This healthy chicken chili recipe-buffalo style- just became one of our go to dinners. Easy and quick to make, this chicken chili is perfect for a cold winter night!
If one of your resolutions is becoming more healthy, than this healthy chicken chili recipe is for you!
Manservant loves chili every which way and this buffalo style chicken chili, made with rotisserie chicken is also a quick and delicious way to get dinner on the table.
Don’t have rotisserie chicken? Any leftover chicken will do. However if you don’t have that on hand just poach some boneless skinless chicken breasts and you are good to go!
The chicken is added into the chili in the last few minutes, so really all you are doing is heating it up!
Because this is a healthy chicken recipe that is perfect for busy weeknights, I’m leaving it up to you as to what kind of favorite toppings you want to add before serving.
Certainly you could sprinkle a bowl with crisp tortilla chips or even add some shredded cheese, but I like this somewhat spicy chili with a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, scallions and a few crumbles of blue cheese.
After all this is a take on buffalo chicken!
How To Make Healthy Buffalo Chicken Chili:
The original recipe calls for sauteeing chopped celery in butter.
That choice is up to you, but olive oil works just fine.
Please use chili powder not the powder of specific chiles!
Chili powder contains other seasonings like cumin, oregano and paprika which gives this easy chili recipe more nuance.
Beans? Beans make everything, including this soup recipe, more healthy.
I used white beans, but black beans or pintos would taste great also.
This isn’t a white chicken chili because I haven’t quite made that leap yet-I love fire roasted diced tomatoes mixed into this easy chicken chili recipe.
Adding chicken broth gives this chili great flavor, too.
Nope, this isn’t a traditional chili with kidney beans and ground beef, but this white bean chicken chili certainly can be added to your healthy recipes file, that I’m sure you all keep buried in your recipe drawer!
(Trust me I have a recipe drawer that is so full, I can hardly pull it open. And I’m sure it contains file folders carefully labeled. Don’ I wish?)
What gives this healthy chicken chili recipe such great flavor?
Frank’s red hot cayenne pepper sauce is a large part of the flavor in this soup.
No need to doctor your chili up with lots of cayenne pepper because Frank does the job well.
In fact to make this healthy chili more soothing I stirred in a bit of cream cheese to add to its delicious flavor.
Nope, that probably isn’t on the healthy list, so you should try the fat free cream cheese or go without!
No cream cheese? Adding in a little heavy cream will make this a creamier and thicker chili and trust me it doesn’t it take much to add lots of flavor.
Of course using a potato masher to mash your beans will make this thicker also.
Next time I make this I’ll probably add a chopped bell pepper or some green chilis.
Could you make this in a slow cooker? I’m sure you could. But this healthy dinner took all of 20 minutes in a large saucepan on the stove top.
Leftovers?
Leftovers keep well in an airtight container and actually taste even better the next day .
Definitely that gives the flavors more time to blend together but I always think leftovers taste better because I don’t have to prepare lunch!
This delicious chili is perfect for a football game as long as it doesn’t involve the Broncos.
And yes, while you are at it, add it the the easy dinner recipes file, too.
Serving suggestions? Well, those gluten free cornbread muffins tasted great with a big bowl of this chili.
As did some fresh cut pineapple and mango on the side.
Easy recipes sure make it easier to stay healthy, and I know since the wedding and over the holidays, you might say I’ve slacked off a bit.
And I swore I wouldn’t do that!
Yep, that’s life, and before I go eat donuts with Zoe in Philly, I best be doing some healthy eating.
All I can say is that this chicken chili is at least worth it!
Need a Few More?
Buffalo Chicken and 10 Ideas to Use It With!
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Healthy Chicken Chili Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 25 Minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Soups/Main Course
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
This healthy chicken chili recipe-buffalo style- just became one of our go to dinners. Easy and quick to make, this chicken chili is perfect for a cold winter night!
Ingredients
4 T ubsalted butter or olive oil
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 c chopped onion
2 T chili powder
4 chopped garlic cloves
1 15 oz can white beans, rinsed
1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 c chicken broth
1/3 c Frank’s RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
3 oz room temperature cream cheese cut into small pieces
3 c shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover or poached chicken breasts
Toppings: Sour Cream, Crumbled Blue Cheese, Minced Scallions, Cilantro,
Instructions
Melt butter or oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat.
Add celery and onions and cook about 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in chili powder and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in beans, tomatoes and juice, chicken broth and hot sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer until flavors have melded about 15 minutes, stirrng occasionally.
Stir in cream cheese if using. Stir or whisk until melted. Season with salt if needed.
Serve in bowl with sour cream and blue cheese and any other toppings you might want.
Notes
Adapted from Cook’s Country.
Sherry
Sunday 16th of January 2022
this sounds really good but i'd have to leave out the cream cheese!
mjskitchen
Friday 14th of January 2022
Toppings! I love a bowl with lots of toppings. This chili looks awesome. What do you think about using smoked turkey? I have quite a bit in the freezer from the holidays and this chili looks like a great way to use some.
Healthy World Cuisine
Thursday 13th of January 2022
We always have Frank's red hot sauce in the house so we are ready to give this delicious recipe a go. Perfect for this cold weather and yes, leftovers are even the next day so we better make a double batch.
John / Kitchen Riffs
Thursday 13th of January 2022
This looks wonderful! I'm a chili fanatic, so you know I"ll be making this. Kinda like chili and buffalo chicken dip all mushed together -- I like. BTW, have you had cream donuts in Philly? The cream is more liked whipped cream than Boston creme -- really good stuff. I'm sure Zoe knows all about them. :-)
angiesrecipes
Thursday 13th of January 2022
Wish I could have some as the weather here isn't nice...cold, windy, and grey. Chili is so perfect!