Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
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Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip is a delicious, lighter version of your favorite appetizer! Easy, gluten free, keto & loaded with flavor – you’ll love it! There is no cream cheese in this recipe (you don’t need it!)
This post was shared in 2018 but has since been updated.
I mean is there anything better than cheesy, spicy healthy buffalo chicken dip? Let me answer that for you… uh no, no there is not.
This dip is one of my favorite appetizers, with Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip, Parmesan Chicken Wings and Healthy Bean Dip coming in at a close second!
Buffalo chicken dip often gets a bad rep, but this healthy buffalo chicken dip is about to change that.
It still tastes absolutely amazing and is just a little bit lighter then regular buffalo chicken dip.
What makes this buffalo chicken dip healthy?
This buffalo chicken dip is so much healthier than regular buffalo chicken dip! Here’s why:
- Low Fat: Buffalo chicken dip is usually made with tons of cheese, ranch or blue cheese dressing and cream cheese which makes it super high in fat. I swapped out cream cheese/dressing for greek yogurt and cottage cheese. Yes.. you read that right, there is NO cream cheese in this recipe!
- Higher Protein: The greek yogurt/cottage cheese mix still makes this rich and creamy, with way less fat and a whole lot more protein!
- Simple Ingredients: Most dips use cream cheese or ranch dressing. This recipe uses simple healthy ingredients! If you want another easy dip, try our Healthy Onion Dip or Enchilada Dip!
I also added a little bit less cheese to it compared to normal buffalo chicken dip, but if you want to go ahead and add more in – I’m not going to stop you. More cheese is always better!
Now, let’s get into what you’re here for – how do you make healthy buffalo chicken dip?!
Ingredients for healthy buffalo chicken dip:
Making healthy buffalo chicken dip is ridiculously easy. You only need 6 ingredients.
- Cottage cheese (no you can’t even taste it, I swear) – look for a cottage cheese with no fillers/gums and one that is small curd. Good culture is our favorite brand.
- nonfat Greek yogurt
- cheddar cheese – we always grate our cheese fresh, it melts so much better!
- buffalo sauce – this one is our favorite
- cooked chicken
We love to get our chicken from ButcherBox. Learn more about why we love it in this Butcher Box Reviews Post.
Substitutions for this skinny buffalo chicken dip:
This buffalo chicken dip is pretty easy to make and customize.
Cooked Chicken: You can make our crockpot shredded chicken, instant pot shredded chicken or just buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it! I like to make this with chicken breasts, but chicken thighs or chicken tenders will also work.
Cottage cheese: I haven’t tested this recipe without cottage cheese, but if you’re asking because you don’t like it… just put it in there. I don’t like cottage cheese either (at all!) but I swear you can not taste it in this. Do not use fat free cottage cheese. Look for 4% milkfat or a brand with no stabilizers or gums. We like GoodCulture.
Buffalo Sauce: This is our favorite buffalo sauce. It’s made with great ingredients and it tastes amazing! I haven’t tried this dip with other sauces, but I bet it will be delicious!
Cheddar Cheese: We recommend using freshly grated cheddar cheese, not pre-shredded. Pre-shredded cheese does not melt as well and can result in a watery dip.
Blue Cheese: If you like blue cheese in your buffalo chicken dip, sub 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese with 1/2 cup of blue cheese.
Low fat cheese: Low fat cheeses do not melt as well as regular cheese. It will work in this recipe if you like it but it likely will make the dip watery.
Yogurt: Use nonfat Greek yogurt in this recipe. Do not use regular yogurt. Regular yogurt can make this dip watery.
Vegetarian: We made a vegetarian version of this recipe! Check out our Vegetarian Buffalo Dip.
How to make healthy buffalo chicken dip:
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl.
- Mix until thoroughly combined.
- You can totally top with extra cheese before popping it in the oven, but you don’t have to!
- Pour into an 8×8 glass baking dish (or a glass pie plate!) and bake!
How to serve healthy buffalo chicken dip:
There’s no wrong way to eat this healthy buffalo chicken dip.. but here are a few ideas
- Chips – these chips are yummy!
- Pretzels – (I love these flat ones for dipping!)
- Veggies – Celery, peppers, and carrots go well with this.
- A spoon… kidding? Not really. It’s that good.
- On a sandwich –Leftovers are delicious in a grilled cheese!
Help! My dip is watery
If your buffalo chicken dip is watery, no worries – we can fix it! Take a paper towel and gently blot it against the edges of the dip. You can tilt the dish using an oven mitt towards the paper towel so the excess water drains towards it.
You can bake the dip for an extra few minutes to help absorb the excess moisture.
The dip is likely watery because of your ingredients. If you used a cottage cheese with fillers or gums, this could cause the cottage cheese to separate, resulting in a watery dip. Preshredded cheese can also cause the same issue. Using low fat ingredients instead of nonfat (they’re different!) can also result in a watery dip.
Either way, just try to blot as much of the excess water out and return to the oven to bake for a few minutes to help.
Can you make this keto buffalo chicken dip in the crockpot?
I wouldn’t recommend making this buffalo chicken dip in the crockpot. The water doesn’t evaporate like it does in the oven and it might be watery. Try this Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip instead!
How to make shredded chicken
You have a few options for how to make shredded chicken.
Instant Pot: You can make my Easy Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Crockpot: You can cook chicken in the crockpot (you’d have to do it the day before or in the morning)
Rotisserie Chicken: You can buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it up (Save the bones and make crockpot bone broth !)
Boiled chicken: You can boil chicken for about 15 minutes until it is entirely cooked and then shred.
Canned Chicken: You could use canned chicken… but I think it’s gross and bouncy. If you do use canned chicken make sure to drain it EXTREMELY well. If you don’t you’ll be left with a watery mess.
Storing Buffalo Chicken Dip
Prep ahead of time: You can mix together this dip the night before and put it in the refrigerator (unbaked). When you’re ready to eat let the dish come to room temperature and bake per instructions.
Storing this Dip: This dip will last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Freezing Buffalo Chicken Dip: I haven’t tried freezing this dip but I wouldn’t recommend it. I don’t think it will freeze well. I think it would get watery/ and might not be as creamy.
Reheating Buffalo Chicken Dip: If you need to reheat this Buffalo Chicken Dip – you can put it in your microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until cheese starts to melt.
You can also reheat it in a toaster oven, or use a crockpot set to warm to keep it warm throughout!
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- ½ cup buffalo sauce
- 1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
- ½ cup small curd cottage cheese
- 2 cups cheddar cheese divided (can also sub half crumbled blue cheese)
Instructions
Oven Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400.
- In a bowl mix cooked chicken, buffalo sauce, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and 1 cup cheddar cheese until thoroughly combined.
- Pour dip into an 8×8 baking dish. Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake at 400 for 25 mins.
- You can turn the oven to broil the last 2 minutes of cooking if you'd prefer a crispier topping.
- Feel free to drizzle the dip with extra buffalo sauce before serving if you'd like. Serve with chips or veggies or choice.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in instant pot base. Add 1/4 cup water.
- Set to pressure cook for 14 minutes. Make sure your pot is set to sealing, not venting. The pot will take 3-4 minutes to come to pressure. Allow it to cook and naturally release for 10 minutes. (You can also quick release if you're in a hurry!)
- Shred chicken with a hand mixer in the pot, or remove from the pot, shred with forks, and return back to the pot. Make sure to drain excess water from the pot/chicken to avoid a watery dip.
- Stir in buffalo sauce, cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese, tossing until warm.
- Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes until cheese has melted.
Crockpot Instructions
- In a bowl mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined.
- Pour dip batter into crockpot (top with extra cheese if desired!). Cover and cook for low 4-6 hours or high 2-3 hours.
Video
Notes
- Chips – these chips are yummy!
- Pretzels ( i love these flat ones for dipping!)
- Veggies – Celery, peppers and carrots go well with this.
- Instant Pot: You can make my Easy Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Crockpot: You can cook the chicken in the crockpot (you’d have to do it the day before or in the morning)
- Rotisserie Chicken: You can buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it up (Save the bones and make easy crockpot bone broth !)
- Boiled chicken: You can boil chicken for about 15 minutes until it is entirely cooked and then shred.
This dip was AMAZING! Very easy to make and it tastes just like original version. I’m not a fan of blue cheese so I replaced with mozzarella. I can’t wait to make it again! Thank you for another great recipe!
So glad you liked it, Shan! This makes me so happy to hear!
Okay so I hate cottage cheese. But I trusted that this would be good. You would have no clue at all this was in this recipe. So yummy!!!! Going to have to make this soon again!!
Yay!! I swear you can’t even tell it’s in the recipe.. I honestly don’t love cottage cheese either but it’s a great substitute for cream cheese in this dip. So glad you liked it 🙂
My brother made this for New Year’s Eve and it was absolutely delicious!! I will definitely keep this in my arsenal for dishes to make!
So glad you liked it, Heather!
This is by far the best buffalo chicken dip I have ever made — super easy, super simple, and SUPER delicious!! 🙂
Glad you like it, Lisa! Makes me so happy to hear 🙂
This buffalo chicken dip was delicious! I am not a fan of cottage cheese but you can’t even taste it! This is my new go to recipe for this dip.
Thank you so much, Patricia! I don’t like cottage cheese either but you really can’t taste it in this. Glad you liked it!
This recipe is too good not to share! I just shared this with our boot camp community (with your link 😉) as our members are always looking for ways to eat more clean! It was so easy to make and my family (who are used to the non-healthy version of this dip) absolutely loved it!! Thank you!!
I’m so glad you liked it, Trisha! I really appreciate you sharing it with everyone!
What a great healthier version of Buffalo Chicken Dip! I love Buffalo anything just about and this was no exception. Tasted just how I wanted it to!! And super simple to make 🙂 Thanks again The Clean Eating Couple!
Yay! So glad you liked it, Kelly! You can’t even tell that this is a healthier version!
What are the ingredient portions?
Hi! I’m not sure what you’re referring to. The ingredients are in the recipe card! Hope that helps you!
Delicious and easy! Followed the recipe as is and was so pleased with the final product. I boiled chicken breast and shredded it for the meat, and mixed everything in the dish I baked it in.
Thanks so much, Jessie! I’m so glad you liked the dip!
Really good and highly recommend!!
Thanks Stacey!! Glad you like it!
Make this. Seriously. Get the ingredients now. This is SO GOOD. No one will believe it is remotely healthy because it’s THAT YUMMY!
Thanks, Abbi!! I’m with you – you can’t even tell it’s healthy!!
I made this for today’s opening Lions game (away), it came out fantastic and is so tasty even though it’s healthy! I will be pairing it with one of the cleaneatingcouple’s cocktail recipes as I have made those before and they are also great.
Yay!! Love hearing that Sondra! Totally agree- it is super tasty 🙂 This cocktail is my favorite!
Thank you!!! It’s on the menu for today 🙂
Amazing!! Come back and tell me how ya like it 🙂
Hi Ashley!
I’m looking forward in making this dip! I do have a couple of questions though, did you use low-fat for any of the cheeses and for the Greek yogurt?
Hi Sophia! The recipe calls for non-fat greek yogurt. I personally wouldn’t use all nonfat cheese for a few reasons – one, they lack flavor. Two, they usually have additives that make them less melty! In my experience nonfat cheeses also sometimes have more water which can make the dip a little soupy. The recipe will work with them, but it will not be as delicious 🙂
I use 2% Fage Greek style yogurt and it’s non GMO
This is a delicious alternative to the cream cheese version. It’s one of my favorite dips, so a healthy alternative is fantastic. I was nervous about the cottage cheese, but you don’t even know it’s there! Thanks for such a great way to get a fix of my fave dip without the unhealthy ingredients that often come with it.
Thank you so much, Ashley! I’m not a fan of cottage cheese either – but you really can’t even taste it in this dip!!
We made it tonight and added pepper jack cheese instead of blue cheese. It was amazing!
YUM! I’m totally trying this with pepper jack – glad you enjoyed it!
I doubled the recipe and am bringing it to a potluck dinner tonight. How long do you recommend I reheat it for the toaster oven (my office, where I’ll be coming from, does not have a conventional oven)?
Thanks
Hi- I’m sorry but I’ve never doubled the recipe and reheated it from cold so I’m not sure exactly how long to reheat it for. Every oven is different. I’d try 350 for 15 minutes? Wish I could be more help but I really don’t know!
absolutely loved this. Not a cottage cheese fan but you can’t taste it at all. So thankful I found you guys on Instagram because I was running out of ideas for my meal plan. So blessed to find you guys. Thank you for all that you do for us!
I’m so glad you liked it, Taylor! I honestly don’t love cottage cheese either but you can’t even taste it in this recipe! Glad you’re following along with us!!
We made this dish for Super Bowl tonight & it was such a hit! I put the chicken in the crock pot this morning so it took me no time at all to make this DELICIOUS healthy buffalo chicken dip! I posted it to my IG story once it came out of the oven & so many people have asked for the recipe. Sharing it with everyone I know! Thank you for this yummy treat- I will be making this again for sure! Also, my 17 month old said “mmmm” every time she took a bite! 🙂
LOVE hearing that, Megan – especially that your kiddo liked it 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing it with friends – we really appreciate that!!
Soo good! Can’t tell it is a healthier version at all! Better in my opinion.
I’m so glad you liked it, Sarah!!
I made this last weekend and it was the perfect potluck contribution! Love that it’s healthy too, no one even knew!
I’m so glad everyone liked it, Amanda!! That is awesome!
I’m honestly shocked at how similar this tastes to the unhealthy kind. This stuff is SO good, I will make it for every get together from now on! Or just to snack on at home 🙂
Yay!! It definitely is just as good as the not-so-healthy version 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it!!
Made this last Sunday for the game and my dad/uncle LOVED it!! It was completely gone in 20 minutes. I served it with tortilla chips and carrots and both were delicious! Definitely making again for Super Bowl Sunday!
I’m so glad you liked it, Julia!! It’s totally perfect for Super Bowl 🙂
What would you suggest to replace the blue cheese with if your not a “blue cheese fan”? Colby Jack?
Thank you
Hi Andrea – You could use pepper jack, colby jack.. really any cheese will work!
Perfect! Thank you ☺️
I was literally waiting for you to email this out. Just made it and OMG IT IS SO GOOD!!!! Will be making this every week for watching football! so yummy!
This makes me SO happy to hear, Dianne!! You are quick, lol!! It’s the perfect game day food 🙂
SO good! I have made it a couple times and I’m not a fan of blue cheese but it really doesn’t matter what cheese you used. I’ve tried a couple different kinds and they were all good!
So glad you like it, Janelle! You totally can sub out the blue cheese 🙂
Delicious, perfect app!
Thank you so much!