• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Pinch of Wellness
  • Breakfast
  • Main Entrees
  • Side Dishes
  • Snacks
  • Desserts
  • Wellness
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
go to homepage
Homepage link
  • Breakfast
  • Main Entrees
  • Snacks
  • Side Dishes
  • Desserts
  • Wellness
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

    January 11, 2020 by Pinch of Wellness 18 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip combines the flavors of your favorite classic buffalo dip and turns it into a skinnier version! Spicy, creamy and cheesy--this dip has it all!

    healthy buffalo chicken dip

    What's a football game without buffalo chicken dip? Better question, what's a Saturday without buffalo chicken dip? This dip is so tasty, you don't even need a special occasion to make it! I love making a big batch of this dip on the weekends and eating it over the next few days. It's so good that I don't mind leftovers, even if it's for a couple days in a row.

    Is Buffalo Chicken Dip Healthy?

    This version of buffalo chicken dip has been modified so that it is a healthier version of the normal buffalo chicken dip. Several ingredients have been swapped out for lower calorie, lower fat alternatives. The dip still tastes just as good!

    Low Fat Cream Cheese: Regular cream cheese is substituted with low-fat cream cheese which saves on calories and fat. Either low-fat cream cheese or ⅓ less fat cream cheese can be used. Another option is fat-free cream cheese. I choose not to use the fat-free cream cheese, however, because of the extra long ingredient list on the fat-free version. (Next time you're at the store, compare the ingredient labels of fat free cream cheese versus low fat cream cheese).

    Greek Yogurt: This dip uses non-fat, plain Greek yogurt to add creaminess. The yogurt allows us to cut back the amount of cream cheese used. Another benefit of yogurt is that it adds extra protein to the dip.

    Ranch Dressing Mix: The dry ranch dressing mix replaces regular ranch dressing in the recipe. When the dry mix is combined with Greek yogurt, it creates a much healthier product, similar to ranch dressing.

    healthy buffalo chicken dip ingredients

    Nutritional Breakdown

    Here is a comparison of the healthy buffalo chicken dip to the normal buffalo chicken dip recipe. I consider the "Normal Dip" to be the recipe that is posted on the Frank's Red Hot website.

    LESS CALORIES
    This recipe contains 105 calories. Traditional dip contains 175 calories/serving. This saves about 70 calories which means you can totally have seconds 😉 !

    HIGHER PROTEIN
    The skinny dip has 10 grams of protein. This is 2.5 times the amount as the normal dip. The increased protein comes from the greek yogurt.

    LESS FAT
    This recipe contains 3 grams total fat and 0 grams fat. Normal dip has 8 grams saturated fat.

    OVERALL
    The biggest factor in the health of this recipe is dependent on what food items you choose to consume this dip with and how much of the dip is eaten in one serving. Healthy options for dipping are to use carrots, celery, or a serving of a whole grain cracker.

    healthy buffalo chicken dip

    How to Serve Buffalo Chicken Dip

    • Serve as a dip. Use cut up veggies such as carrots, celery or cucumbers to dip with.
    • Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, pita bread or pretzels
    • Have Leftovers? Turn it into a quinoa bowl. Combine quinoa, chicken dip and some carrots for a tasty meal.
    • Spread it on tortillas and make some buffalo chicken wraps!
    Healthy buffalo chicken dip on a celery stick

    Let's Make Some Dip!

    How to Cook the Chicken

    Oven: Bake at 400F for 30-35 minutes or until done. (The temperature should be 165 or higher if measuring with a meat thermometer). Shred with two forks.

    Crock Pot: Place in crock pot, cover with water or chicken broth. Cook on low for 2-3 hours. Shred with two forks.

    Instant Pot: Place in instant pot, add 1 cup of water. Cook for 10 minutes and then allow natural steam release for 12 minutes. Check out this tutorial on instant pot chicken for more details.

    Alternative Cooking Methods for Buffalo Dip

    Buffalo chicken dip can be prepared via crockpot, stove top or oven. The preferred method of cooking is largely dependent upon the amount of time you have to prep this recipe.

    Crock Pot: This recipe can easily be made in the crockpot! Spray the bottom of the crockpot well to prevent any sticking. Combine all ingredients and place in a small crockpot. Cook over low for 2-3 hours or until cheese is melted. Stir every hour. Do not over cook or it will burn easily!

    Stove Top: Combine all ingredients in a medium sized cooking pan. Cook over medium heat stirring every 2-3 minutes to prevent dip from burning. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until all ingredients are combined and cheese is melted. Mixture will start to bubble when done.

    Oven: Grease an 8x8 baking dish. Spread buffalo mixture evenly into bottom of pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until dip is melted and starts to bubble.

    Healthy Buffalo chicken dip
    healthy buffalo chicken dip
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

    Spicy and creamy buffalo dip made healthy. This tastes so good, no one will know it's the healthy version!
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: easy dinner, healthy buffalo chicken, healthy chicken recipes, healthy dinner
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 105kcal
    Author: Pinch of Wellness

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
    • 2 tablespoons ranch dressing dry seasoning mix
    • 2.5 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
    • 4 oz low-fat cream cheese softened
    • ½ cup Frank's red hot sauce (any brand will work)
    • ¼ cup fat free shredded sharp cheddar cheese

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 F.
    • Combine greek yogurt and dry ranch seasoning mix in medium mixing bowl. Mix well.
    • Add shredded chicken, cream cheese, hot sauce and cheddar cheese. Mix well.
    • Spread mixture evenly into an 8x8 greased pan or casserole dish.
    • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until mixture is melted and bubbly at top.
    • Garnish with blue cheese if desired.
    • Serve warm. Enjoy!

    Notes

    Optional: Garnish with ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles or feta cheese crumbles. 
    Optional: Garnish with chopped green onions.
    Serve with celery, carrots, chips or crackers. 

    Looking for more healthy dishes?

    • Creamy Salsa Dip is another healthy dip option!
    • Easy Buffalo Chicken Wraps are another healthy option if craving spicy food!
    • Grilled Chicken Tostadas are a tasty weeknight dinner option.
    Tweet
    Pin
    Share

    Subscribe

    to Pinch of Wellness today!

    Previous Post: « Shredded Crockpot BBQ Chicken
    Next Post: Best Healthy Homemade Granola »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. hantimps

      January 11, 2020 at 12:04 pm

      Looks yummy! 🙂

      Reply
      • Pinch of Wellness

        January 11, 2020 at 12:41 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    2. Curt

      March 23, 2020 at 3:52 pm

      5 stars
      This dip is amazing! It is a favorite in our house and will be used frequently!

      Reply
    3. Pinch of Wellness

      March 23, 2020 at 3:53 pm

      Great! It’s a family favorite!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome!

    Pinch of Wellness is all about making recipes easy and healthy! I’m a Registered Dietitian, self proclaimed lover of food and have a passion for nutrition and health! Most recipes on Pinch of Wellness are intended for the individual who is looking for convenient meal ideas that taste great and have healthy ingredients! Learn More!

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Join Today!

    Join the Pinch of Wellness community for recipe updates and exclusive member only content!

    Footer

    • About Me

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Disclosure

    • Contact
    • Work With Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Pinch of Wellness LLC

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled

    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

    Non-necessary

    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

    SAVE & ACCEPT