This buffalo chicken soup takes all of your favorite hot wing flavors and transforms it into a delicious and creamy spicy soup! This one-pot soup recipe is super easy to make ahead for a busy week. It should be made ahead of time because the flavors get better the next day. You can make this on the stove-top or in the slow cooker if you need a more hands-off soup recipe.
It’s no secret that we love buffalo recipes at my house. My entire family is from Buffalo, so our Buffalonian roots run deep here. Which also means hot sauce and blue cheese are basically staples on our dinner tables. We literally add it to just about everything!
Still don’t believe me? Some of our favorite buffalo chicken recipes include:
- Slow Cooker Shredded Buffalo Chicken
- Buffalo Chicken Subs
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese
- Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf
- Delicious Buffalo Turkey Burgers
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
I even have a Buffalo Chicken Mason Jar Salad!
Just saying- if you’re looking for Buffalo chicken recipes, you definitely landed on the right blog.
Why We Love This Lightened Up Buffalo Chicken Soup Recipe!
Once it gets a little chilly and soup season starts, this buffalo ‘chicken wing’ soup is one of the first soup recipes to make its way to the menu plan. Honestly, this might be the best buffalo chicken soup you’ve ever tried- and that’s not coming from me. That’s coming from every family member and friend who has tried it. Plus, we are all true blue Buffalonians so we know buffalo chicken!
I was able to lighten up this recipe by using low-fat cream cheese and chicken breasts. But trust me, it doesn’t skimp on flavor at all! It’s packed with spicy wing flavor, creamy, and one of the most comforting soup recipes we have ever made!
This is also a favorite to serve on Sundays for football parties. My friends and family go crazy for dipping a piece of crusty bread into this creamy comforting soup.
The flavor of this soup is outstanding. Of course, how can you really go wrong with hot sauce and blue cheese? You can’t!
Frequently Asked Questions About Buffalo Chicken Soup
Before I jump into the recipe let’s go over some questions and tips I’ve learned along the way with this soup.
What kind of chicken should I use?
The cut of chicken I use most often in this recipe is boneless skinless chicken breasts. This keeps the soup on the low-fat side while still adding a lot of lean protein. However, if you’re looking for more chicken wing type texture and flavor, then I recommend using boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Either way, both cuts of chicken work great!
Can I use leftover shredded chicken?
You sure can! If you have about 2 – 2 ½ cups of shredded chicken in the refrigerator or freezer, then you can definitely use that. Just stir it in after you add the cream cheese and blue cheese mix and cook until it’s hot. Since it’s already cooked you don’t need to add it in the beginning.
You can even use shredded rotisserie chicken in this recipe!
What brand of hot sauce should I use?
When it comes to buffalo chicken recipes, there’s only one brand of hot sauce and that’s Frank’s hot sauce. So, if you have that available, then I recommend using it. You can also use Frank’s buffalo wing sauce which has a little butter in it. So both Franks red hot or franks wing sauce will work great!
Frank’s hot sauce is more available around the country than it used to be. You can get it at Target, Walmart, or any major grocery store. If by some chance you can’t find it, then use your favorite hot sauce.
Is this buffalo chicken soup spicy?
The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it as spicy as you like. I started with ¼ cup of hot sauce but I ended up using double that because we like it spicy in our house.
So I recommend starting small and then give it a taste. If you want it spicier, then add more.
You can also use the minimum amount and then leave the hot sauce out for people to add themselves.
What if I don’t like blue cheese dressing?
Say it isn’t so! Just kidding.
I understand that not everyone likes blue cheese. I recommend just leaving the blue cheese out then and keeping it on the side for people who want to add a little bit to their soups.
Can I freeze buffalo chicken soup?
Yes, you can freeze this recipe. So if you have leftovers, or you’re stocking up for the winter you can freeze this to enjoy later in the season.
My personal favorite way to freeze soup is by using Souper Cubes. These are silicone trays that come in a variety of sizes. I have the ½ cup – 1 cup portions that work perfectly for soup.
What I typically do is fill up the trays and freeze. Once the soup is frozen, I pop it out of the trays and then place all of the cubes into a freezer bag, label, and freeze.
When I want to enjoy a delicious bowl of buffalo chicken soup, I’ll place a frozen brick of soup in a soup pan and warm up on the stove or I’ll place it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat up on high for 3-4 minutes or until hot.
You can also freeze using mason jars (plastic or glass) or into quart size freezer bags.
My biggest piece of advice when freezing soups is to freeze into portions. This way you don’t have to heat up a large amount when you only want a bowl. It’s also great to bring to work!
Stovetop Buffalo Chicken Soup
Okay, let’s get to this awesome soup recipe!
You will need:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Olive oil
- Onions, chopped
- Carrots, chopped
- Celery, chopped
- Garlic, chopped
- Milk
- Flour
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Chicken stock
- Diced tomatoes
- Low-fat cream cheese
- Blue cheese crumbles
- Frank’s hot sauce
Note: Grab the exact measurements for all of these ingredients in the recipe card below 
How To Make This Healthy Buffalo Chicken Soup Recipe
First, start out with the onions, carrots, and celery. When they cook down, add the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes or until fragrant.
Make A Roux
Whisk the flour in with the milk and 1 cup of chicken stock. Make sure to keep whisking until the flour is completely dissolved. Add the roux to the soup with the rest of the chicken stock and can of diced tomatoes. Then, stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
Add The Chicken Breasts
Bring the soup to a boil and add in the chicken breasts. Cook the chicken breasts until they are completely cooked through. Remove the chicken from the soup and place them to the side until they are cool enough to handle.
Mix The Creamy Cheese Together
Add the softened cream cheese into a bowl along with the blue cheese crumbles and add a couple of ladles of the hot chicken broth to the cheese.
Whish together all the ingredients until they are melted and smooth.
Shred The Chicken Breasts
With two forks or some claw shredders, shred the chicken apart.
Then, place the shredded chicken, cream cheese mixture, and hot sauce into the soup. Again, start with 1/4 cup hot sauce and then add more if you want it spicier. Taste for salt and pepper and add if needed.
Serve This Creamy Soup Immediately!
After the soup is ready, ladle it into bowls and garnish with some more blue cheese crumbles, tomatoes, and parsley. Make sure to serve it hot and enjoy!
Cooking Tips
- Add or leave out the diced tomatoes. This is different from what you’ll find with other buffalo chicken soup recipes but I love the flavor and texture. Plus, I like tomatoes on my buffalo chicken subs so it inspired me to add it to the soup. Glad I did because it’s yummy! If you don’t want the tomatoes then leave it out.
- Don’t try to add the cream cheese directly to the soup. I mean you can but it will take a lot longer to get creamy. And it’s hard to whisk with the vegetables. My advice is to mix it with the blue cheese and hot broth until it’s smooth and creamy and then add it in.
- Use an immersion blender (optional). If you don’t want chunks of vegetables, then you can use an immersion blender to blend all the veggies into the soup.
- Use different cheeses. If you want to switch off the cheeses, you can stir in some shredded cheddar cheese or add it to the top of each bowl before serving.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Soup In The Slow Cooker
The great thing about this soup is that you can make it on the stove or on the slow cooker. With the slow cooker method, the only difference is you need to add the milk and cream cheese mixture at the end.
Here’s exactly how you can make it:
- Saute the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots.
- Whisk together the flour and 1 cup of chicken broth then add that in with the vegetables.
- Pour the cooked vegetables into the slow cooker and add the rest of the chicken stock, canned tomatoes, and raw chicken breasts.
- Cook for 5 hours on low. Remove chicken breasts and let them cool to touch.
- While the chicken cools, then add 1 cup of hot broth to the cream cheese, blue cheese, and milk. Whisk until smooth and then add back into the soup.
- Shred the chicken and add back into the soup. Cook for another ½ hour to hour or until the soup is hot.
That’s it!
More Soup Recipes To Try
This recipe for buffalo chicken soup is amazing for the fall and winter season! It’s definitely going to be a comfort food favorite!
If you are looking for a couple of more soup recipes, take a look at this list:
- Low Carb Chicken Soup {Easy Detox Soup Recipe}
- Keto Pizza Soup
- Healthy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup {Panera Copycat Recipe}
- Healthy Stuffed Pepper Soup
This healthy buffalo chicken soup recipe will not only satisfy your craving for buffalo chicken wings but also keep you nice and toasty! Share a picture and tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you decide to try to make buffalo chicken soup at home!
Buffalo Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1.25 - 1.5 lbs of chicken breasts - 3 chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 32- ounce carton chicken stock
- 1 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 8 ounces low-fat cream cheese softened
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
- 1/4 cup - ½ cup hot sauce
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil in a 6 quart soup pot. Add in the onions, carrots, and celery. When they cook down add in the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes or until fragrant.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour in with the milk and 1 cup of chicken stock. Make sure to keep whisking until the flour is completely dissolved.
- Add the roux to the soup with the rest of the chicken stock and can of diced tomatoes. Then, stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Taste for additional salt and pepper at the end.
- Bring the soup to a boil and add in the chicken breasts. Cook the chicken breasts until they are completely cooked through. Remove the chicken from the soup and place them to the side until they are cool enough to handle.
- Add the softened cream cheese into a bowl along with the blue cheese crumbles and a couple of ladles of the hot chicken broth. Stir until melted and then add back into the soup.
- Shred the chicken and add it into the soup with the hot sauce. Start with 1/4 cup of hot sauce and if you want it to be spicer then add more. Taste for salt and pepper.
- Cook for another 10 minutes or until hot.
- Serve hot with extra blue cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and/or hot sauce.
Nutrition
Braiden says
Love this so much! Not too spicy and so easy to make, and my favorite soup I’ve made so far !
Tammy Overhoff says
That’s awesome! So glad you love this soup.
Sara says
This soup is sooo very good! I use the 1/2 cup of hot sauce, but can’t do blue cheese. I’ve made it two nights in a row now! Thank you!
Tammy Overhoff says
That’s so wonderful to hear! I’m happy you love it.