The bold flavors of Buffalo wings come together in this zippy, creamy, easy-to-whip-up Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup, perfect for serving on game day or for warming up on a chilly fall or winter evening!
⅓cupBuffalo wing saucesuch as Frank's RedHot Original (plus additional sauce for serving)
⅓cupblue cheese dressing
1 ½poundsboneless skinless chicken breastsabout 3 large chicken breasts
1 ½cupschopped celeryplus additional raw celery sticks for serving
1cupshredded sharp cheddar
1(4-ounce) tub crumbled blue cheesefor serving
Instructions
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and whisk continuously for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth. Increase the heat to a simmer and whisk continuously for several minutes, until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the salt, pepper, Buffalo wing sauce, and blue cheese dressing. Set aside to slightly cool.
Place the chicken breasts in a large slow cooker. Top them with the chopped celery and pour the sauce over the top. Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours until the chicken is tender and cooked through but not overcooked.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, stir the cheddar into the slow cooker, and cover the slow cooker for the time being. Pull the chicken into large chunks and stir it back into the slow cooker. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, cover the slow cooker, and cook for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and all of the ingredients are heated through. Stir well. Ladle into bowls, top with blue cheese crumbles, and drizzle with extra Buffalo wing sauce, if desired. Serve with celery sticks on the side.
Notes
Make sure you don't shock your slow cooker insert with a sudden dramatic change in temperature, or it could crack. In other words, don't put nearly-frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker and then pour practically-boiling sauce over the top. Always allow a hot sauce or gravy to cool a bit before pouring it into the slow cooker.
This soup is mildly to moderately spicy, depending on your heat tolerance, so you may adjust the Buffalo wing sauce to taste. If you prefer a mild soup, only start with 3 tablespoons or so. Regardless of your heat tolerance, you can always add more at the end.
If you don't care for blue cheese, you may substitute ranch dressing for the blue cheese dressing, and you may garnish with extra shredded cheddar instead of blue cheese crumbles.