Buffalo Chicken Soup

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There’s nothing quite like a warm, healthy buffalo chicken soup recipe on a cold day. The combination of buffalo sauce and creamy soup is totally irresistible, and makes the perfect comfort food. Like my Instant Pot buffalo chicken dip, buffalo cauliflower bites, and baked buffalo chicken, this soup is spicy and flavorful!

What’s great about this soup is that you can make it in 3 ways: your Crock Pot, your Instant Pot, or the stovetop! I’m a fan of using my Instant Pot, and if you are too, try using it for beef cabbage soup, Instant Pot broccoli, or egg bites.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for chicken buffalo soup, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

• Olive Oil – For sauteing the onion, celery and garlic. You could also use whatever neutral cooking oil you like (or butter).
• Onion – I used a white onion, but yellow onions would work well too. Dice into small equal pieces.
• Celery – A natural pairing with buffalo flavors! You could also add carrots, potatoes or other veggies.
• Garlic – I prefer to use fresh minced garlic for the best flavor, but you could use 2 teaspoons of jarred minced garlic for convenience instead. If you don’t have garlic on hand, you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder — just add it at the same time as the chicken and broth.
• Shredded Chicken – Cook this any way you like using chicken breasts or chicken thighs, but I prefer Instant Pot shredded chicken! You can also use any leftover chicken you have or a rotisserie chicken from the store.
• Broth – You can use any kind of broth you like. I often use chicken bone broth for added nutrition, but regular chicken broth or vegetable broth would work as well.
• Buffalo Sauce – This does add some heat. If you prefer less heat, use 2 tablespoons buffalo wing sauce instead of 3.
• Cream Cheese – Warm to room temperature and cut into cubes so it will easily melt into the soup.
• Half & Half – I opted for half and half to lighten this soup up a bit, but you can use heavy cream for richer results. For deeper flavor, you could also substitute ranch dressing.

How To Make Buffalo Chicken Soup

This section shows how to make buffalo chicken soup in the Instant Pot, Crock Pot, or stovetop, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

1. Saute vegetables. Heat the oil using the Saute setting on the Instant Pot, a skillet on the stovetop for the Crock Pot version, or a Dutch oven on the stove for the stovetop version. Add chopped onion and celery. Cook until onions are translucent and start to brown.
2. Saute garlic. Add garlic. Saute until fragrant.
3. Combine. For the Instant Pot or stovetop methods, add the shredded chicken, broth, and buffalo sauce directly to the pot. For the Crock Pot method, place these in the slow cooker, along with the veggies from the skillet.

4. Cook. Simmer the buffalo chicken soup recipe, either using the Soup setting (under pressure) in the Instant Pot, on the Low setting in the Crock Pot, or just simmer on the stove.
5. Puree. Ladle about a cup of liquid (without chicken) from the pot and pour into a blender. Add cubed cream cheese. Puree until smooth.

TIP: For best texture, you must blend.

Don’t make the mistake I first made and add the cream cheese directly to the buffalo chicken soup. It will form chunks and not melt. No good!

It works much better to blend the cream cheese with a little liquid first, then add it in. Make sure it’s softened and not too cold, or it won’t blend either.

6. Stir. Pour the cream cheese mixture back into the Instant Pot, Crock Pot, or Dutch oven. Add half and half and stir until smooth. The soup already has enough heat and salty ingredients, so I didn’t need any additional salt or pepper, but you can add to taste if needed.

OPTIONAL: Add toppings!

For classic wing flavors, try finishing this soup with a sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese (or a drizzle of blue cheese dressing), sliced green onions, or shredded cheddar cheese.

Storage Instructions

• Store: Keep creamy buffalo chicken soup covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Meal prep: Cut vegetables, prepare shredded chicken, and store separately in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Reheat: Warm on the stovetop or in the microwave, until heated through.
• Freeze: Cool soup to room temperature, then pour into zip top freezer bags. Lay flat in the freezer until solid, and after that you can move them upright to save space if needed. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

More Easy Soup Recipes

Warm up with some delicious, easy, and healthy soup recipes! These are some of my favorite quick and easy ones.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Easy Taco Soup

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Mexican Chicken Soup

4.75 from 36 votes

Buffalo Chicken Soup Recipe (3 Ways!)

This buffalo chicken soup recipe has the perfect blend of spice and cream, complete with hot sauce and tender chicken. 3 ways to cook it!

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 6 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

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• 1 tbsp Olive oil ▢
• 1/2 large Onion (diced) ▢
• 1/2 cup Celery (diced) ▢
• 4 cloves Garlic (minced) ▢
• 1 lb Shredded chicken (cooked) ▢
• 4 cups Chicken bone broth (or any chicken broth) ▢
• 3 tbsp Buffalo sauce (or 2 tbsp for less heat) ▢
• 6 oz Cream cheese (at room temperature, cubed) ▢
• 1/2 cup Half and half (or heavy cream) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Instructions:

1. Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot. Add the oil, chopped onion, and celery. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and start to brown.

2. Add garlic. Saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Press the Off button.

3. Add the shredded chicken, broth, and buffalo sauce.

4. Cover and seal the Instant Pot. Press the Soup button and adjust time to 5 minutes. After cooking is complete, let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then switch to quick release and open the lid.

5. Ladle about a cup of liquid (without chicken) from the edge of the Instant Pot and pour into a blender. Add the cubed cream cheese. Puree until smooth. (If it's hard to blend, you can add a little more liquid.)

6. Pour the mixture back into the Instant Pot. Add the half & half or heavy cream. Stir until smooth.

Crock Pot / Slow Cooker Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, and celery. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and start to brown.

2. Add garlic. Saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant.

3. Place the shredded chicken, broth, and buffalo sauce into the slow cooker. Add all the ingredients from the pan and stir.

4. Cook for 3-4 hours on low.
5. Ladle about a cup of liquid (without chicken) from the edge of the slow cooker and pour into a blender. Add the cubed cream cheese. Puree until smooth. (If it’s hard to blend, you can add a little more liquid.)
6. Pour the mixture back into the slow cooker. Add the half & half or heavy cream. Stir until smooth.

Stovetop Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, and celery. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and start to brown.

2. Add garlic. Saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant.

3. Add the shredded chicken, broth, and buffalo sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Ladle about a cup of liquid (without chicken) from the edge of the Instant Pot and pour into a blender. Add the cubed cream cheese. Puree until smooth. (If it's hard to blend, you can add a little more liquid.)

5. Pour the mixture back into the pot. Add the half & half or heavy cream. Stir until smooth.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 cup

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 314

Fat 20g

Protein 28.2g

Total Carbs 4.5g

Net Carbs 4.1g

Fiber 0.4g

Sugar 2.5g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keywords: buffalo chicken soup, buffalo chicken soup recipe

Calories: 314 kcal

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