Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

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This Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe is a lightened up take on the classic appetizer and party favorite. This recipes cuts out uneccesary fat and calories and is just as delicious as the original version. You can’t even tell the difference! Serve with fresh vegetables like carrots and celery, tortilla chips, or pretzels.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

When we think of Super Bowl parties, tailgating, or just about any gathering of friends & family, what foods come to mind? Obviously you’ll see salsa and guacamole.. so cliche. Then you will see big bowls of potato/tortilla chips (maybe even Triscuits with meat and cheese slices, if it’s a fancy party 😉). And lastly, there’s always a big tray of cut veggies, with a container of ranch dip in the middle.

I can’t even remember a time when I didn’t make Buffalo Chicken Dip for parties, cook outs, or just to meal prep and stuff into baked potatoes. Never done it? Trust me, it’s delicious! This dip is always the talk of any party and to be honest, healthy substitutions or not- it’s incredibly delicious and packed with so much flavor. All it takes is combining a few simple ingredients and you’re on your way to the easiest and best buffalo chicken dip recipe around.

So to cure those serious snore snack blues, follow the super simple directions and bring this Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip with you! It’s a guaranteed hit, and partygoers can dip all the above-mentioned snacks right into it.

Is Buffalo Chicken Dip healthy?

Not always, but this version is. It’s packed with protein, much lighter in calories, and It’s low on fat- not even 1/3 of the fat of the original version!
I used to make Buffalo Chicken Dip with shredded chicken, a whole block of full fat cream cheese, an entire pound of cheddar cheese, sour cream, half a bottle of ranch dressing, and frank’s buffalo wing sauce. I think there was actually more cheese than there was chicken or buffalo sauce flavor! My stomach hurts thinking about it, haha!
It was almost 7 years ago when I started making this healthy buffalo chicken dip, and not one person has ever said “wait a minute.. is this healthy?” You’d be amazed how many found out it’s a healthy recipe, and said it’s better than the full-fat versions they’ve had! It’s got the goods- it’s cheesy, creamy, and full of flavor.

Can this buffalo chicken dip be made in the crockpot?

That’s actually my preferred method! When it’s finished cooking, I just keep it in the crockpot, bring it to the party, and turn the dial to the “warm” setting. I love to use this 2.5 quart crockpot. It’s the perfect size for traveling with hot dips or sauces, or just making smaller portion meals at home. You can use a larger crockpot for this recipe, but not anything smaller unless halving all the ingredients.

Ingredients & Subsitutions for Buffalo Chicken Dip

• Cooked and shredded chicken breast: You can use rotisserie chicken from the store, instant pot shredded chicken, crockpot shredded chicken, or even my easy baked chicken recipe.
• Frank’s Buffalo Wing sauce– make sure it’s the wing sauce- not plain Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. This matters!
• Reduced-fat cream cheese– this is frequently referred to as Neufchatel (not to be confused with the French cheese).
• Low fat Cottage Cheese– I know some of you aren’t fans. But please trust me! You won’t even know it’s in there. Using cottage cheese helps keep it creamy, cheesy, and adds a nice dose of protein at the same time. You can blend it up if you can’t get past it; or you can use double the amount of Greek Yogurt.
• Part skim Mozzarella Cheese– You can use cheddar made with 2% milk also (or full fat if you want).
• Ranch dressing seasoning packet– I know, if you’re from Buffalo NY you don’t use ranch. But in my neck of the woods, Buffalo and ranch flavors are a match made in heaven! You can skip this part, but I encourage you to throw in some garlic powder and onion powder for some extra flavor if you do .
• Greek yogurt– Adds creaminess without lots of fat and calories. You can use sour cream or more cottage cheese in place of this.
• Green onions– These add extra flavor and some freshness.
• Diced celery– This is an optional ingredient that can be added at the beginning or end of the cook time.
• Optional toppings: Blue Cheese crumbles, extra cheese, fresh-diced green onions on top.

How to make Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

Crockpot Method

1. Add chicken, cottage cheese, cream cheese, Greek Yogurt, mozzarella cheese, Frank’s Red Hot sauce, green onions, ranch dressing seasoning packet, and celery into the slow cooker.
2. Stir together thoroughly until all the ingredients are combined well.
3. Cook on Low for 2-3 hours, or on High for 1-2 hours, stirring every so often. Salt and Pepper to taste.
4. If serving it out of the crockpot, just switch the indicator to the warm setting.

Oven Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grab an 8×8 (or 2.5-3 quart) baking dish. Spray with cooking spray and then add chicken, cottage cheese, cream cheese, Greek Yogurt, mozzarella cheese, Frank’s sauce, green onions, ranch dressing seasoning, and celery into the dish.
3. Stir together well until combined thoroughly.
4. Place in the oven, and bake for about 30 minutes. Check the mixture in the middle, and make sure it’s hot.

How to make shredded chicken for the dip:

There are a number of ways to get shredded chicken, with or without cooking it yourself.
Instant Pot: Check out my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipe.
Crockpot: Check out my Crockpot Shredded Chicken recipe.
Bake: Check out my Easy Baked Chicken recipe. Note: this doesn’t shred up as easily, but it’s still insanely good in this dip! Just chop it into smaller pieces.
Boil: In a large pot over medium heat, add 1.5-2lbs chicken, chicken broth, and season well with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Let the chicken cook through, which should be about 10-12 minutes. Remove from pot. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes before shredding.
Store-bought: Rotisserie chicken works great for this! It’s a delicious and easy shortcut.
Canned chicken: In a pinch, you can use canned chicken; but I recommend using one of the methods above or your own recipe for shredded chicken.

What to serve with Buffalo Chicken Dip

• Fresh vegetables– You can keep that calorie count down when snacking by mixing chips with veggies like celery sticks, carrots, cauliflower, or mini bell peppers.
• Tortilla chips, pita chips, pretzels, or crackers
• Pita bread
• Slider buns– This is a fun way to make it a main dish. Toast up some slider buns, and start serving up the little Buffalo Chicken Dip sliders!
• In a baked potato– Roast up some broccoli and cauliflower, stuff it in a baked potato, and then scoop this over it. Epic meal! This is also great for leftovers/meal prep. Trust me- I know.

Storage and Reheating

Storage: Store any leftover dip in an air tight container inside the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating: If you need to reheat Buffalo Chicken Dip, you can add to a small sauce pan and heat over low for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can also microwave it for 1-2 minutes, stirring half way through.
Make ahead: If you want to prep this ahead of time: mix everything together in the crock or casserole dish, then cover and store in the fridge. When ready to heat, let the dish come to room temp (about 20 minutes), and then follow the crockpot or oven instructions.

More Healthy Buffalo Chicken Recipes to love

• Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Tacos
• Easy Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Wraps
• Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Zucchini
• Buffalo Chicken and Rice
• Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Chili

The recipe for Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip was originally posted 09/08/2016, but was updated on 01/29/2023 for better user experience, photos, and small improvements to the recipe.