Whole30 Buffalo Ranch Chicken Chowder
This Whole30 Buffalo Ranch Chicken Chowder is an easy, delicious, and flavorful soup packed with chicken, potatoes, bacon, and a touch of heat! It can be made in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker. This chowder is dairy free, gluten free, paleo friendly, and Whole30 friendly!
I am clearly on a creamy soup kick this fall! I can’t get enough cashew cream in hearty soups, and this Whole30 Buffalo Ranch Chicken Chowder might just be my new favorite. It is loaded with flavor and hearty enough to be a meal on its own! It kind of reminds me of buffalo chicken dip + my Chicken Pot Pie Soup combined. I’ve included Instant Pot and slow cooker directions. I know a lot of you can’t have cashews, so I have also included some alternative ways to make this creamy!
What You Need To Make This Soup
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this delicious chowder.
- 1.5 lbs chicken breasts (I used 3) cut into 3 pieces each. I get my chicken from Butcher Box!
- 3 carrots
- 3 pieces of celery
- 1/2 onion
- 2 potatoes (omit or use radishes instead for Keto)
- Ghee
- Frank’s Red Hot (or hot sauce of choice)
- 4 cups chicken broth (use code MWL for 15% off Kettle & Fire brand!)
- minced garlic
- dried parsley
- dried dill
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- salt
- Sugar free bacon (for serving, optional)
- Green onions (for serving, optional)
For the cashew cream:
- 1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews
- 3/4 cup water
- lemon juice
- Nutritional yeast
Alternatives to cashew cream:
- 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk (Native Forest or Thai Kitchen brand are my favorites and the least “coconutty” tasting.
- 1/2 cup original Nutpods (use code MARYSWHOLELIFE for 15% off your first order)
- 1/2 tub of Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese (any flavor)
You can stir any of these in at the end to give it the creamy factor!
How to Make this Whole30 Buffalo Ranch Chicken Chowder
Instant Pot Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil. Lay the bacon out and cook it for 12-15 minutes or until desired level of crispiness has been reached. Transfer it to a paper towel lined plate to drain the fat. Set it aside until ready to crumble and serve it.
Heat the ghee on sauté mode. Add in the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and stir for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften and the garlic is fragrant. Add in the chicken pieces, potatoes, broth, hot sauce, and seasonings. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. While that is coming to pressure and cooking, make the cashew cream (if you’re using it). Blend the ingredients on high for 30 seconds to a minute until it’s very creamy and no chunks remain. If you don’t have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, I recommend soaking the cashews for 30 minutes in hot water prior to blending.
Manually release the steam when the timer goes off on the Instant Pot. Use two forks to shred the chicken right in the pot. It should be very tender. Stir in the cashew cream, hit the “saute” button, and bring the soup to a boil. Stir while it bubbles for a few minutes. It should thicken. Alternatively, you can stir in the Nutpods, cream cheese, or whatever else you’ve chosen to use to make it creamy!
Top with crumbled bacon bits and diced green onions. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
Make the bacon as directed above. Throw the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, chicken pieces, potatoes, hot sauce, and spices into the slow cooker. Stir well. Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 8-10 hours. Make the cashew cream sauce. Shred chicken with a fork. Stir in your preferred cream. Top with bacon bits and green onions and enjoy!
If you don’t love spice, you can cut the Frank’s Red Hot back and only add 1/4 cup. I added 1/3 cup and it was pretty spicy. If you love heat, add 1/2 cup!
If you make this Whole30 Buffalo Ranch Chicken Chowder, make sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!
Looking for some other healthier creamy soup recipes to warm you up this fall and winter? Check these out:
Healthier Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Cheesy Broccoli & Potato Soup (Dairy Free)
Happy Cooking!
xo,
Mary
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Whole30 Buffalo Ranch Chicken Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 pieces celery, diced
- ½ large onion, diced
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1.5 lbs chicken breasts, cut into 3 pieces each
- 2 russett potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1 inch cubes
- â…“ cup Frank's Red Hot, use 1/4 cup for less heat
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 pack sugar free bacon, (for garnish, optional)
- ¼ cup diced green onions, (for garnish, optional)
Cashew Cream
- ½ cup raw, unsalted cashews
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tbsp nutritional yeast
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil and lay the bacon strips out evenly. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until desired level of crispiness is reached. Transfer them to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Set aside until ready to crumble and serve.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Press saute and add the ghee. Once it is melted, add in the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Saute for 3-4 mins until they are starting to soften. Add in the chicken pieces, potatoes, broth, hot sauce, and herbs/spices. Give everything a good stir. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the cashew cream (if using). Combine the cashew cream ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute. It shoulld be very thick and creamy and no chunks of cashews should remain. Manually release the pressure on the Instant Pot. Use two forks to shred the chicken right in the pot. Pour in the cashew cream, stir, and hit the "saute" button. Let the soup boil for a few minutes and stir while it thickens. Serve topped with crumbled bacon and green onions. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Make the bacon as directed above. Throw the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, chicken pieces, potatoes, broth, hot sauce, and spices/herbs into the slow cooker. Stir well. Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 8-10 hours. Make the cashew cream sauce. When the soup is done, shred chicken with a fork. Stir in your preferred cream. Turn the slow cooker to high heat and let it thicken for a few minutes while stirring. Top with bacon bits and green onions and enjoy!
52 Comments on “Whole30 Buffalo Ranch Chicken Chowder”
My husband made this at his fire station last week, and everyone wanted the recipe. So good!
Woo hoo! So glad to hear it 🙂
This soup has great flavor! I’ve made it many times, and we enjoy it. I substitute the cashew cream for coconut milk since we don’t have a great blender. Works well, and the hot sauce masks the coconut flavor, which is something I’m always aware of when using coconut milk!
Awesome, so glad coconut milk works well for you!
All of your recipes are so yummy and this one sounds like it would be right up my alley but am I reading the nutritional details correctly? Is it really over 900 cals per serving? Yikes! This might be too dangerous to try as I love all of your recipes!
This is such a hearty, warming soup. Plus, it’s so easy to prep and throw into the slow cooker. Leftovers are great too! I’ve made it twice and I’m still trying to figure out how much hot sauce to use. The great thing is it’s easy to adjust each time you make it and you can adjust for whoever you are serving! The was the first recipe I tried of Mary’s and now I can’t stop! Every time she posts something I want to try it!Â
Husband approved- great to reheat for lunches. And half a cup of hot sauce is perfect!Â
I did it on the stove too. Â So tweeked it a little but it turned out great!
This was super easy and delicious!! We loved it!
Yum! Is there anything you could sub for the cashew cream to make this nut free?
Yup regular cream or coconut milk! 🙂
This was so good! The chicken came out so perfect and juicy and the flavors were amazing.Â
I don’t have a vitamix (though will be buying one soon -so excited), but to my pleasant surprise my ninja blended the cashews with no problem. I did soak them in water for about 20-30 mins while I prepped all the ingredients for the soup though because I just wasn’t sure.Â
This soup is what dreams are made of! Run, don’t walk into your kitchen to make it!Â
Make this on a whim today because I had everything on my pantry. It is so good. Easy to pull together and perfect for a cool fall day. Definitely making again.
So delicious and so easy. Another home run from Mary! Â The family loves these recipes and I love the ingredientsÂ
We had this for dinner last night, and my goodness! It was delicious! It wasn’t too heavy, but it had the right things in it to really satisfy. The flavor was *chefs kiss*. Not too hot (I’d say I can tolerate up to a moderate level of spice), not too starchy (I worry about that with potatoes sometimes), not heavy. It was so good and made enough so we will be able to enjoy leftovers all week!Â
Love, love, love this yummy recipe! I have made this recipe several times. I bring leftovers to work and every time I reheat it, everyone who comes into the break room always says ‘something smells so good’. I reply, yes and it tastes so good too. Just because you have to give us certain foods ~ for me it dairy and gluten, you don’t have to eat boring food. This recipe is a must and is on repeat in my home! Can’t thank Mary enough for developing this recipe! I love that it’s not only delicious, but easy and quick to make! A win win for all!
Wow! This chowder is so amazing! I’m currently doing my 5th Whole 30 and I love finding new recipes. This is one I will do year around. I did everything according to recipe but added curly kale after it was all cooked. I love kale in a potato soup and it was just perfect. It added color and another texture and more nutrition. Doing the cashew cream was genius.
Thank you Sara!!
This was fantastic. I shared with a few friends and it was a winner for sure.
This soup is so good! It makes a ton though and there’s only two of us. I’m a little leery of freezing it. Has anyone else tried freezing it?
Not that I don’t want to eat it again tomorrow though!
Made this soup in the instapot exactly as written and it was delicious! Will definitely be making this soup again. Thanks Mary!
Wow! This soup is amazing! My husband and I absolutely loved it and it made enough for us to have leftovers so that is always a win. I think the cashew cream sauce really makes this dish special and gives it all the yummy creaminess without the dairy! I can’t wait to make it again and again. And putting the bacon on top is such a good idea. I know it’s optional but bacon is always a good idea!
Made this soup tonight and it was delicious. Will definitely make again! Thanks for sharingÂ
Thank you Haley! Glad you enjoyed it!
This soup is amazing.  I’ve made it a dozen times.  Every time I get so many compliments.  Most people don’t know it’s healthy.  It’s just that good!  Â