Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip is a quick, easy and delicious appetizer to serve up to a crowd and is especially great for game day! Baked in the oven, this high protein dip recipe is made without cream cheese or ranch and instead uses Greek yogurt and cottage cheese for a lighter option than the classic version.
2cupsshredded cooked chickenI like to use rotisserie
1cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2cup1% plain cottage cheese
1/2cupFrank's Original Red Hot Sauce
1 1/4cupsshredded cheddar or mozzarella cheesedivided
1/4cupsliced green onion
1/2teaspoongarlic powder
1/2teaspoononion powder
2teaspoonsdried parsley
For topping
1/4cupcrumbled blue cheese(or sub in goat or feta cheese)
2tablespoonssliced green onion
A few slices jalapeno peppers(optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, shred the chicken. Add the Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, hot sauce and 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese. Mix together until combined.
Add the green onion, garlic powder, onion powder and dried parsley. Mix until evenly distributed.
Add dip mixture to an 8×8 baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbling.
Top with crumbled blue cheese, additional sliced green onions and a few slices of jalapeno pepper, if desired.
Serve warm with chips, crackers and veggies of choice.
Notes
Cook up the chicken using your desired method. I typically like to use a rotisserie chicken to cut down on prep time, but you can also prepare your own shredded chicken in the crockpot, instant pot or on stove top.
Be sure to shred the chicken finely so that there aren't large chunks of chicken throughout the dip. It tastes better when the chicken is fine and evenly distributed.
Use freshly grated cheese rather than pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese contains preservatives like potato starch and natamycin, which are added to help prevent the shreds from clumping together in the bag. That also means they don’t melt together as well when cooking. Freshly grated cheese, on the other hand, lacks those additives so for ooey gooey melted cheese, opt for freshly grated.
You can use any square or circular oven-safe dish to prepare this dip. An 8×8 baking dish or similar size usually works well. If you use a bigger dish, reduce the baking time by a few minutes, since the dip will be cooked in a thinner layer.