Salt & Lavender

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Buffalo Chicken Soup

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This buffalo chicken soup is a fun and different way to enjoy your favorite hot wing flavors! The perfect game day grub. Blue cheese is optional. 

close-up of creamy buffalo chicken soup in a bowl

Well, it’s soup season again, and I’m all over it. Not the cooler weather, but I do like soup. Football is also back, so I figured that it would be a nice time to introduce this soup to the blog.

So, what’s this buffalo chicken soup all about? Well, I used Frank’s Red Hot (the classic hot sauce that you find in buffalo sauce), a little butter (also found in buffalo sauce), chicken (of course), and I deliberated on what the heck else to include in the recipe.

I decided on cream cheese and a packet of ranch seasoning because it balances the spiciness and conjures up the yummy cooling tangy ranch dip that often comes with hot wings. Now, this combination in soup form may sound a little odd, but it works rather well. 😛 I even included carrots and celery in this soup… cuz they usually come with hot wings (see what I did there?). And a crumble of blue cheese for the purists out there. 

The blue cheese is totally optional. I know a lot of people aren’t blue cheese fans (I admit that I am iffy with it in most cases), so I didn’t want to make it a compulsory part of the soup. Add the blue cheese crumbles in at the end… or not at all. 

I wouldn’t call this creamy buffalo chicken soup crazy spicy or anything, but there’s always potential to add more heat if needed. My spice level tolerance isn’t high, and I didn’t think it was too spicy. Start with the suggested 1/4 cup of Frank’s Red Hot, and build it up from there. 

buffalo chicken soup in a yellow pot

How to make buffalo chicken soup

  1. Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery in a soup pot;
  2. Add in the flour, ranch seasoning, chicken broth, and Frank’s Red Hot;
  3. Add the chicken (I add the whole chicken breasts and cut them up later);
  4. Simmer for 12 minutes;
  5. Cut the chicken up (or shred it with two forks) and add the cream cheese to the soup;
  6. Add the chicken pieces back in, season, and garnish soup as desired.

(full instructions and ingredients are in the recipe card below)

Don’t be shy… you can definitely add more hot sauce at the end if it’s not spicy enough for ya!

Love chicken soup? Try my Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Soup, this Easy Chicken and Rice Soup, my Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe, or this Easy Chicken Tortellini Soup.

buffalo chicken wing soup with cream cheese in two bowls

What kind of chicken to use?

I used boneless/skinless chicken breasts, but chicken thighs would work too! I’d cook the chicken thighs for a few minutes longer since they’re more forgiving.

More buffalo chicken recipes to try:

buffalo chicken wing soup close-up

Will you give this buffalo chicken soup recipe a try? Are your Team Blue Cheese or not?

Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions. 

close-up of creamy buffalo chicken soup in a bowl
5 from 7 votes
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Buffalo Chicken Soup

This buffalo chicken soup is a fun and different way to enjoy your favorite hot wing flavors! The perfect game day grub.

Course Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword buffalo chicken soup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6
Author Salt & Lavender

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 2 sticks celery chopped small
  • 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped small
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 (1 ounce) packet ranch seasoning (I used Hidden Valley)
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce
  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 8 ounces cream cheese (I used a block of Philly)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Garnish (optional): crumbled blue cheese, chopped scallions

Instructions

  1. Take the cream cheese out of the fridge and let it soften up prior to starting the recipe.

  2. Add the oil + butter to a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, celery, and carrot for about 7 minutes.

  3. Stir in the flour and ranch seasoning, followed by the chicken broth and Frank's Red Hot.

  4. Add the chicken breasts (no need to cut them up) to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat so the soup is simmering. Let it cook for 12 minutes.

  5. Take the chicken out of the pan and place it on a cutting board. Meanwhile, add the cream cheese to the soup. Cut up the chicken. It should be mostly cooked, but if it's not quite done yet, that's fine. You may need to give the cream cheese a helping hand with your spoon. Add the cut-up chicken into the soup once the cream cheese is incorporated.

  6. If the chicken wasn't quite cooked, let it cook for a few more minutes. Season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. Serve and garnish as desired. If you love blue cheese, you can stir some right into the soup prior to dishing it up.

Recipe Notes

  • Feel free to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts (I'd use 6 boneless/skinless thighs). I'd then cook the chicken for 15 minutes. 
  • This soup isn't crazy spicy as written. You can add more Frank's Red Hot Sauce in at the end if it's not hot enough for you. 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Michaela says

    Can I use cream cheese spread? We dont have american cream cheese here. Or could I use whipped cream instead?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! I’m not entirely sure what cream cheese spread is, but if it’s anything like American cream cheese, then it would probably be fine. It has sort of a tangy taste. I wouldn’t use whipped cream, but whipping cream or heavy cream would give it that creamy consistency. Do you have sour cream? I think that might be the best alternative, actually, because it has that tangy taste.

      Reply

  4. Phyllis says

    We’re invited to a chili/soup and fixings potluck and I think I just found what I’m taking, sounds delicious. Thanks so much!!!

    Reply

  5. Deepinthesnow says

    5 stars
    Outstanding!
    I used rotisserie chicken and 1/3 fat cream cheese. WW members it’s about 6 points a serving.

    Reply

  8. Jools says

    5 stars
    Just made this for dinner and it was delicious! Really easy to make! Clean plates all around!
    I didn’t have ranch seasoning so looked up some key ingredients and added, as many as I had, separately and it was absolutely amazing! Will definitely make it again! 😍

    Reply

  9. Lauren says

    What could you sub for the ranch packet? I would use vegan cream cheese for my daughter who is lactose intolerant, but the ranch mix has buttermilk. Any suggestions?

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! I haven’t tested it, but you could give it 8 min on high pressure and then add the cream cheese in after. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply

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