Creamy white bean chili with shredded chicken breast, tangy buffalo sauce, and cream cheese—a game-day twist on classic chili with mild heat and rich, savory depth.
For a spicier chili, add 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper or increase buffalo sauce to 1 cup. Cream cheese may appear curdled when first added; stir constantly over low heat until fully incorporated and smooth.
Make ahead: prepare chili through the simmering step, cool, and refrigerate up to 2 days. Reheat gently over medium-low heat, stirring often. If using a slow cooker, reduce chicken broth to 3 cups to prevent excess liquid.
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 1 ½ lb chicken breast
- 3 tbsp butter
- ¾ cup buffalo sauce (Frank's RedHot or similar hot sauce blend)
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 cans (15 oz each) white beans (cannellini or great northern)
- 1 large diced onion
- 2 stalks diced celery
- 3 cloves garlic cloves
- 1 medium diced jalapeño
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (for extra heat)
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles (for serving)
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro (for garnish)
- ½ cup sour cream (for serving)
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 1 ½ lb chicken breast
- 3 tbsp butter
- ¾ cup buffalo sauce (Frank's RedHot or similar hot sauce blend)
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 cans (15 oz each) white beans (cannellini or great northern)
- 1 large diced onion
- 2 stalks diced celery
- 3 cloves garlic cloves
- 1 medium diced jalapeño
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (for extra heat)
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles (for serving)
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro (for garnish)
- ½ cup sour cream (for serving)
Instructions
Prepare the chicken and vegetables
Pat chicken breast (1 ½ pound) dry and cut into 1-inch cubes.
Dice 1 large onion and 2 stalks celery into small pieces.
Mince garlic cloves and 1 jalapeño (seeds removed if using), keeping them separate.
Sear the chicken
Melt butter (3 tablespoon) in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Add the cubed chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden on all sides and cooked through (165°F internal temperature), about 8–10 minutes.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.
Build the base
In the same pot, add diced onion and celery; sauté over medium heat until softened, about 4 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and jalapeño; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Combine chili components
Pour chicken broth (4 cup) into the pot and bring to a simmer.
Add 3 cans (drained and rinsed) white beans (3 cans (15 oz each)) and the cooked chicken back to the pot.
Stir in buffalo sauce (¾ cup) and 4 oz softened cream cheese (4 oz), stirring constantly until cream cheese (4 oz) is fully melted and the mixture is smooth.
Simmer and season
Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors.
Taste and season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper (¼ teaspoon) if desired.
Serve
Ladle chili into bowls and top with blue cheese crumbles, a dollop of sour cream, and fresh cilantro if desired.
Before you cook
Cook notes
- • For a spicier chili, add 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper or increase buffalo sauce to 1 cup.
- • Cream cheese may appear curdled when first added; stir constantly over low heat until fully incorporated and smooth.
- • Make ahead: prepare chili through the simmering step, cool, and refrigerate up to 2 days. Reheat gently over medium-low heat, stirring often.
- • If using a slow cooker, reduce chicken broth to 3 cups to prevent excess liquid.
- • Blue cheese crumbles and sour cream are traditional buffalo-style toppings; serve on the side and let guests customize.
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