Buffalo chicken soup in the crockpot,

a flannel shirt, and Lady Gaga playing on my iPad.  A perfect Saturday afternoon.

Actually, I should clarify that.  A perfect Saturday afternoon in March.  Because it’s crazy cold outside right now.
Come June, a perfect Saturday afternoon will involve my cute convertible, a pool, and some iced coffee.  And good music, of course. There will be no soup, flannel shirts, or crockpots.  Just so we’re clear.
But about the soup.
This Buffalo chicken soup might be the perfect soup.  It’s primal, paleo, and fits in with a Whole30.  It’s gluten free, grain free, and dairy free.  You can switch a few things around and make it vegan, if that’s your thing.  What’s not to like?
Full disclosure…I cannot take all the credit for this soup.  Or even most of it.
Juli from PaleOMG posted a recipe for Game Day Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Soup.  Juli’s blog is awesome…amazing food, fashion, home decor and workouts.  She pretty much covers all the bases, plus she makes me laugh my ass off.  Here’s a link to Juli’s original recipe:  Game Day Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Soup
But here’s the thing:  I don’t have an Instant Pot.  At least not yet. If you’re not familiar with the Instant Pot, it’s an updated pressure cooker that many food bloggers have gone completely gaga over (pun intended).  I have yet to jump on the bandwagon.  Also, Juli’s recipe involved picking apart a rotisserie chicken, which I wasn’t in the mood to do.  Especially since I already had some chicken breast in the fridge that I needed to do something with.
The soup sounded amazing…she pretty much had me at Frank’s Red Hot.  So I made a few switches and did it in the crockpot.
Everything you need for this soup can be found at a regular grocery store…there are no crazy ingredients that you have to hunt down.
Cauliflower is the main ingredient, and gives the soup a creamy consistency without adding dairy.  Which is great, since cauliflower is loaded with antioxidants and fiber.  Like all cruciferous vegges, it’s pretty much amazing for you.  While I love fresh cauliflower for roasting, this soup works best with frozen cauliflower.  It cooks up softer and is easier to blend.
Chicken is a great source of protein, and I used boneless skinless breasts for this.  Boneless skinless thighs would work just as well…maybe better, come to think of it!  I think they have a little more flavor.  Either way, whenever you can try to get pastured chicken, or at least organic.
Some diced yellow onion adds subtle flavor to this soup, along with beneficial polyphenols and sulfur compounds.
Chicken broth is an important component.  Some prepared broths have questionable ingredients.  When buying broth I look for those with clean ingredients, preferably from pastured chickens.  Pacific is a good brand.  Better yet, use your own homemade broth!  Broth made from bones that have simmered for hours is an amazing source of minerals and collagen.  And you know how I feel about collagen!
Frank’s Red Hot is the star of this soup.  I have tried many brands of specialty hot sauces.  Maybe I’m just not that sophisticated, but I keep coming back to Frank’s Red Hot Original.  The ingredients are totally clean:  cayenne peppers, distilled vinegar, salt and garlic powder.
Just for fun, I garnished with some roasted pumpkin seeds.  I like the contrast of crunch with a smooth, creamy soup.  Plus pumpkin seeds have plenty of zinc which is great for your skin.  My favorite roasted pumpkin seeds are from Trader Joe’s.

If you wanted to make this soup vegan, all you would need to do is swap veggie broth for the chicken broth and substitute tofu or tempeh for the chicken.
Besides a crockpot, an immersion blender comes in really handy with this soup.  A potato masher would probably do the trick, it just wouldn’t be as smooth.  But get yourself an immersion blender.  You will thank me.
So here’s exactly what I used and did.
Crockpot Buffalo chicken soup
One yellow onion, diced
One tablespoon healthy cooking fat (I used Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil)
Two 12 ounce bags frozen cauliflower florets
One 32 ounce container chicken broth
One pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot (this is a starting point…I used more like 1/2 cup)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Roasted pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)
Cook onion in avocado oil over medium heat until it is softened and smells good.  While that’s cooking, dump everything else in the crockpot.  Yes, it’s ok that the cauliflower is still frozen.  Then add the onion.  Cover and cook on high for about four hours, or on low for about eight.
Fish the chicken out of the crockpot with forks or a big slotted spoon and put on a plate.  Using two forks, shred the chicken.  It should be really soft and shred easily.
While chicken is out of the crockpot, carefully use the immersion blender to blend the ingredients into a creamy soup.  Keep the immersion blender immersed so you don’t get soup on your sweatshirt like I did!
Add the chicken back to the crockpot.  Dish up soup and add optional pumpkin seed garnish.  Enjoy!
This recipe makes a lot of soup.  Which is great, since I love leftovers.  Carrot and celery sticks with Primal Kitchen Ranch dressing would be great with this.  Or any salad.  Enjoy this light meal while you think about convertibles, pools, and iced coffee.  Or whatever you’re into.
So now you need to know…can this crockpot Buffalo chicken soup help you feel happy, healthy and hot?  You know it!
You will happy eating something so warm and comforting on a cold day.  The ingredients are super healthy and clean.  As I mentioned in a previous post, studies have shown that eating soup can help with weight loss.  The protein is good for maintaining your lean tissue, and the collagen and zinc are awesome for your skin and hair.  So of course you’ll be hot!
SHOP THE POST:
Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil
Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing
Immersion Blender
Instant Pot (If you want to jump on the bandwagon)