continue cooking beans for one more hour or until tender.
6. Once cooled, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken and hot wing sauce to beans and stir well. Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for 15-20 minutes.
7. Serve with bleu cheese crumbles and diced green onion if desired.

Notes

• I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts but you can also use bone-in, skin-on breasts or thighs just be sure to remove the skin and bones before cutting into bite-sized pieces.
• Use ranch dressing mix, not ranch dip mix.
• Use hot wing sauce, not plain hot sauce or tabasco. I used Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce.
• If you can’t find Hurst’s Great Northern HamBeens you use any dried white bean (great northern beans, navy beans, cannellini beans, small lima beans, etc.) then add salt to taste plus 2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke. You can also order them online!
• Yes, I think you can make this in a crock pot! I would cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours, adding the chicken half-way through so it doesn't overcook.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2016/01/buffalo-chicken-chili.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2016

buffalo wing chili, buffalo chicken chili, buffalo, chicken, chili, beans, hursts, recipe, from scratch, hot, celery, ranch, recipe, how to

main dish, supper

American

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