Confession: I had my husband draft my fantasy football team this year.
I know. I am so ashamed.
I mean, we weren’t having our usual ladies draft party for our league, Not Your Husband’s Fantasy, and when the time came to participate remotely or fall asleep watching a movie, I decided to choose the movie. 🤷♀️
It was at this point I realized I was in it for two things: 1. Hanging with the girls, and 2. The snacks.
But if we were having a draft party, I would totally have brought this Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip or it’s vegetarian counterpart, Buffalo Cauliflower Dip, or perhaps even both because football season is a time to eat everything Buffalo.
I’ve shared versions of this dip in other very popular Buffalo Chicken Recipes on the site, namely my Heathy Buffalo Chicken Dip Stuffed Peppers [Instant Pot | Air Fryer | Oven] and my Healthy Buffalo Chicken Taquitos [Instant Pot | Air Fryer]. But never just the dip by itself…until now!
How to Make Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
This 21 Day Fix Approved Buffalo Chicken Dip is so quick and easy to make. The first thing you need to do is cook up some shredded chicken breast. I use my Instant Pot to cook and shred my chicken. I love doing this in advance, too, because then this recipe comes together even quicker!
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can prep your chicken in the oven, on the grill, in the crock pot, or even use rotisserie chicken. Whatever you want!
Tip: Use your hand mixer to shred your chicken super quick! I like my chicken extra shredded for dips!
Next, you mix up the creamy part of this Buffalo dip. The ingredients I use are:
- plain Greek yogurt – for extra protein and creaminess without using cream cheese
- small curd cottage cheese – it melts like cheese, but counts as a protein for the 21 Day Fix and NO, you will not taste it!!! (more on that below). Look for a small curd or a whipped cottage cheese (Friendship Dairies has a great one!)
- hot sauce – you want hot sauce, not buffalo sauce, for this. I use Frank’s brand.
- cheese – I use less cheese than traditional buffalo dip, but feel free to pile on extra – just remember to track it if you are following the 21 Day Fix (you can double the cheese and still be on plan), And I use blue cheese and cheddar, but you can swap in your favorite cheeses instead! To keep this light, I use less cheese than traditional Buffalo Dips.
I don’t like Blue Cheese…what can I swap for this?
There is always the great blue cheese debate whenever I post a recipe like this!! But, no fear, you can swap it with additional cheddar, goat cheese, Monterey jack or even mozzarella in it’s place and you are all good!
Is there a sub for the Cottage Cheese?
Guys, I promise you will NOT taste the cottage cheese – it just makes this dip nice and creamy without the cream cheese. This is a little trick I learned from my friend Stephanie from the Foodie and the Fix back when she posted this makeover Spinach and Artichoke Dip! If you really wanted to sub, I would use ricotta in place of the cottage cheese!
And now for the Finishing Touch
Mix up that creamy, cheesy, deliciousness with the shredded chicken, then top with some extra cheese and get it all sorts of melty and warm in the oven! You can even broil it for a minute or two at the end!
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip:
If you have an Instant Pot with an Air fryer Lid like the Mealthy CrispLid or a Ninja Foodi, you could bake it right in there, especially if you cooked your shredded chicken in it!
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip:
You could add all the ingredients for this buffalo chicken dip recipe to your slow cooker and let it get hot and melty for a couple of hours on high…then reduce to warm if you are going to serve from your crock.
What are some Healthy Options for Dippers?
This healthy Buffalo Chicken Recipe is so good, I could literally eat it with a spoon…BUT I also love it with:
- homemade or store bought tortilla chips or crackers
- carrots and celery
- bell peppers or mini bell peppers
- on top of cucumber slices
- pretzel thins
More Yummy Football Food Ideas
Mini Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Pepper Nachos
Enchilada Beef Dip | Stove Top | Instant Pot
Copycat Philly Crab Fries with Cheese Sauce
Healthy Instant Pot Airfryer Chicken Taquitos
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-8 servings 1x
- Category: Snacks | Dips
- Method: Instant Pot | Oven | Crock Pot
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe is a lighter version of everyone’s favorite gameday appetizer, but you’d never know it was good for you! It’s packed with buffalo wing flavor and cheesy goodness in every delicious bite!
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless breast tenderloins or about 2 cups of shredded, cooked chicken breast
- 1 cup of chicken broth or water
- salt, pepper, garlic powder (just a sprinkle of each for the chicken)
- olive oil spray
- ⅔ cup of 2% plain Greek yogurt (I love Fage brand)
- ⅓ cup of small curd cottage cheese (I love Friendship whipped brand), drained of excess water (I use a small mesh strainer)
- 1/3 cup of hot sauce
- 1/3 cup of blue cheese
- 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese (can double if desired – just increase the blue)
- garnish – green onion
Instructions
For the Chicken:
If your chicken is raw, prep this first. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
In your Instant Pot – add 1 cup of broth or water and your raw chicken breast. Cook for 15 minutes and do a full natural release. Drain well and shred using two forks or your hand mixer.
In your oven- cook chicken breast on 350 for 30 minutes. Let cool and dice.
On your stovetop – cover chicken with broth or water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Then remove from heat and cover for 20 minutes. Drain and shred using two forks or your hand mixer.
In your crockpot – add chicken broth or water and chicken to the pot. Cook for 4 hours on hight, then drain and shred using two forks or your hand mixer.
For the Dip
Oven:
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Mix Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, hot sauce, blue cheese, and 2 T of cheddar cheese in an oven safe bowl, then fold in chicken. Top dip with the remaining cheddar cheese.
- Place bowl in the oven and allow cheese to brown and bubble before removing, broiling at the end if desired.
- Garnish with green onion and enjoy with veggie dippers or homemade tortilla chips!
CrispLid or Ninja Foodi:
- Mix Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, hot sauce, blue cheese, and 2 T of cheddar cheese in an IP safe bowl, then fold in chicken. Top dip with the remaining cheddar cheese.
- Wipe out the inner liner of the Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi and place bowl in the IP with the Crisp Lid cover and bake at 450. Allow cheese to brown and bubble before removing, about 5-7 minutes.
- Garnish with green onion and enjoy with veggie dippers or homemade tortilla chips!
- Mix Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, hot sauce, blue cheese, and 2 T of cheddar cheese in an IP safe bowl, then fold in chicken. Top dip with the remaining cheddar cheese.
- Add the ingredients to your slow cooker and let it get hot and melty for 2 hours on high.
- Reduce to warm if you are going to serve directly from your crock.
- Garnish with green onion and enjoy with veggie dippers or homemade tortilla chips!
Notes
Serves 4-8
21 Day Fix: For 1/4 of the pan – 1 RED, 1/2 BLUE + dippers (per serving); For 1/8 of the pan – 1/2 RED, 1/4 BLUE + dippers (per serving)
WW link for personal points: Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
Keywords: Buffalo Chicken Dip, Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe, Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip, 21 Day Fix Buffalo Chicken Dip, Superbowl Food Ideas
Rhonda says
This was delicious as a dip and as the taquitos!
★★★★★
Nancylynn says
YAY! Thank you for the feedback!
Melissa says
I love all your buffalo chicken recipes. If we aren’t a fan of bleu cheese, is there an alternative you would recommend or should we just leave it out? Thanks!
BK says
Hi NL! I made this recipe two times using rotisserie chicken & the wet ingredients as described. The recipe came out a little wet. Any idea what might be causing it and ways to reduce it? The flavor is very good and I appreciate the nutritional value being “affordable” to eat when on a calorie budget! Thank you for sharing this recipe. It made it possible for me to indulge on a favorite dish without guilt.
★★★★
Nancylynn says
Hi! I am glad you like the recipe! I think if it is watery, it may be the brand of yogurt and cottage cheese that you are using. I love how thick Fage Greek Yogurt is, and my favorite brand of cottage cheese is Friendship. You could also “strain” both the yogurt and the cottage cheese a little before mixing – that will also help!
Robin says
Hi Nancylynn! My family of 7 loves so many of your healthy recipes, but sadly I just can’t get my kids on board with the buffalo chicken flavors 🙁 As such, I usually only get a chance to make this recipe for game day or as a special treat for myself to enjoy all week when my hubby is traveling. This has been a crazy week and so I was trying to come up with a quick “pop my portion in the microwave” meal, so I used this dip as the base for a casserole and, MY WORD, it was so good! I added 2 C. cooked quinoa, 2 C. roasted chopped broccoli, and 1 C. each of finely grated carrots and diced bell pepper, mixed them together, and baked as directed. I loved this dip before with peppers and celery sticks, but now I’ll be using it to make this casserole again. Thanks so much for the inspiration.
★★★★★
Nancylynn says
Oh wow, great idea! Thank you so much for sharing, and glad you loved it!