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This creamy buffalo chicken and rice soup recipe is simmered with tender chicken, veggies, rice and a zesty blend of buffalo seasonings. Stovetop, Instant Pot and Crock-Pot options included.
For all of my fellow buffalo chicken dip fans out there, allow me to introduce you to a fun new spin on the classic…
…buffalo chicken and rice soup! ♡
It features all of those bold, zesty, creamy, spicy and tangy flavors we love in the classic dip…just simmered this time around into a steaming pot of chicken and rice soup. It’s total comfort food that tastes just as cozy and delicious as you would hope. And on a chilly winter’s day, it is guaranteed to warm you right up!
This soup is quick and easy enough to whip up for dinner after work on a weeknight, or it would also be a fantastic one to serve to a hungry crowd on game day this weekend. Feel free to adjust the amount of hot sauce to make your version as spicy or as mild as you prefer. And if you happen to have any other leftover veggies hanging out in the crisper drawer, this recipe is incredibly flexible so I say toss them in there too.
Alright, grab some hot sauce and let’s make this buffalo chicken soup!
Creamy Buffalo Chicken and Rice Soup Ingredients
Before we get to the full buffalo chicken and rice soup recipe below, here are a few notes about the ingredients you will need:
- Veggies: I kept things simple with basic mix of onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. But feel free to toss in any other soup-friendly veggies that sound good!
- Chicken stock: Either chicken stock or vegetable stock will work well here.
- Chicken: I just shredded a rotisserie chicken to save time, but you’re welcome to use any diced or shredded cooked chicken that you have on hand.
- Rice: I opted for white long-grain rice here because it cooks quickly and it was what I happened to have on hand. 🙂 But feel free to use wild rice, brown rice, or whatever other type of rice that you prefer. Just note that the cooking time will be longer for most other types of rice.
- Hot sauce: When making buffalo anything, I always use Frank’s original hot sauce. But any other brand of hot sauce that you prefer will work — you will just need to adjust the amount to taste, since the flavor and heat level may vary.
- Cream cheese: In keeping with the buffalo theme, I used cream cheese to make this soup extra creamy and tangy. But heavy cream would be a great alternative here too.
- Toppings: Finally, when it comes to buffalo chicken anything, I’m a fan of adding a generous sprinkling of crumbled blue cheese (or cheddar cheese) and thinly-sliced green onions on top. If you happen to be a fan of bacon, some crumbled bacon bits would also be delicious too!
Optional Variations
Here are a few other options for how to customize this buffalo chicken soup recipe…
- Make it vegetarian: Skip the chicken and add in some extra veggies (I’d recommend some hearty sweet potato!) if you would like to make this soup vegetarian.
- Make it gluten-free: When made with Frank’s brand of original hot sauce, this recipe is already naturally gluten-free. Otherwise, just be sure to check the label of your preferred brand of hot sauce to ensure that it is certified GF.
- Make it spicier or more mild: The amount of hot sauce included in the recipe below definitely has a bit of a kick, but I personally like to add in a bit more to make the soup spicier, or you could add less to make the soup more mild.
- Make it in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker): Use the sauté feature to sauté the veggies until softened. Then add the remaining ingredients minus the cream cheese, cover and pressure cook for 12 minutes followed by a 10-minute natural release (then followed by a quick release). Stir in the cream cheese, season and serve!
- Make it in the Crock-Pot (slow cooker): Add all ingredients minus the cream cheese to the bowl of a large slow cooker, cover and slow cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, until the rice is tender. (If it soaks up too much broth, add in an extra cup or two and adjust the seasonings as needed.) Stir in the cream cheese, season and serve!
- Use heavy cream: As mentioned above, feel free to use heavy cream in place of cream cheese to make this soup nice and creamy if you prefer.
- Use noodles: Alternately, feel free to add in 8 ounces of pasta noodles in place of rice to make this a buffalo chicken noodle soup. Simmer the soup until the noodles are al dente (cooking time will depend on the type of noodles you use), then proceed with the recipe as directed.
More Favorite Chicken Soup Recipes
Looking for more cozy chicken soup recipes to make this winter? Here are a few of my faves…
Description
This creamy buffalo chicken and rice soup recipe is simmered with tender chicken, veggies, rice and a zesty blend of buffalo seasonings. Instant Pot and Crock-Pot options included in the notes above.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large white onion, peeled and diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound (about 3 cups) cooked diced or shredded chicken
- 1 cup white long-grain rice*
- 1/4 cup Frank’s hot sauce
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese
- fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- toppings: crumbled blue cheese (or shredded sharp cheddar cheese), thinly-sliced green onions, crumbled bacon bits*
- Sauté the veggies. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots, celery, garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 more minutes, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Simmer. Add the chicken stock, chicken, rice, hot sauce and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer. Cover and continue cooking for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked and tender, stirring the soup every 3-5 minutes or so to ensure that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Season. Add the cream cheese and stir until it is completely melted and combined. Give the soup a taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed. And feel free to also add in more hot sauce and/or cream cheese if you would like to make the soup more spicy or creamy.
- Serve. Serve warm, garnished with lots of cheese, green onions and bacon bits. Enjoy!
Notes
Rice: You are welcome to use brown rice, wild rice, or any other type of rice that you prefer. Just note that most other varieties of rice will need more time to cook.
Bacon: If you decide to make homemade bacon bits, I would highly recommend frying the bacon first. Then use 1 tablespoon of the leftover bacon grease to sauté the veggies, for extra flavor.
