This Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip is a lightened-up version of your favorite game-day snack. Made with shredded chicken, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese, it has much more protein and a fraction of the fat and calories!
Who doesn’t love to see a creamy and spicy batch of buffalo chicken dip at the party? I love it so much that I’ve made pasta dishes and vegetarian meatballs with the same addicting flavors! Typically made with cream cheese, sour cream, or ranch dressing, and lots of cheese, there’s no denying how good it is.
On the days when you want to indulge in a creamy dip but not the excess calories, stick with this Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip instead. It’s a lightened-up version of the classic, as it swaps the cream cheese and sour cream for cottage cheese and Greek yogurt. This combo alone gives it a big boost of protein, calcium, and vitamin B12!
And even though this party appetizer is “healthy”, it doesn’t actually taste that way. It’s deliciously rich, cheesy, and impossible to resist, especially when served with dippers like celery, carrots, and tortilla chips!
Recipe features
- The Greek yogurt and cottage cheese base makes every bite feel much lighter than your typical buffalo dip recipe.
- A must-make keto and gluten free party snack that’s perfect for game days, holidays, tailgates, and Superbowl Sunday.
- It’s quick, easy, and takes less than 20 minutes when you use leftover chicken!
Ingredients
I’ve noted the key ingredients and substitutions in the list below. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, head to the recipe card!
Chicken - You can keep this buffalo chicken dip recipe really quick and easy by shredding the leftover chicken in your fridge or a store-bought rotisserie chicken. If you don’t have leftover chicken on hand, learn how to boil and shred boneless chicken breasts in my Whole30 Chicken Salad recipe.
Greek yogurt - This is a healthy substitute for the sour cream that’s used in the classic recipe. Not only is it thick, creamy, and tangy, but it’s low in calories and high in protein (16 grams per 156 gram container). Greek yogurt is also loaded with active cultures, which can be great for the bacteria in our guts.
Cottage cheese - A favorite ingredient of mine! It’s what gives this healthy buffalo dip, my Cottage Cheese Dip, and Cottage Cheese Lasagna so much creaminess and decadence. Regular (4%), low-fat (2%), and non-fat (less than 0.5%) cream cheese can all be used, but regular will have the best flavor.
Hot sauce - Like Frank’s Red Hot Sauce or any hot sauce you love.
Cheese - I used a mixture of shredded cheddar and mozzarella. If you want to switch up the mozzarella, use gouda, provolone, white cheddar, Monterey jack, or pepper jack instead.
Blue cheese - Buffalo chicken and blue cheese belong together. If serving the dip to anyone who doesn’t have a taste for blue cheese, you can always serve it on the side or swap it for mild cotija, feta, queso fresco, or parmesan.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Combine the ingredients. Mix the shredded chicken, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, hot sauce, mozzarella, green onion, garlic powder, salt, and some of the cheddar cheese in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Assemble and bake. Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe bowl and place it on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar over top and bake until the dip is hot and bubbly.
Step 3: Garnish and serve. Finish by sprinkling the blue cheese crumbles and extra green onions on top. Serve hot with chips, carrots, and celery for dipping, and enjoy!
Tips and FAQs
- Are you using freshly boiled chicken to make this dip? Shred it using a handheld or standing mixer! This speeds up the shredding process and creates less mess.
- This recipe works just as well with shredded turkey as it does with chicken, although the flavors will change slightly.
- Making buffalo dip in the slow cooker is also an option and a great way to keep the batch warm during parties. It’s as simple as combining the shredded chicken and the remaining ingredients in your slow cooker and cooking on LOW for 2 to 3 hours.
What goes with buffalo chicken dip?
Surround the bowl of dip with all kinds of colorful, dippable snacks. My favorites are carrots, celery sticks, mini bell peppers, cucumber slices, crusty torn bread, bagel crisps, pretzels, flatbread, pita chips, and tortilla chips.
Can you make it ahead of time?
Absolutely. To make it ahead of time, assemble the dip the night before and keep it covered in the fridge. Pop it in the oven 20 minutes before party time, then enjoy!
Storage
Refrigerator: Let the leftover dip cool completely, then keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Freezer: The leftovers can be frozen but the consistency may not be as thick or creamy once thawed. To freeze, let the dip cool, then keep it in a sealed container in the freezer for 2 to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge before reheating in the oven.
More healthy party dips
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- ½ cup Frank's hot sauce or hot sauce of choice
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
- ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup green onion chopped; plus more for garnish
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon blue cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the cheddar cheese.
- Next, add the chicken, yogurt, cottage cheese, hot sauce, remaining cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, green onion, garlic powder, and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to an oven-safe bowl, then place the bowl on a baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the reserved cheddar cheese on top, then bake the dip for 15-20 minutes.
- Top dip with the blue cheese and extra green onions. Serve with chips, carrots and/or celery and enjoy!
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