There’s nothing better to enjoy this Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip for Game Day! A perfect combination of Frank's Hot sauce, cream cheese, ranch seasoning, Cheddar cheese, and tender shredded chicken.
All these ingredients combined and baked make the best dip for a party night with family and friends. Making a double batch is highly recommended!
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Why it's yummy
- Healthy - a healthier version of traditional Buffalo Dip. Read below for more ways to make it even healthier.
- Creamy and fulfilling - tender shredded chicken is baked in cream cheese, hot sauce, and cheddar cheese which result in ultra-creamy dip. Best served with vegetable straws!
- Budget friendly and quick - use any leftover chicken or boil a couple chicken breasts and shred with a fork. Add cheeses and hot sauce, bake and the party dip is ready for serving.
If you are looking for more healthy gluten-free party-style recipes make sure to try these next: Creamy Chicken Tacos, Roasted Pumpkin Hummus, Roasted Summer Squash Spread, Cheesy Zucchini Bites, Easy Tomato Salsa, Sweet and Spicy Tahini Dressing.
Ingredients
- Chicken - I used plain boiled (best for a healthy dip) chicken breasts for this but you can use any leftover chicken from last night’s dinner, rotisserie chicken, and canned chicken (not the healthiest option but is an option), and so on.
- Cheese - you are not limited only to cheddar, Colby Jack, Pepper Jack, or mozzarella cheeses (mozzarella blcok grated yourself will melt better) will melt even better and will give an extra cheesy and stringy result.
- Hot sauce - you can make this dip with Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce (any flavor). The classical hot sauce is traditionally made with hot peppers and vinegar, Frank's Buffalo Sauce is similar but with added butter in it which makes the hot sauce way milder. And the color of the dip will be more orange as well. Whatever hot sauce you choose, it should be hot but not too hot such as Tabasco which is not suitable for this particular dip. Overall, ½ cup of Frank’s Red Hot hot sauce is enough to taste like buffalo without being too hot, plus combined with cheeses makes it still a mildly hot buffalo dip. Just in case it's not hot enough, you can always add a drizzle of sauce on top right before serving or mix it in after baking the dip.
- Try my Homemade Buffalo Sauce instead of Hot sauce.
Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese, ranch seasoning, yogurt, Frank’s hot sauce, 1 cup cheddar cheese, garlic powder.
Stir well and transfer to a 10 inch cast iron skillet or similar size baking dish/dishes.
Top with remaining ½ cup of cheddar cheese and crumbled blue cheese, if using.
Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Garnish with green onion or/and other fresh herbs and serve with chips and vegetables.
Tips
- Cream cheese - if you want to go for a really low calorie here, use small curd cottage cheese instead. The texture will be different though!
- Cheddar - 1 ½ cup of cheddar is more than enough for a creamy and cheesy dip but for a healthier option skip the top layer and the blue cheese! If you can get a low fat but melty shredded cheese it should also work fine in this dip.
- Temperature matters - allow all the cold ingredients come to room temperature, it will ensure that everything is combined easily once warm and baked through.
- Bake this buffalo chicken dip in one 10 inch skillet or 2 small ones, or a similar baking dish. Then transfer it to a platter or small bowls and serve with green onions on top.
Serving Suggestions
As the dip itself is high carb I would recommend balancing this off with some fresh vegetables such as:
- Celery sticks
- Carrot sticks
- Bell peppers
- Cucumber
Other items you can serve this Chicken Dip:
- Gluten free nacho chips
- Gluten free Pita Bread
- Crackers
- Gluten free breadsticks
- Gluten free Pretzels
I love gluten-free bread options from Schar as we have many of them where I live but nowadays there are many other options to choose from. What's your favorite? I'd love to hear from you! Please let me know in the comments below or via email: julia@theyummybowl.com
Crock Pot/Slow Cooker Instructions
Make this gluten free buffalo chicken dip in a crock pot by combining all ingredients with 1 cup of cheddar cheese in a bowl, stir and transfer to a 4.5 quart or smaller slow cooker.
Top with the rest of the cheddar cheese (optional, you can leave it as it is) and cook on low for 3-5 hours.
Freezing and Storing Instructions
Freezing and storing. This dip is not meant for freezing and should be consumed right away or kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. If you freeze it, it will lose its texture, separation will occur and the flavor may become watery.
Reheat in a baking dish or same skillet in the oven at 400 F until warm. You can also reheat it in a heat-safe bowl in the microwave but oven will be better for texture and flavor. Add extra cheddar or shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
FAQ
If your buffalo dip is too greasy it may be due to overbaking, not mixing your ingredients properly that resulted in their separation later, or simply using too much cheese. The dip is generally ready when the cheese has melted. This dip will be slightly greasy anyway as it has a top layer of cheese in it. Avoid this by skipping the top layer or simply using less cheese and give it a good stir before serving.
If you have added too much sauce or not enough chicken or used a low fat yogurt or cream cheese then your dip will become too watery. Which is fine but not the best for dipping. To make your buffalo chicken dip thicker add more cheese, chicken and cream cheese to your dip. Stir to combine but not overmix it. The dip will also thicken as it cools.
I hope you'll enjoy this healthy buffalo chicken dip and if you make it, please let me know down below in the comments or by tagging @theyummy_bowl under your picture on Instagram.
Thank you for reading,
Love,
Julia
Gluten Free Chicken Recipes
- Creamy Chicken Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Crispy Chicken Ciabatta Sandwich
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Tostada
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
INGREDIENTS
- 2 ½ cup cooked and shredded chicken
- 16 oz lightest cream cheese softened*
- ½ cup low fat yogurt (I used plain greek yogurt)
- 2 teaspoon ranch seasoning
- ½ cup Frank’s red hot sauce
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Green onion and herbs for garnish
- Blue cheese for garnish crumbled (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese, ranch seasoning, yogurt, Frank’s hot sauce, 1 cup cheddar cheese, garlic powder. Stir well and transfer to a 10 inch cast iron skillet or similar size baking dish/dishes.
- Top with remaining ½ cup of cheddar cheese and crumbled blue cheese, if using.
- Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish with green onion or/and other fresh herbs and serve with chips and vegetables.
NOTES
- Try my Homemade Buffalo Sauce instead of Hot sauce
- Cream cheese - if you want to go for a really low calorie here, use small curd cottage cheese instead. The texture will be different though. OR leave it out and use more yogurt instead for a healthier buffalo chicken dip version.
- Cheddar - 1 ½ cup of cheddar is more than enough for a creamy and cheesy dip but for a healthier option skip the top layer and the blue cheese!
- Temperature matters - allow all the cold ingredients to come to room temperature, it will ensure that everything is combined easily once warm and baked through.
- Frank's red hot sauce - I used the original plain red hot sauce from Frank's but for milder flavor use the same or other brand's Buffalo hot sauce.
The perfect cheesy dip for Game Day!
This looks delicious! Definitely going to try this for Superbowl Sunday! Hubby and teenagers will love it!
Thank you so much Sandra, so glad you're going to make it!