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    Home » Chicken & Poultry

    Buffalo Chicken Soup

    Published: Sep 28, 2019 / Updated: Oct 18, 2020 / 167 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my affiliate disclosure for more details.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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 Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup or this comforting Chicken and Rice 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:

    • Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip
    • Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
    • Buffalo Chicken Tacos
    • Easy Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta

    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

    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.
    4.97 from 53 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 35 mins
    Course Soup
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6
    Calories 378 kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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
     

    • Take the cream cheese out of the fridge and let it soften up prior to starting the recipe or microwave it for 20-30 seconds.
    • Add the oil + butter to a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, celery, and carrot for about 7 minutes.
    • Stir in the flour and ranch seasoning, followed by the chicken broth and Frank's Red Hot.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.

    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.
    • You could try subbing the ranch packet for ranch or blue cheese salad dressing (but I haven't tested this, so you'd have to experiment). There's also plenty of recipes out there for homemade ranch seasoning if you can't find any in stores.
    • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 378kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 35gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 1572mgPotassium: 848mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 4068IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword buffalo chicken soup
    Author Natasha Bull
    « One Pan Tortellini with Sausage
    Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash »

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    1. Deborah Blackburn says

      July 14, 2022 at 6:35 PM

      5 stars
      This soup is just PERFECT! Not too hot and absolutely delicious! I used 2 pounds of rotisserie chicken and it saved me some time. I will be making this again and again. Perfect for a casual dinner with friends. Serve with nachos or taco!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        July 14, 2022 at 11:43 PM

        Thank you!! I'm so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂

        Reply
    2. L. Pierce says

      June 16, 2022 at 11:12 PM

      I made this tonight with a couple of small modifications. I subbed a few potatoes for the carrots, did not add flour (needed no gluten), and added a little heavy cream. It was amazing!! It is so flavorful and yummy!!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        June 17, 2022 at 8:29 AM

        Love that!! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Anne Burns says

      May 5, 2022 at 3:16 PM

      We all love this soup! At the beginning of the school week, I ask my teenage son for dinner requests and this is what he asked for this week! Absolutely delicious and easy to make!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        May 5, 2022 at 3:59 PM

        Aww I love that!! 🙂 So happy it's a hit in your home!

        Reply
    4. Bee says

      April 21, 2022 at 12:40 PM

      5 stars
      Our family loves this soup! We eat it with tortilla strips, and I had another 1/4 cup of buffalo wing sauce to the recipe. Can't thank you enough for this--dinner in under an hour AND everyone eats it all. Priceless!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        April 21, 2022 at 1:09 PM

        That's awesome!! 😀 I love when the whole fam enjoys a meal! Thanks for letting me know.

        Reply
    5. Roxann Mrochko says

      March 31, 2022 at 7:50 AM

      Could you substitute goat cheese instead of cream cheese? Also, when I make buffalo dip I use Feta cheese and cheddar could I add those?

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        March 31, 2022 at 9:55 AM

        Hi! You could for sure try swapping, but I've never used goat's cheese into a soup... I'm not quite sure if it'll melt in the same way. The cream cheese is also fairly tangy and less strong, so the flavor will definitely be different. I'd add some feta crumbles on top perhaps after serving.

        Reply
        • L. Pierce says

          June 16, 2022 at 11:13 PM

          I used feta crumbles on top instead of blue cheese- it was really good.

          Reply
    6. Lacy says

      March 2, 2022 at 7:59 PM

      5 stars
      I keep coming back to this recipe, and it's become one of my partner's favourites! The spiciness is just right for my taste. Cooking the chicken in the same pot as the rest of the soup is genius. I love anything that reduces how many dishes I have to use!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        March 2, 2022 at 9:53 PM

        That's great to hear!! I'm so happy it's a hit. 😀

        Reply
    7. Alyssa says

      February 23, 2022 at 5:19 PM

      5 stars
      Made this tonight for my family! Husband and kids all loved it and so did I. It is creamy, full of flavor, easy to make... just so good!! I dipped my kids soup out before I added the Frank’s Red Hot since they don’t like spice and then I added it in for my husband and I. It was absolutely just as delicious without the Frank’s as it was with it! Will make this again!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        February 23, 2022 at 7:30 PM

        Yay!! I'm so happy everyone liked it!

        Reply
    8. Sarah says

      February 15, 2022 at 6:11 PM

      About how many cups or ounces of soup would this make?

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        February 16, 2022 at 11:33 AM

        Hi Sarah! I honestly don't know. The nutrition info is for 1/6 of the recipe. I provide that info as a courtesy to give a rough idea of calories, but I am not a trained nutritionist and I don't know what that equates to in cups/oz/etc. unfortunately.

        Reply
    9. Jodi says

      February 9, 2022 at 7:44 PM

      5 stars
      Made this tonight and it won’t be the last time
      So happy with it
      I used 1/3 cup of Buffalo sauce
      2 Tbsps of flour and 6 cups of homemade chicken broth
      Delicious doesn’t do it justice

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        February 9, 2022 at 9:31 PM

        I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Jodi!!! 🙂 Thanks for your review.

        Reply
    10. Mallory says

      January 17, 2022 at 11:21 AM

      Will be trying this for our super bowl party! Looks amazing. Hows the consistency of it, is it thick like a broccoli cheddar soup, or it is more brothy? Has anyone had success adding extra cheese, such as a sharp cheddar or Colby jack? My family prefers a really thick cheese soup 🙂 Thank you!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        January 17, 2022 at 6:21 PM

        Hi! It's fairly brothy. I think you could probably make a roux and/or add in more cheese at the end. Or add in a little more flour, but in that case I'd probably just do a roux.

        Reply
        • Melissa says

          February 11, 2022 at 6:30 PM

          It’s a great recipe and I’m definitely making it for the super bowl. I doubled up in on the mirepoix and also let it simmer for a while after I cooked it and it thickened up nicely. Just keep an eye on the soup so it doesn’t burn or stick to the pot.

          Reply
          • Natasha says

            February 12, 2022 at 11:13 AM

            Excellent!

            Reply
    11. Lisha says

      January 16, 2022 at 3:50 PM

      Can I do this with precooked chicken and just skip step 4?

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        January 16, 2022 at 8:20 PM

        Sure! I think others have done that.

        Reply
    12. Jenny Weiner says

      December 12, 2021 at 5:44 PM

      5 stars
      This is my new favorite soup recipe! I made 2 incredibly slight alterations (homemade ranch seasoning and 1/3 less fat cream cheese) and OMG it's amazing!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I am set for the week now!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 12, 2021 at 7:15 PM

        I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Jenny!! 🙂

        Reply
    13. Cristal says

      December 12, 2021 at 3:31 PM

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner tonight while we watch the game and it was delicious! I baked some honey cornbread to go along with it and the sweet and spicy paired perfectly. I’m thinking I’ll turn the cornbread into croutons to add right into the leftovers.

      I chose to shred the chicken before adding it it back to get the pot and definitely glad I did! Seems like there’s so much more to go around that way!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 12, 2021 at 5:07 PM

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Cristal! Thanks for your review! 🙂

        Reply
    14. Kristen says

      December 10, 2021 at 8:53 AM

      Looks amazing. Do you think I could do it in a slow cooker? Would I add the cream cheese towards the end?

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 10, 2021 at 9:01 AM

        Yup, that's what I would do. 🙂

        Reply
      • Ally says

        December 21, 2021 at 7:32 PM

        Kristen, did you try making this in the slow cooker? I'm planning to make this tomorrow but would prefer to do in the slow cooker.

        Reply
    15. Laura Eilts says

      December 8, 2021 at 6:00 PM

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious! Whole family loved it! No leftovers at all. I’ll make this on repeat! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 8, 2021 at 7:00 PM

        Fantastic!! Thanks, Laura!

        Reply
    16. Tanya says

      December 8, 2021 at 5:24 PM

      5 stars
      I had thawed a package of ground chicken and came across this recipe. I love finding a recipe that has normal ingredients that are stocked in the kitchen. This was a home run!! I added shredded cheddar to the top of our bowls and served w hot croissants. The whole family loved it! Will be making it over and over thank you!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 8, 2021 at 7:02 PM

        I'm so pleased it was a hit!! 🙂 Thanks for your review, Tanya!

        Reply
    17. Kelly says

      December 5, 2021 at 12:40 PM

      Do you cook the chicken first separately or add raw chicken to the pot and cook it like that?

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 5, 2021 at 12:54 PM

        Hi Kelly! It's uncooked chicken. Assume any ingredient is uncooked unless otherwise specified. Like step 5 indicates, "...it should be mostly cooked but if it's not quite done yet, that's fine..." Hope you enjoy the soup! 🙂

        Reply
    18. Jim says

      November 28, 2021 at 12:39 PM

      5 stars
      Can you freeze Buffalo Chicken Soup?

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        November 28, 2021 at 12:43 PM

        Hi! So, if you happen to have leftovers, you could give it a try, but in general, soups with cream/cream cheese often don't freeze well (the texture can get a bit weird and it can separate once thawed). I'd reheat over a low heat if you do try. It'll still taste fine.

        Reply
    19. Rebecca says

      November 15, 2021 at 3:29 PM

      Have you tried making this in the instant pot? Would love to know how to make it that way.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        November 15, 2021 at 3:38 PM

        Hi! I haven't. I'd probably do 10 minutes high pressure, natural release for 10 min then release the remaining pressure manually (this technique can help keep chicken more tender, apparently, and I've used it in other IP chicken recipes). Add in the cream cheese after you take the lid off.

        Reply
    20. Lori H says

      October 10, 2021 at 11:14 AM

      5 stars
      Yummy addition to my recipe collection. Great aroma and taste. Can you freeze this if you make a larger quantity? I wasn't sure because of the cream cheese. Thanks for sharing this recipe, your kindness will be remembered each time I serve this dish of love.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        October 10, 2021 at 2:40 PM

        Hi Lori!! I'm so happy you like it. 🙂 I haven't tested freezing this one, and you're right... I have the same concern about the cream cheese. I think you could try freezing leftovers, and if you reheat them slowly over a low heat, there's a chance it won't separate. With that said, I am sure it'll still taste good... the texture just may be a little different than when it's freshly made.

        Reply
        • Paris Roach-Rowe says

          November 2, 2021 at 3:33 AM

          5 stars
          This is my go-to soup recipe. It is so comforting and just tastes great!
          Only things I've tweaked for myself is I use chicken with bone as I'm not a fan of breast. I also pre-season the chicken and brown them off in the pan before adding to the soup.
          This is a great recipe!

          Reply
          • Natasha says

            November 2, 2021 at 9:46 AM

            Fantastic!! I agree - chicken with bone is much more flavorful. Thanks for your review! 🙂

            Reply
    21. Carrie says

      August 18, 2021 at 9:09 AM

      5 stars
      This is one of the most complimented soups I’ve ever made. I really enjoy making it, but had to modify a few things after the original did not work well for me. I’ve done the original 2-3 times, but have made the following modifications many times with great results:

      The chicken was too much and not enough liquid. I reduced it to two chicken breasts (around 1 lb).

      I added more broth…about 2 more cups and a few tablespoons off hot sauce (to prevent the soup from weakening).

      Not really needed, but I also added 3 ears of corn. I cut cooked ears off the cob and added them with the chicken after the cream cheese was blended.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        August 18, 2021 at 10:01 AM

        Thanks for your suggestions, Carrie! I am glad you gave it a try and tweaked it to your liking. 🙂

        Reply
    22. Elizabeth Palmer says

      July 25, 2021 at 4:37 PM

      5 stars
      The best Buffalo Chicken Soup recipe I've come across yet, even my picky husband liked it, delicious - thank you!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        July 25, 2021 at 6:35 PM

        Fantastic!! So glad to hear it, Elizabeth! 😀

        Reply
    23. Nicole says

      June 19, 2021 at 3:10 PM

      5 stars
      This was quite tasty!!!! I was a little nervous that the cream cheese wouldn't melt in all the way but with a little patience and time it did. I used four whole chicken breast, but this seemed to be a lot. Next time I'll either add less chicken or double the soup recipe up. Overall absolutely satisfied. Easy to make and DELICIOUS!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        June 19, 2021 at 5:00 PM

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Nicole!

        Reply
    24. Barbara says

      April 16, 2021 at 11:33 AM

      5 stars
      My husband loves this soup, as he is a Buffalo chicken and Frank Red Hot Sauce fan, and this soup combines both! It has been our “go to” soup throughout the cooler months. I usually use a Rotisserie chicken, so it speeds up the preparation. Delicious!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        April 16, 2021 at 11:40 AM

        I'm so glad you two enjoy it!! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to write me a review, Barbara!

        Reply
    25. Christy Gurganus says

      April 9, 2021 at 12:28 PM

      5 stars
      OBSESSED with this soup!! I have made this soup 15+ times, and have loved it every time. So filling, but you don’t feel sluggish or overly full after a few bowls (yes, you will go in for seconds or thirds lol)

      I like to shred my chicken instead of slicing it. Partially because I prefer shredded chicken in almost all dishes, and also because I’m lazy. I like to throw the full chicken breasts in my kickenaid mixer and it’s shredded in 30 seconds.

      Highly recommend this soup!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        April 9, 2021 at 7:37 PM

        I'm thrilled you like this soup so much, Christy!! Great tip to shred the chicken too.

        Reply
    26. Sandy says

      March 19, 2021 at 10:32 AM

      I have made this without the flour and ranch dressing mix. It is fabulous. I've added mushrooms to the veggies too snd it's amazing.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        March 19, 2021 at 10:41 AM

        Glad it worked out for you, Sandy! 🙂

        Reply
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