Buffalo Chicken Chili
All the bold, spicy Buffalo wing flavor you love—without the deep-fried, calorie-bomb aftermath. Plus, it’s customizable: mild or fiery… you’re in charge!
Ingredients
- Oil spray or 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil, for sautéing
- 6 carrots, peeled and sliced into half-moons*
- 6 stalks celery, sliced into ¼-inch half-moons
- 6 cloves garlic, minced (or 1½ teaspoons garlic powder)
- 2 pounds ground chicken or turkey, 90–94% lean
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups vegetable juice or tomato juice
- ¼ cup hot sauce, plus more to taste (see Notes)
Whipped Blue Cheese Topping
- ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles, room temperature
- ¼ cup light sour cream or nonfat/low-fat plain Greek yogurt
More Optional Toppers
- Chopped scallions
- Plain Greek yogurt or light sour cream
- Additional hot sauce
Instructions
Stove-Top Version
- Sauté the veggies: Heat oil spray or 1 tablespoon olive/avocado oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8–10 minutes. If needed, add water 1 tablespoon at a time to prevent sticking.
- Add garlic: Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Brown the meat: Add the ground chicken or turkey. Cook, stirring and breaking it up into small crumbles, until fully cooked through—about 5 minutes. Continue scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any flavorful bits.
- Add spices + liquid: Sprinkle in the chili powder and flour. Stir quickly so the spices coat the meat and veggies evenly. Pour in the vegetable/tomato juice and hot sauce and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Whipped Blue Cheese Topping: In a small bowl, mash together the blue cheese crumbles and sour cream or Greek yogurt until smooth and creamy. Dollop over hot chili just before serving.
- Serve: Ladle into bowls and top with the whipped blue cheese… or optional scallions, a dollop of yogurt/sour cream, and extra hot sauce.
Notes
• How to make it in a slow cooker:
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown and crumble the ground poultry until cooked through. (Tip: Browning the meat first creates the best texture and flavor.)
- Transfer the meat to the slow cooker and add carrots, celery, garlic, chili powder, flour, juice, and hot sauce. Stir well.
- Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
- If you prefer a thicker chili, reduce the juice by about ¾ cup (slow cookers release more liquid).
Nutrition Information per serving
Serving Size: 1 cup (add 20 calories per tablespoon Whipped Blue Cheese Topping)Calories: 190Carbohydrates: 11gProtein: 18gTotal Fat: 8g— Unsaturated Fat: 6g— Saturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 530mgPotassium: 615mgFiber: 2gTotal Sugar: 5g— Natural Sugar: 5g— Added Sugar: 0gVitamin A: 6780IUVitamin C: 55mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 1.8mg
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.