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If you haven't figured it out by now... I'm kind of obsessed with "buffalo chicken"-anything. The funny thing is, I rarely crave actual buffalo chicken wings -- but I'll take any chance I can to come up with a buffalo chicken recipe.
This chili is loaded with carrots, celery, onions, red bell peppers, garlic, Frank's Red Hot and CHICKEN. It's pretty much at the high end of my spice tolerance, but feel free to add more or less Frank's depending on your tastes! It's not what I would call a TRUE buffalo flavor, since this chili is tomato based - but with the Frank's and the celery and carrots, I'm calling it buffalo!
This makes a lot, so my husband and I ate it ALL week for lunch. You could also portion it out into freezer containers and freeze it for another time!
Looking for MORE buffalo chicken goodness?
Check out my other recipes! (I know, I know. Ranch dressing isn't a buffalo-flavored-thing. But, it IS buffalo's best friend!)
Buffalo Chicken Chili
[Whole30 - Paleo - Gluten Free - Grain Free - Dairy Free]
Ingredients:
1 28oz can tomato puree
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 28oz cans petite diced tomatoes (no need to drain)
6 oz can of tomato paste
4-5 stalks of celery, diced
4-5 carrots, diced
1-2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 ranch seasoning packet (if you have it! - if not, leave it out, or throw in some of the below spices)
- 2 tsp dried chives
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce (more or less depending on how spicy you like it!)
1.5 - 2 lbs cooked & chopped boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs (details below for cooked vs raw)
1/4 cup ranch dressing (optional)
Instructions:
- To start, dump ALL of the canned tomatoes into your slow cooker (puree, crushed, diced, paste). Then chop all of your veggies and throw them in too.
- Next up, add the chili powder, cumin, ranch seasoning/spices, and Frank's. Give everything a good stir.
- If you're using raw chicken breasts or thaws, follow the first set of instructions below. If you're using pre-cooked chicken, skip to the bottom!
If you are using raw chicken breasts or thighs:
- Once you have all of the other chili ingredients ready to go in the crock pot, place the raw chicken on top and set the timer: 4-5 hours on high, or 8-9 hours on low.
- After it cooks, check to make sure the chicken is cooked (it should be falling apart by this point), and that the veggies are no longer crunchy.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board, shred it with two forks, and return it to the crock pot
- OPTIONAL: Stir in 1/4 cup ranch dressing. I did this to get more of an orange/creamy buffalo thing going on, but you can definitely leave it out!
If you are using pre-cooked chicken:
- Once you have all of the chili ingredients ready to go in the crock pot, cover with the lid and set the timer: 4-5 hours on high, or 8-9 hours on low.
- After it cooks, check to make sure the veggies are no longer crunchy.
- Add in your pre-cooked chicken, stir to combine, and allow it to heat through.
TIP: I had some diced grilled chicken in the freezer, so I used that! But for this recipe you can start with raw chicken as noted above, pull the meat from a rotisserie chicken, use ground chicken -- whatever you want! - OPTIONAL: Stir in 1/4 cup ranch dressing. I did this to get more of an orange/creamy buffalo thing going on, but you can definitely leave it out!
