Buffalo Chicken Wing Soup — The Week January Tried to Break Me

January in Milwaukee. This is the month that tests your commitment to living in Wisconsin. Minus four on Tuesday. Minus twelve on Thursday. Wind chill that the weather app describes as "dangerous," which is helpful information that changes nothing because we still have to go to work. The brewery is cold in a different way — the brewing floor maintains temperature for the beer, but the warehouse and loading dock are brutal. I've been layering like a Polish grandmother: thermal underwear, flannel, fleece, jacket. Marcus calls me the Michelin Man. I call it survival. Cooking this week was all about warmth. I made a batch of Babcia's chicken soup — rosó┼é — which is the Polish cure for everything: cold, flu, sadness, existential dread, January. It's a clear golden broth made from a whole chicken simmered with carrots, parsnips, celery root, onion, bay leaf, allspice, and dill. The key is simmering it for at least three hours, skimming the fat, and straining it through cheesecloth until it's crystal clear. Served with thin egg noodles. It tastes like being loved. I made a huge pot and divided it: one portion for me, one for Mom and Dad (Mom is fighting a cold), one for Mrs. Wojcik (who is eighty-one and I worry about her in this cold), and one for the brewery breakroom, which was received like manna from heaven by freezing coworkers. Also started researching smokers. I've been using the little tabletop smoker on the balcony since last summer, but it's limited — only big enough for a rack of ribs or a small brisket. I want something bigger. Something that can handle a full pork shoulder, multiple racks, maybe a whole turkey. I've been reading reviews, watching YouTube videos, measuring my balcony to figure out the maximum size that won't get me evicted. Dad, when I told him, said, "You need a Weber Smokey Mountain." Then he spent thirty minutes explaining why the Weber Smokey Mountain is the only smoker worth owning, with the passionate authority of a man who has owned one for twenty years. Dad has opinions about exactly three things: the Packers, brake pads, and smokers. On these topics, he is immovable. I'm going to buy the Weber. Dad is right. Dad is always right about things that involve charcoal.

Rosół is Babcia’s recipe, and Babcia’s recipes don’t get shared on the internet—they get handed down at the kitchen table. But the spirit of that pot of soup, the idea of making something warm and giving most of it away, is something I can pass along. This Buffalo Chicken Wing Soup hits that same note for me: it starts with chicken, it fills a pot, and it’s the kind of thing you make when someone you care about is cold or tired or just needs feeding. It’s not Polish, but it’s got the same energy—generous, warming, and completely unapologetic about it.

Buffalo Chicken Wing Soup

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken wings, tips removed, split at the joint
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
• 1 cup celery, sliced (about 3 stalks)
• 1/2 cup carrots, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ranch seasoning mix
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Blue cheese crumbles or ranch dressing, for serving
• Sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions

1. Brown the wings. In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, season chicken wings with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Sear for 3–4 minutes per side until golden. Remove and set aside. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of drippings.
2. Sauté the vegetables. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, celery, and carrots to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
3. Build the broth. Return the wings to the pot. Pour in the chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Stir in the buffalo wing sauce and ranch seasoning. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and cook 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
4. Add the cream cheese. Remove the chicken wings and set aside to cool slightly. Add the cream cheese cubes to the simmering broth, whisking steadily until fully melted and the broth is smooth and slightly thickened, about 3–4 minutes.
5. Shred the chicken. When the wings are cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Return the shredded chicken to the soup and stir to combine. Taste and adjust buffalo sauce and salt as needed.
6. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with blue cheese crumbles or a drizzle of ranch dressing and sliced green onions. Serve immediately with crusty bread or crackers.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 7g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 1020mg