Best Buffalo Chicken Soup Recipe for Cold Nights in 2026

If you love buffalo wings but secretly wish they came in a cozy bowl, this is for you.

This buffalo chicken soup recipe takes all the flavors you crave, spicy hot sauce, tender chicken, creamy cheese, and turns them into a one-pot, spoonable comfort meal.

It’s rich, cheesy, a little fiery, and perfect for nights when you want something fun but still easy.

Never tried buffalo chicken… as soup? You’re about to have a new favorite.

Why You’ll Love This Buffalo Chicken Soup

This buffalo chicken soup is like comfort food with a little attitude. It has that classic buffalo kick, but it’s wrapped in a creamy, cheesy base that feels warm and cozy.

The best part? It’s fast and straightforward. You sauté green onions and celery in butter, stir in flour for a quick thickener, then pour in broth and milk to build a smooth base. After that, it’s basically “melt cheese, add hot sauce, add chicken, done.”

The flavor is bold, but the steps are easy. You also get to control everything. Want it thicker? Use half-and-half. Want it thinner? Add a splash more milk or broth.

Want it spicier? Go heavier on the hot sauce. Plus, it doesn’t usually need extra salt, because the cheese and hot sauce already bring plenty. It’s weeknight-friendly, but still feels special.

Ingredients for Buffalo Chicken Soup

Ingredient	Amount	Notes / Easy Swaps
Green onions	2 bunches	Swap with 1 yellow onion if you prefer
Celery	3 stalks	Chop small for spoon-friendly bites
Butter	2–3 tbsp	Enough to sauté veggies and start the base
All-purpose flour	1/4 cup	Helps thicken and removes “watery soup” vibes
Chicken broth	3/4 cup	Add more later if you want it thinner
Milk	3/4 cup	Dice into bite-sized pieces
Cooked chicken breast	2 cups	Dice into bite-size pieces
Celery salt (or celery seed)	1/2 tsp	If using celery seed, add salt later if needed
Garlic powder	1/2 tsp	Simple, clean flavor boost
Processed cheese (Velveeta-style)	4 oz	Cube it so it melts faster
Hot sauce (Frank’s RedHot style)	1/2 cup	Use 1/4 cup for milder heat
Black pepper	To taste	Best added right before serving

Tools You Need

• Medium-to-large soup pot (important: small pots get crowded fast)
• Cutting board (for celery, green onions, and chicken)
• Sharp knife (clean cuts = even cooking)
• Wooden spoon or silicone spatula (for stirring the roux and cheese)
• Measuring cups (for broth, milk, and hot sauce)
• Measuring spoons (for celery salt/seed and garlic powder)
• Whisk (optional but helpful) (makes the broth + milk base smoother)
• Ladle (for easy serving)
• Bowl for serving (preferably not one with a weird “high spot” 😄)

Step-by-Step: How to Make Buffalo Chicken Soup

This buffalo chicken soup is one of those recipes that looks like a cozy mess in the making and then turns into magic. It’s bold, creamy, spicy, and deeply satisfying. Let’s break it down, step by step.

We’ll go from chopped veggies to bubbling pot of cheesy-spicy goodness in under an hour, using simple pantry ingredients.

Step 1: Chop and Sauté the Veggies

The flavor base starts right here with green onions and celery sautéed in butter.

Grab:

• 2 bunches of green onions, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 2–3 tablespoons of butter

Start by chopping the green onions and celery. Keep the pieces small and even so they cook quickly and blend smoothly into the soup. If green onions aren’t your thing, feel free to swap in one yellow onion, finely diced.

Next, melt butter in your soup pot over medium heat. Once melted, toss in the chopped veggies.

⚠️ Pro tip: Use a medium or large pot. In the original attempt, the cook underestimated the size of the pot and had to switch halfway through. Save yourself the headache and give everything some room to breathe.

Sauté the veggies for 2–3 minutes, just until they begin to soften. Stir occasionally to coat them evenly in butter and prevent browning.

The smell here? Already a win.

Step 2: Add Flour and Build the Base

This is where we build the roux, a simple flour-butter mixture that thickens the soup later.

With your veggies soft, sprinkle in 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour.

Now stir constantly for about one minute.

It’ll look a bit pasty at first, but don’t worry, that’s normal. You’re not trying to brown the flour. You want to cook out the raw taste.

🎯 Don’t skip this step. That quick minute makes sure your soup doesn’t have that weird “floury” undertone later.

If you’ve never done this before, it may seem like it’s not doing much. But trust the process. That flour will help turn your soup into a velvety dream in just a few more steps.

Step 3: Pour in the Liquids

Time to turn this floury veggie mix into a creamy soup base.

You’ll need:

• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup milk (or half-and-half for extra richness)

Slowly pour in the chicken broth first, stirring or whisking as you go. This helps loosen up the flour mixture and prevents clumping.

Then, pour in the milk, again stirring constantly.

The mixture should begin to smooth out and thicken slightly.

🥄 Want it thicker? Use half-and-half or even a splash of heavy cream.
💧 Want it thinner? You can add more broth or milk later once everything’s combined.

This is the stage where you’ll start seeing it come together. It should resemble a slightly thick soup base, not too runny, not too gloopy.

Step 4: Add Seasonings and Cheese

Now for the flavor and melty magic.

You’ll add:

• 1/2 tsp celery salt (or celery seed, if that’s what you have)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 4 oz processed cheese, cut into cubes (Velveeta-style)

Start by stirring in the celery salt (or seed) and garlic powder. Keep it simple; these give your soup a savory, rounded base flavor.

Next, add the cheese cubes. Stir them in gently and let them melt slowly over medium to low heat.

🧀 Cheese tip: Stir constantly and don’t crank the heat. This soup is heavy on cheese, and it will try to stick to the bottom if you’re not careful.

As the cheese melts, the soup will take on that classic orange color, bold and beautiful.

At this stage, your kitchen will start smelling like a buffalo chicken dip party. That’s your cue to keep going.

Step 5: Bring the Heat: Add Buffalo Sauce

It’s not buffalo chicken soup without a hit of hot sauce.

You’ll add:

• 1/2 cup Frank’s RedHot (or similar buffalo-style sauce)

Pour the hot sauce straight into the pot, and give it a good stir.

The soup will now take on a deeper orange hue, with that unmistakable tangy-spicy aroma.

🔥 Heat warning: The original recipe suggests 1/4 to 1/2 cup. But honestly, 1/2 cup is where the flavor really pops.
If you’re spice-sensitive, start with 1/4 cup and add more later.

As you stir, you’ll see everything become silky-smooth, cheesy, and spicy.

🍲 Important: Let the cheese fully melt and smooth out before adding the chicken. Otherwise, it’s hard to tell if a chunk is cheese or chicken.

Step 6: Add the Chicken

Time to make it hearty.

You’ll need:

• 2 cups cooked chicken, cut into small, bite-sized chunks

If you haven’t prepped your chicken yet, now’s the time. Dice it up into spoon-friendly cubes—think the size of a grape or smaller.

This recipe uses cooked chicken breast, seasoned before cooking. You can grill, roast, or pan-cook it. You can also use rotisserie chicken or even shredded chicken if that’s what you’ve got.

Once the cheese has fully melted and your soup is silky, add the diced chicken to the pot.

Stir everything together gently.

⏲️ Let the soup simmer for 2–3 more minutes so the chicken heats through.

From this point on, your soup is technically ready.

But let’s take one more minute to fine-tune it just the way you want.

Step 7: Adjust Thickness and Taste

Now’s your moment to adjust things.

First, check the consistency:

• Too thick? Add a splash more milk or broth.
• Too thin? Let it simmer gently, uncovered, for a few extra minutes.

This soup is meant to be creamy and rich, but not overly heavy. You want it to coat the spoon, not sit like glue.

Next, taste for salt and heat:

• In most cases, you won’t need extra salt. The cheese, hot sauce, and seasoned chicken already bring plenty of sodium.
• Want it spicier? Stir in more hot sauce, a dash at a time.
• Want it milder? Add a splash of cream or a dollop of sour cream to mellow things out.

You’re the boss here.

At this point, your soup should be:

• Rich and creamy
• Packed with tender chunks of chicken
• Spicy but balanced
• Smooth with no floury texture
• Full of savory, cheesy flavor

If that’s what’s in your pot, congrats, you nailed it.

How Spicy Is This Buffalo Chicken Soup

Let’s talk heat. Because when you’re dealing with buffalo anything, spice is kind of the star of the show.

This soup uses 1/2 cup of Frank’s RedHot sauce, which gives it a medium-level heat for most people. If you’re someone who dips wings in hot sauce without blinking, you’ll probably find this just right: warm, zippy, but not overpowering.

Now, if you’re spice-sensitive or cooking for kids, here’s what you should know:

• You can start with 1/4 cup of hot sauce, taste, then add more if needed.
• The creamy base (thanks to cheese and milk) helps mellow the heat.
• You can always drizzle more hot sauce on top for individual bowls, so everyone gets their perfect spice level.

And here’s a bonus: adding just a touch more hot sauce also helps thin the soup slightly, if it feels too thick. So you’re getting flavor and texture adjustment in one move.

Bottom line: it’s customizable. You control the spice. Start lower, build your way up, and make it your own.

5 Tips for Getting the Perfect Texture

1. Don’t Skip Cooking the Flour

Once you add flour to the butter-veggie mix, cook it for at least 1 full minute. This step might feel small, but it makes a big difference. It removes that raw, pasty flour taste and helps your soup thicken evenly.

2. Melt the Cheese Completely Before Adding Chicken

There’s a reason for this order: if you toss the chicken in too early, it’s hard to tell whether those chunks in the soup are cheese or chicken. Plus, melted cheese incorporates better into the base when it’s smooth first. So get your soup creamy and cheesy before adding any meat.

3. Keep Stirring Once the Cheese Goes In

This soup can burn at the bottom if you’re not paying attention. Processed cheese tends to stick, especially at medium-high heat. Once you’ve added the cheese, turn the heat to medium or lower and stir frequently to prevent scorching.

4. Use the Right Pot Size

This might sound basic, but it matters. A small pot won’t comfortably hold all the liquid and chicken. Start with a medium to large soup pot so everything has space to simmer without overflowing.

5. Adjust the Thickness at the End

If your soup looks too thick after adding the chicken, stir in a little extra broth or milk. If it’s too thin, let it simmer gently for a few extra minutes. You’re not locked into the first result; make it your own.

Easy Ingredient Swaps and Variations

Want to tailor your soup to what you have on hand or your dietary needs? No problem. Here’s a handy guide:

Ingredient	Swap Option	Result
Green onions	1 yellow onion	Milder, sweeter base flavor
Milk	Half-and-half or heavy cream	Richer, creamier texture
Chicken breast	Rotisserie chicken or chicken thighs	More flavor and juiciness
Processed cheese	Cheddar or Monterey Jack (grated)	Slightly sharper flavor, melts well if grated
Frank’s RedHot sauce	Any buffalo-style hot sauce	Adjust flavor and heat to your liking
All-purpose flour	Gluten-free flour blend	Keeps the recipe gluten-free
Celery salt	Celery seed + pinch of salt	Same flavor, easier to control sodium
Garlic powder	Fresh minced garlic (sauté with onions)	Adds deeper garlic flavor
Chicken broth	Vegetable broth	Makes it pescatarian-friendly

Feel free to mix and match! This soup is flexible and forgiving.

Serving Ideas: What to Eat with Buffalo Chicken Soup

Buffalo chicken soup is bold and filling, but the right sides can turn it into a full-on meal. Whether you’re planning a cozy dinner or game-day spread, here are a few pairings that hit the mark:

🥖 Crusty Bread or Garlic Toast

Something to dip into all that creamy goodness is a must. Go for:

• Toasted baguette slices
• Sourdough
• Buttery garlic bread

The texture contrasts with the smooth soup is perfect.

🥗 Simple Green Salad

Balance out the richness with something fresh and crunchy. A basic green salad with ranch or blue cheese dressing plays nicely with the buffalo flavor profile.

🧀 Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This soup + a melty grilled cheese = pure comfort. Use cheddar, Monterey Jack, or even pepper jack if you want to lean into the spice.

🥕 Veggie Sticks (Celery & Carrots)

Just like the sides you’d get with wings, a few fresh celery and carrot sticks offer a cool, crisp bite between sips of spicy soup.

🥔 Baked Potato

If you want to turn this into an extra hearty meal, serve it with a baked potato on the side. Load it up with butter, cheese, or even a scoop of soup.

🧂 Toppings Bar

Make it fun! Let everyone top their soup with:

• Shredded cheddar
• Crumbled blue cheese
• Ranch drizzle
• Extra hot sauce
• Tortilla strips or croutons

Final Thoughts: Comfort Food with a Kick

Buffalo chicken soup isn’t your average weeknight dinner; it’s a warm hug with a spicy attitude.

You’ve got all the classic flavors of buffalo wings wrapped in a creamy, cheesy, spoonable soup. That’s easy enough for busy nights and bold enough to wow your taste buds.

It’s cozy, customizable, and absolutely satisfying.

Whether you’re battling chilly weather, need a game-day crowd-pleaser, or want to switch things up from the usual chicken recipes, this one-pot wonder will hit the spot.

Go ahead, save it, pin it, and bookmark it. Once you try it, you’ll want it in regular rotation.

More Cozy Chicken Soups You’ll Crave Next

Already obsessed with buffalo chicken soup? Here are a few more comfort-packed chicken soups worth checking out:

• 🥣 Best Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe in 45 Minutes: Tangy, creamy, and packed with rice-shaped orzo pasta, this cozy bowl is like sunshine in soup form.
• 🍗 Healthy Caldo de Pollo Recipe for Family Dinner: A Mexican classic full of tender chicken, veggies, and soul-soothing broth. Simple ingredients, deep flavor.
• 🌽 Thick & Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder Recipe: Sweet corn, juicy chicken, and hearty potatoes wrapped in a thick, creamy chowder. Total comfort in a bowl.