Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

Everyone is going to love this Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip! It’s creamy with just the right hint of spice and so easy to make! With shredded chicken, cheese and even a bit of spinach snuck in here, this dip could almost be served as a main dish for a quick weeknight dinner.

Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

I am a giant fan of just about buffalo anything. Just type buffalo in the search bar up above and you’ll see that we have so many buffalo recipes! And this Buffalo Chicken Dip is a classic. This recipe was first published in 2016 but I recently made it for dinner so I thought I’d take some new photos and re-introduce it to you!

This buffalo chicken dip has all the classic flavor but it’s a bit lighter than the standard version, using fewer ingredients and even a bit of healthy veggies added in! It is SO hearty and delicious. In the past we’ve served it at game day parties, but we also make it as a main dish when we want a quick and fun dinner! Serve it with chips and cut up veggies and I promise you’re going to love it!

Ingredients Needed

Here is an overview of the list of ingredients needed for this healthy buffalo chicken dip. The full recipe quantities and instructions can be found below.

• Shredded Chicken
• Spinach (got to sneak in those veggies!)
• Onion
• Mayo (homemade or store-bought)
• Hot Sauce (I like Frank’s)
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Dried Parsley
• Dried Dill
• Salt and Pepper
• Cheddar Cheese (optional)

What Type of Chicken to Use

This recipe calls for cooked shredded chicken. You can use a rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken from another meal or if you need to cook it fresh use this recipe for making shredded chicken in the Instant Pot or slow cooker!

Substitutions

Spinach: Feel free to omit this, but I just love that it is so happy to add in a veggie and it doesn’t alter the taste at all. Get in those greens where you can!

Mayo: I’ve gotten a lot of questions about skipping out on the mayo. The base of the sauce is made with mayo, and I haven’t tried it any other way. However, if you really wanted to skip out on the mayo, using greek yogurt might work, though I can’t say for sure.

Hot Sauce: This is buffalo sauce, but if you need to tamp down the heat, you can decrease the amount of hot sauce used.

Cheese: Want to make it dairy-free? You can skip out on the cheese if you want, but the cheese does help the whole thing come together.

How to Make It

I love how simple this dish comes together!

To make it:

1. Cook the onions and spinach
2. Mix up all the remaining ingredients and layer them in.
3. Bake!

Can It Be Made Ahead of Time?

This dip can be prepared ahead of time up until the point of baking. That means if you are planning to serve this for a party, you can prep it the day before. Then, right before you are ready to serve, bake it off. If it’s being baked right coming straight out of the refrigerator it may need a couple of extra minutes of baking time.

What to Serve with Buffalo Chicken Dip

I like to serve mine with a lot of cut-up veggies! Some great choices are cucumbers, carrots, celery sticks, or bell peppers. In addition to the veggies serve it with tortilla chips and crackers.

Watch the video here:

If you like this buffalo recipe, check out these others:

• Buffalo Chicken Burgers
• Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Nuggets
• Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Buffalo Chicken Tenders (Keto)

Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

5 from 2 votes

This lightened up Buffalo Chicken Dip takes all the flavor of the your favorite hearty appetizer, but made healthier! Shredded chicken, buffalo sauce and veggies, this dip could also be served as main dish! It's gluten-free and optionally dairy-free, as well.

Servings 6

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 onion diced
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 cup mayo homemade or store-bought
• 1/2 cup hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
• Pinch fine sea salt
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken see note
• Chopped scallions for garnish

For Serving:

• Carrots
• Celery Stalks
• Carrots or other veggies
• Crackers
• Tortilla chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a small skillet  over medium. Once hot, add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add spinach and sauté until wilted. Transfer the onion and spinach to a large bowl. Add in the mayo, hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, parsley, dill, salt and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar. Mix together until well combined.
• Transfer the dip mixture to a 13x9 inch baking dish (or similar size). Top with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling. Serve hot.

Notes

This recipe calls for cooked shredded chicken. You can use a rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken from another meal or if you need to cook it from fresh use this recipe for making shredded chicken in the Instant Pot or slow cooker!

I love using Frank's Red Hot Sauce for this and for all things buffalo!

This recipe was originally published in 2016, but republished with new photos in 2021.

Nutrition

Calories: 275kcalCarbohydrates: 7.9gProtein: 25.9gFat: 15.3gSaturated Fat: 5.6gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 856mgFiber: 0.9gSugar: 2.5g

Keyword: Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

Course: Appetizer

Method: Bake

Cuisine: Gluten-free

Author: Lexi

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