Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip combines the flavors of your favorite classic buffalo dip and turns it into a skinny version! This dip is made with cream cheese and Greek yogurt, yet still low in calories. It is gluten free, easy and healthy!
What's a football game 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.
As a Registered Dietitian, I'm always looking for ways to make foods healthy, yet still taste good. This is a recipe that I developed with the goal of having a flavorful dip that was light and healthy, yet tastes just like the normal version.
I have made this recipe for years and years and have proudly brought it to football watch parties, dinners, gatherings, and more! It is always a favorite!
Looking for more healthy appetizers? Check out my skinny spinach artichoke dip, healthy cowboy caviar or homemade salsa!
Is Buffalo Chicken Dip Healthy?
This skinny buffalo chicken dip is low in fat, carbs and calories. Several ingredients have been swapped out for lower calorie, lower fat alternatives. The dip still tastes just as good! This skinny buffalo dip is made with cream cheese and is still considered healthy-can you believe it?!
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. I do not recommend fat free cream cheese because it changes the texture.
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.
Ingredients Needed
Greek yogurt: use the non-fat version for a low-calorie / low-fat option.
Cream cheese- select a low-fat option. I personally think the fat-free cream cheese does not have a good texture when cooked, so I try to avoid that.
Shredded cheese- you can use a low-fat or a cheese made with 2% milk to lower calories.
Chicken- you can use canned chicken breast or rotisserie chicken as a substitution.
Step by Step Instructions
How to Cook the Chicken
Oven: Bake at 400F for 30-35 minutes or until done. (The temperature should be 165 or higher if measured with a meat thermometer). Shred with two forks.
Crock Pot: Place in a crock pot, cover with water or chicken broth. Cook on low for 2-3 hours. Shred with two forks.
Instant Pot: Place in an instant pot, and 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.
Prepare the Dip
Combine the ranch and Greek yogurt in a bowl. Mix well.
Shred the chicken. Add the chicken, cream cheese, hot sauce, and shredded cheese to the Greek yogurt mixture.
Mix well. Spread into a greased pan. Bake in the oven until warm. Garnish with more shredded cheese during the last 5 minutes of baking if desired!
Alternative Cooking Methods
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 and shred the chicken first). Cook over medium heat stirring every 2-3 minutes to prevent the dip from burning. Continue to cook for about 15 minutes, or until all ingredients are combined and cheese is melted. The mixture will start to bubble when done.
Oven: Grease an 8x8 baking dish. Combine all ingredients together (make sure the chicken is cooked first!). Spread the buffalo mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until the dip is melted and starts to bubble.
Microwave: Combine all ingredients of the dip together in a large bowl (make sure you use cooked chicken!). Spread the dip evenly in a microwave-safe casserole dish. Cook for 2-5 minutes or until hot.
Leftovers
Refrigerator: store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Place it in an airtight container and refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking. Do not eat dip that has sat out for an extended time period! (More on food safety here!)
Freezer: Store the buffalo chicken dip in an airtight container, such as a freezer-safe zip lock bag. Seal shut and freeze for up to 3-4 months.
Reheating Leftovers: The leftovers can be microwaved, heated in the oven or reheated in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently and always reheat to 165F to ensure the food is safe to eat!
Serving Suggestions
Here's a list of healthy foods that you can serve with buffalo chicken dip:
- Serve as a dip and use cut-up veggies such as carrots, celery, or cucumber slices.
- 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!
How to Make Buff Chicken Dip in Advance
Make this buffalo chicken dip up to two days in advance. This makes it a great weeknight dinner option or easy party food. Simply mix all ingredients of the dip together. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
When you are ready to make the dip, spread it into a greased casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake as indicated in the instructions.
Nutrition Information
Here is a comparison of the healthy buffalo chicken dip to the normal buffalo chicken dip recipe. The "Normal Dip" is the recipe that is posted on Frank's Red Hot website.
LESS CALORIES
This recipe contains 124 calories. Traditional dip contains 175 calories/per serving. This saves about 60 calories which means you can totally have seconds!
HIGHER PROTEIN
The skinny dip has 15 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 5 grams total fat and 2 grams saturated fat. The normal dip has 8 grams of 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.
More Healthy Appetizers
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
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)
- ½ cup low fat 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!
hantimps
Looks yummy! 🙂
Pinch of Wellness
Thank you!
Curt
This dip is amazing! It is a favorite in our house and will be used frequently!
Pinch of Wellness
Great! It’s a family favorite!
Michael
Hello!
I read in the article that a serving is 105 calories instead of 175. However, I couldn’t find the actual serving size? Preferably in cups or ounces. Thank you!
Anne
This is my favorite dip! I've made it so many times and always add blue cheese to the top!
Joan
I made this last weekend and loved it. I added to the recipe and turned out good. Blue cheese crumbs mixed in, green onions on top, feta cheese on top.