Buffalo Chicken Chili and Cornbread with Hot Honey Butter

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible.

Buffalo chicken chili is incredibly flavorful and creamy. It's the dinner version of everyone's favorite buffalo chicken dip. It's a white chili, meaning it has white beans, fewer tomatoes, and white protein (in this case it's chicken). I used three types of beans because I like the variety, but you can use only one type or reduce the number of beans if you have issues digesting them.

The spiciness level of the chili is up to you. I used 1 cup of Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce because I like a lot of heat, but I suggest you start out with 1/4 cup, and you can always add more at the end if you want it spicier.

It's very important to wait to add the cream cheese until the end, and make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature and cut into cubes. It should easily melt into the chili. If you have issues with unmelted chunks of cream cheese in your chili, it's probably because it wasn't softened when you added it. Even though the chili has cream cheese in it, it’s totally fine to reheat it. Just be careful to heat it on low and do not let it boil.

I used Challenge cream cheese because Challenge prides itself on its fresh products and only uses real milk, cream, and natural ingredients for a pure, superior taste.

Make sure to check out my Ultimate Soup Guide for tips on making the most flavorful soups.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

Yield: 4 quarts

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 12 ounces onion, small dice
• 6 ounces carrot, small dice
• 6 ounces celery, small dice
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 pounds chicken breast
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes, not drained
• 1/2 to 1 cup buffalo sauce (depending on spice level preference, I use 1 cup)
• 4 ounces Challenge cream cheese, room temperature and cut into cubes
• Optional toppings: Blue cheese crumbles, green onions, tortilla chips

Directions for stovetop

1. Add oil to large pot or dutch oven, and turn to medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery to pot and sweat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they soften.
2. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
3. Add chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper to pot. Mix with mirepoix until combined.
4. Add chicken, chicken stock, cannellini beans, great northern beans, pinto beans, fire roasted tomatoes, and buffalo sauce to pot and stir.
5. Bring soup to boil and reduce to simmer. Continue to simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes.
6. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. It should shred very easily.
7. Add cream cheese and stir until melted and blended in.
8. Serve soup in bowls with blue cheese and green onion.

Directions for Instant Pot

1. Add oil to Instant Pot and turn on sauté setting. Add onion, carrot, and celery to pot and sweat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they soften.
2. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
3. Turn off saute setting and add chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper to pot. Mix with mirepoix until combined.
4. Add chicken, chicken stock, cannellini beans, great northern beans, pinto beans, fire roasted tomatoes, and buffalo sauce to Instant Pot and stir.
5. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. After it is done, quick release the pressure.
6. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken. It should shred very easily.
7. Add cream cheese and stir until melted and blended in.
8. Serve soup in bowls with blue cheese and green onion.

Directions for slow cooker

1. On stovetop, heat oil in pan and sweat onion, carrot, and celery to pot and sweat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they soften. Add garlic and saute 1 minute.
2. Transfer veggies to large slow cooker. Add chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper to pot. Mix with mirepoix until combined.
3. Add chicken, chicken stock, cannellini beans, great northern beans, pinto beans, fire roasted tomatoes, and buffalo sauce to slow cooker and stir.
4. Cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 2.5 to 3 hours.
5. Open lid to slow cooker and shred chicken with 2 forks. Add cream cheese and stir until melted and blended in.
6. Serve soup in bowls with blue cheese and green onion.

Cornbread with hot honey butter

Yield: 9 servings

Ingredients for the cornbread

• 1/2 cup unsalted Challenge butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the hot honey butter

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 Tablespoon hot sauce
• 1/2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Challenge unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

Directions for cornbread

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place butter in 8x8-inch baking dish and move to oven.
2. Cook until milk fat in butter browns, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. 
4. Stir in honey, brown sugar, and egg. Add buttermilk last.
5. Whisk in cornmeal, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool

Directions for hot honey butter

1. Add all ingredients except butter to small saucepan on stove over medium heat.
2. Allow mixture to come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, allow it to continue boiling for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Once cool, mix with softened butter.
5. Slice up cornbread and serve it with hot honey butter. Store leftover butter in refrigerator.

Buffalo cauliflower salad

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

The creation of this buffalo cauliflower salad was by accident, but it is certainly a delicious accident.

I’ve been trying to follow a low(er) carb diet for the most part. As a result, I eat a LOT of cauliflower, and I’m always trying to come up with new ways to use it.

I love baking with cauliflower because of its versatility. It pretty much takes on whatever flavor you give it. If it can be transformed into breadsticks or pizza, then it can become anything!

Recently, while I was trying to create a salad that incorporated cauliflower, I ended up creating a side dish best described as potato salad. But buffalo flavored. And cauliflower instead of potatoes.

The cream cheese / sour cream combination makes it creamy, but the sauce isn’t overwhelming, so it becomes too much like a dip. I used Challenge cream cheese. It's my favorite because they use hormone-free milk in their products. Challenge was also the first brand to make dairy products without growth hormones.

The bacon is definitely not necessary, but after I made this for the first time, I thought, “You know what would be good in this—bacon!” So I added bacon to it, and as you can imagine, it was THAT much better.

Anyway, I wanted to share this recipe with you all as we approach the holiday weekend because I think it would make a great dish to prepare for your family cookout.

Buffalo cauliflower salad
Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2 cup buffalo sauce, divided into two 1/4 cups
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup Challenge cream cheese
• 2 Tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper 
• 4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup blue cheese
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Combine cauliflower florets, 1/4 cup buffalo sauce, and olive oil in bowl and mix until cauliflower is coated
3. Spread cauliflower in single layer on baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes
4. In large bowl, mix together cream cheese, 1/4 cup buffalo sauce, sour cream, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper
5. Add cauliflower to bowl and mix until cauliflower is coated in sauce
6. Add bacon, blue cheese, green onions, and parsley, and stir until just combined

Low-carb buffalo chicken and cauliflower casserole

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I believe there's a time in life to follow recipes and there's a time in life to just cook. Obviously, we're living in times of uncertainty, and it's unclear what will be available at the grocery store during one of your very, very limited trips. So now is a time to just cook.

Cook whatever is available to you. Let your muse be whatever is in your pantry, your refrigerator, and your freezer. 

I realize that's easier said than done for many people who just aren't sure where to begin, so I wanted to share an idea for a casserole that you can easily customize depending on what is available.

For example, you could use frozen, fresh, rotisserie, or ground chicken; frozen or fresh cauliflower or cauliflower rice; barbecue sauce instead of buffalo sauce; dressing instead of sour cream; garlic powder or onion powder instead of ranch seasoning; and any combination of cheeses.

I made this recipe because I was craving comfort food, and I hope this casserole can provide you and your family with some comfort as well. 

I used Challenge cream cheese for this recipe because they don't add any unnatural additives, and they pride themselves in using hormone-free milk.

Low-Carb Buffalo Chicken and Cauliflower Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower head (or about 18 ounces) cut into florets
• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup buffalo sauce (use 1/2 cup if you like it spicier or 1/4 cup for less spicy)
• 1/4 cup sour cream (or ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing)
• 0.4 ounces dry ranch seasoning mix, or 2 teaspoons garlic powder 
• 1 1/2 pounds (or about 4 cups) chicken, cooked and diced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Also, blue cheese and green onions if you want

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Microwave cauliflower florets for about 5 minutes or until fork tender. Set aside.
3. Combine cream cheese, buffalo sauce, sour cream, and ranch seasoning mix.
4. Stir in cauliflower, chicken, celery, and cheddar cheese.
5. Prepare an 11x7 casserole dish with nonstick spray and dump mixture into casserole dish.
6. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top starts to brown.
7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with blue cheese and green onion if desired.

Buffalo Shrimp Chili and Vegan Chili

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Many people have very strong opinions about chili. Some say it needs meat. Others say it’s not chili without beans.

There are many variations of the dish, and often people’s preferences are heavily influenced by region. That being said, I don’t think we need to ostracize anyone’s favorite recipe! If it's chili, it will probably be tasty no matter what's in it.

I hope you keep that in mind when reading my two recipes!

For National Chili Day on Thursday, my goal was to create tasty chili recipes without meat. I got this idea because I know many people don’t eat meat on Fridays during the Lenten season. Also, it seems to me more people are trying recipes with plant-based proteins.

The first recipe, buffalo shrimp chili, is a “white chili,” meaning it has white beans, fewer tomatoes, and white protein (in this case it’s shrimp, in other cases it’s chicken). I also added hominy to the chili because I like the contrast in texture it provides. You could add corn instead if you don’t like hominy, or you could leave it out.

I want to make sure you notice in the directions below that you should not add the shrimp until the very end. Shrimp cooks very quickly, and it will overcook if you cook it the same duration as the rest of the chili.

You should also wait to add the cream cheese until the very end. You just want to mix it in and let it melt in the chili while it’s finishing up. Important note: Even though the chili has cream cheese in it, it’s totally fine to reheat it. Just be careful to not reheat it so quickly it boils. Heat it slowly!

I used Challenge cream cheese in the buffalo shrimp chili because Challenge prides itself on its fresh products and continues that tradition by only using real ingredients.

My second recipe in this blog post tastes more like a traditional red chili except it’s vegan and it has tofu crumbles. If you aren’t familiar with tofu, please don’t turn your nose up and stop reading. This recipe for tofu crumbles is so incredibly easy (no need to press it) and delicious. Honestly, it does kind of taste like beef. Also, tofu is low in carbs, low in calories, and high in protein.

What’s great about both recipes is you will have plenty of leftovers to warm up throughout the week.

Buffalo Shrimp Chili
Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken or seafood stock)
• 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes, not drained
• 1 (4-ounce) can green chilies
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (depending on spiciness)
• 1 pound frozen uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• Optional toppings: Blue cheese crumbles, green onions, tortilla chips

Directions for the Instant Pot

1. Add oil to Instant Pot and turn on sauté setting. Add onion and celery to pot and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they start to soften.
2. Add garlic to pot and saute 1 minute.
3. Turn off saute setting and add chili powder, pepper, and salt to pot. Mix with vegetables until combined.
4. Add seafood stock, white beans, hominy, fire roasted tomatoes, green chilies, and buffalo sauce to instant pot and stir. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
5. After it is done, quick release the pressure.
6. Turn on the saute setting and add shrimp and cream cheese to the pot. Cook until shrimp are opaque and pink and cream cheese is melted, which should take about 5 minutes.
7. Serve with blue cheese and green onions.

Directions for slow cooker

1. On stove top, heat olive oil in pan and saute onion and celery for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they start to soften. Add garlic to pan and saute 1 minute.
2. Transfer veggies to large slow cooker. Add chili powder, pepper, salt, stock, beans, hominy, tomatoes, green chilies, and buffalo sauce to slow cooker. Stir to combine.
3. Cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 2.5 to 3 hours.
4. Open lid to slow cooker and add shrimp and cream cheese. Cook in slow cooker until shrimp are opaque and pink and cream cheese is melted, about 30 minutes on low and 15 minutes on high.

Vegan chili
For the chili

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, not drained
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (15-ounce) cans  kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the Tofu

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 350g block extra-firm tofu

Directions for the chili

1. Add the oil to a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and celery and sauté until the onion is translucent and starts to soften.
2. Add garlic and saute 1 minute or until it turns fragrant.
3. Add in the tomatoes, beans, stock, and spices. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer and continue to simmer for 1 hour. 

Directions for the Tofu

1. While chili is cooking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix nutritional yeast, soy sauce, and olive oil together in a large bowl. 
3. Open the package of tofu and drain it (but there’s no need to press it). 
4. Break off chunks of tofu and add to bowl with nutritional yeast. 
5. Once you have a large bowl of tofu crumbles, combine with nutritional yeast mix until everything is evenly coated.
6. Spread the tofu mixture on the baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, stirring at the halfway mark. The tofu should be nice and browned.
7. When the chili is ready, stir in the tofu crumbles and cook another 5 minutes.

Recipe adapted from It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

Buffalo Pretzel Thanksgiving Dressing

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Do you all say stuffing or dressing? I usually say stuffing, but then I felt really self-conscious about it because I realized I’m not actually stuffing it into anything. On a whim I decided to call this recipe “dressing,” and now I’m having a little bit of an identity crisis. Regardless, it’s a lot of carbs, and I sure do like carbs.

Everyone has a pretty standard stuffing recipe they gravitate toward, right? That’s why I decided to throw in this while card option. I like pretzel rolls and I like buffalo sauce, so I thought I should combine them, right?! Because why the heck not?! There’s no harm in taking a risk.

Buffalo Pretzel Thanksgiving Dressing
Ingredients

• 10 cups soft pretzel rolls (about one 14.5 ounce bag of rolls)
• 1 cup onion, diced (about 1 small onion)
• 1 cup celery, diced (about 3 stalks)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 10 tablespoons Challenge butter, divided
• 1 1/4 cups buffalo sauce 
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth or veggie broth
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 6 slices bacon, crumbled
• 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
• 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. 
3. Place cubes on baking sheet and stick it in the oven for about 8 minutes or until they’re golden brown on the edges.
4. Remove from oven and place in large bowl.
5. Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter on medium heat in a skillet and add onion, celery, and garlic.
6. Sauté until onions and celery are tender, or about 8 minutes.
7. Add parsley and sauté an additional minute. 
8. Remove from heat and pour over pretzel bread.
Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter in the microwave in a medium-sized bowl. Let cool for about 5 minutes before adding buffalo sauce, chicken broth, eggs and seasoned salt. (It’s important to let butter cool so the heat doesn’t scramble the eggs on contact.
9. Whisk to combine before pouring the mixture over the bread cubes. Gently stir until the bread is coated.
10. Transfer mixture to 9x13 baking dish and bake about 45 minutes or until it is just golden on top. 
11. Remove dressing from the oven and top with crumbled bacon, blue cheese, parsley and green onions before serving.

Broncos Buffalo Chicken Dip

Everyone seems to have his or her own favorite buffalo chicken dip recipe. And I respect that. In a world full of choices and tough decisions, it’s important to have something familiar – an old standby!

Buffalo chicken dip is obviously delicious, but did you know that it’s also incredibly EASY to make? Buy the few required ingredients, combine them in a bowl, and heat it up in the oven, on the stove, or in a slow cooker. Serve with chips and celery sticks and call it a day!

The past two years I’ve made “skinny” buffalo chicken dip, which means I used low-fat versions for each of the ingredients. Some people may think my reason is because I’m trying to lose weight. Puhleasseee. It’s so I can eat more. Because like with most things more is better. And low-fat ingredients cost the exact same so why not.

You may have noticed that the title of this recipe is “Broncos Buffalo Chicken Dip.” That’s because I’m most definitely supporting the Broncos in this year’s Super Bowl. As an Indiana girl, I’m obviously rooting for Peyton. And Yia Yia loves him so much; it would make her so happy if they won! (How adorable does she look?)

I paired the buffalo chicken dip with blue tortilla chips – perfect Broncos colors!

Broncos Buffalo Chicken Dip

Yield: Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 4 ounces fat free cream cheese
• 1 cup shredded, fat free mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup plain fat free sour cream
• 1/2 cup reduced fat crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (or about 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit; prepare baking dish with nonstick baking spray, set aside
2. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a medium-sized bowl; fold in shredded chicken
3. Transfer mixture into baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges turn slightly brown
4. Remove and serve with chips and celery sticks

Also, be sure to check out these other recipes from Kylee’s Kitchen that are perfect for the Super Bowl!

• Dena's Famous Cheese Ball
• Guacamole
• Low-Fat White Chili and Honey Cornbread Muffins
• Sweet and Tangy Red Velvet Cupcakes
• 5-Ingredient Funfetti Blondies
• Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Brown Butter Blondies
• Slow Cooker Spinach Jalapeño Dip
• Classic Garlic Hummus
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeyes