Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip is cheesy and creamy and spicy — and tastes super indulgent. Except there’s no cream cheese and it’s not doused in bottled dressing. A buttery smooth white bean hummus lays the foundation for Greek yogurt blue cheese, buffalo chicken, and gooey co-jack cheese. Easy to make in the oven or crock pot for holidays or gameday.
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You’re going to love this
Sooo creamy. A simple white bean hummus stands in for cream cheese and makes this healthy buffalo chicken dip super smooth and creamy. The mild, nutty flavor is the perfect base to build your creamy blue cheese and spicy buffalo chicken layers.
Super easy. You can easily whip up this healthy buffalo chicken dip in about 10 minutes, then throw it in the oven or crock pot.
Simple ingredients. Healthy buffalo chicken dip is made from beans, tahini, garlic, lemon, Greek yogurt, blue cheese, chicken breast, buffalo sauce, and co-jack cheese. Nothing weird. No cream cheese. No pre-made dressings. Just real food.
Healthy. Gameday and holidays don’t need to be cheat days. It’s actually possible to have healthy food that tastes indulgent and isn’t loaded with unnecessary fat. And because there’s so much flavor and cheesy gooeyness in this healthy buffalo chicken dip, I swear, you won’t miss anything.
Crock pot dip. You can easily make this dip in your slow cooker to free up precious oven space for other things. Since underfilling a large crock pot can result in overcooking the dip, I recommend using a small crock pot, under 3 quarts. If all you have is a large crock pot, like me, you can assemble your healthy buffalo chicken dip in a small casserole dish and set it right in your crock pot! (Did you know that?)
Layered dip. Bracelets. Sweaters. Dip. Some things are just better in layers. That’s why I built this healthy buffalo chicken dip in layers. Hearty beans on the bottom, tangy blue cheese and spicy chicken in the center, and melty cheese on top. And more blue cheese, buffalo sauce, and green onions on top of that. Layers upon layers of flavor. Each one better than the last.
So… what makes this so healthy?
For reference, this is what the traditional buffalo chicken dip recipe contains:
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 16 oz. chicken
- ½ cup buffalo sauce
- ½ cup ranch or blue cheese dressing
- 2 cups cheese
Youch! I mean, I’m sure it’s delicious. But I knew there had to be a way to have your buffalo chicken dip and eat it too.
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip has:
- 15 oz. Great Northern beans
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 lemon
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles
- 2 cups chicken breast meat
- ½ cup buffalo sauce
- ½ cup co-jack cheese
Let’s start with what’s not in the healthy version: NO cream cheese. NO store-bought ranch or blue cheese dressing. And NOT 2 cups(!) of cheese.
More importantly, this is what you will find in this healthy buffalo chicken dip: Protein-and-fiber-packed beans, healthy-fat-rich tahini, protein-powerhouse Greek yogurt, lean chicken meat — and there’s still plenty of gooey cheese. I mean, look at this cheese pull!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
A few tips about making healthy buffalo chicken dip —- and some easy ingredient swaps. After all, the best ingredients are the ones you actually have.
Great Northern beans. These have always been my go-to for making hummus. Because they’re so creamy. Cannellini beans, butter beans, chickpeas, black eyed peas — really, any kind of bean -- will make a delicious base for your healthy buffalo chicken dip.
Tahini. Tahini is just sesame seed paste. It adds a nuttiness to the hummus. Almond butter is a good stand-in. And, honestly, I’ve made hummus tons of times without tahini (it used to be hard to find), so in a pinch you can forgo it.
Garlic powder. Garlic powder is a great time-saving step you can take when making dip. If you prefer fresh, it will absolutely work in this recipe.
Lemon. A squeeze of lemon brightens up the hummus and the blue cheese layers in this healthy buffalo chicken dip. In a pinch, limes will do. I don’t recommend using bottled lemon or lime juice as a substitute. The flavor is way different — and not in a good way.
Greek yogurt. I made a very simple dressing with plain Greek yogurt. I use fat-free plain Chobani because it has the best texture of all the others I tried (which is a lot!). And I wasn’t even aiming for fat-free in my taste testing. It just happened to be the one that came out ahead. It isn’t chalky and it is super thick and creamy and adds a cooling layer between the beans and spicy chicken.
Blue cheese. Buffalo chicken dip usually has bottled blue cheese or ranch dressing in it. I’m a firm believer that blue cheese and buffalo chicken belong together, so I mixed blue cheese in with my Greek yogurt. But if you’re into ranch (I get it, it’s pretty much a food group here in the Midwest), you can make your own ranch dressing by stirring dried ranch dip mix — either store-bought or homemade — into the Greek yogurt. Here’s a recipe to make your own dried ranch dip mix if you’re suspect of the store stuff.
Chicken breast meat. Healthy buffalo chicken dip is the perfect way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken. Some people also like to use canned chicken in their buffalo dip. If you’re cooking fresh chicken for this recipe, here’s a simple way to make poached chicken that comes out tender and juicy every time.
How to Poach Chicken
Bring water in a saucepan to a boil. Add the chicken, put the lid on, and remove the pan from the heat. Let it sit for about 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165.
Buffalo sauce. I use Cholula Hot Sauce — you know, that one with the wooden cap — in this healthy buffalo chicken dip. It has a nice pepper flavor and isn’t overpoweringly spicy. Frank's RedHot is another great one.
Co-Jack cheese. Co-jack is such a great melty cheese and I thought it was the perfect topping for this healthy buffalo chicken dip. I don’t like the way low-fat cheese melts, so I didn’t even consider it. I just used a moderate amount. Enough to add lots of ooeyness, but not so much to drown the dish in globs of cheese.
Green onions, blue cheese, and buffalo sauce, for serving. These finishing touches for your healthy buffalo chicken dip not only add lots of color, but even more flavor. You can use chives or parsley (or cilantro if you’re into it), or even crush up some colorful corn chips to add some crunch to the top. Use your imagination :). Remember, we eat with our eyes first, so your gang will be more likely to dig in if they literally can’t resist doing so.
How to Make Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
In the Slow Cooker
- Spray the inside of a small crock pot, under 3 quarts, with cooking spray. Or, if you only have a large crock pot, spray a small casserole dish that will fit inside your crock pot with cooking spray.
- Add the drained beans, tahini, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, juice of ½ lemon, and salt and pepper to a small blender or food processor. Process until it reaches your desired consistency. You can keep it chunky and textural or create a smooth and creamy hummus. You can also mash everything together with a potato masher or a fork.
- Spread the hummus layer on the bottom of your slow cooker or in your casserole dish.
- Mix ½ cup Greek yogurt, juice of ½ lemon, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles together.
- Spoon the blue cheese mixture over the bean layer.
- Mix 2 cups cooked chicken with ½ cup buffalo sauce and place it over the blue cheese layer.
- Top the chicken with ½ cup shredded cheese. Heat on high for 1- 2 ½ hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165.
8. Top with a drizzle of buffalo sauce, sliced green onions, and more blue cheese crumbles.
In the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a small casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Assemble the healthy buffalo chicken dip as above.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165.
To Serve
Serve with chips, crackers, pretzels, and sliced veggies. Sliced apples are also reaallllyyy good with this!
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers for 2-3 minutes in the microwave. Or cover with foil and heat in a 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip (Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
- 15 ounces Great Northern beans
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 lemon (divided)
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder (divided)
- salt & pepper
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup blue cheese
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast
- ½ cup buffalo sauce
- ½ cup co-jack cheese
- green onions, blue cheese, and buffalo sauce, for serving
Instructions
Oven Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a small casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Add the drained beans, tahini, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, juice of ½ lemon, and salt and pepper to a small blender or food processor. Process until it reaches your desired consistency. You can keep it chunky and textural or create a smooth and creamy hummus. You can also mash everything together with a potato masher or a fork.
- Spread the hummus on the bottom of your casserole dish.
- Mix ½ cup Greek yogurt, juice of ½ lemon, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles together.
- Spoon the blue cheese mixture over the bean layer.
- Mix 2 cups cooked chicken with ½ cup buffalo sauce and place it over the blue cheese layer.
- Top the chicken with ½ cup shredded cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165.
Crock Pot Directions
- Spray the inside of a small crock pot, under 3 quarts, with cooking spray. Or, if you only have a large crock pot, spray a small casserole dish that will fit inside your crock pot with cooking spray.
- Add the drained beans, tahini, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, juice of ½ lemon, and salt and pepper to a small blender or food processor. Process until it reaches your desired consistency. You can keep it chunky and textural or create a smooth and creamy hummus. You can also mash everything together with a potato masher or a fork.
- Spread the hummus layer on the bottom of your slow cooker or in your casserole dish.
- Mix ½ cup Greek yogurt, juice of ½ lemon, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles together.
- Spoon the blue cheese mixture over the bean layer.
- Mix 2 cups cooked chicken with ½ cup buffalo sauce and place it over the blue cheese layer.
- Top the chicken with ½ cup shredded cheese.
- Heat on high for 1- 2 ½ hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165.
Tips
- To serve, top with a drizzle of buffalo sauce, sliced green onions, and more blue cheese crumbles.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers for 2-3 minutes in the microwave. Or cover with foil and heat in a 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition
FAQs
Of course, chips and crackers are always a great idea. But you can also serve your dip with:
Sliced cucumbers
Carrot coins
Pretzels
Apple slices
Celery sticks
Baguette slices
You can reheat it in the microwave for a couple of minutes or cover it with foil and heat it in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes.
There’s nothing in this dip recipe that needs to be cooked, so if you prefer cold buffalo chicken dip, go for it! Leftovers can be eaten cold, too. By the light of the fridge, late, late at night is the best time ;).
Recipe Essentials
Cuisinart Mini Food Processor
This little mini food processor is such a staple in my kitchen, I have cleared out a space in my cabinet where I can just grab it without even looking. It’s perfect for making the hummus in this recipe, but also for chopping nuts, crushing graham crackers, even making single-servings of banana ice cream!
3 Quart Crock Pot
This size Crock Pot is perfect for dip recipes, dinners for one or two, and smaller quantity cooking. I don’t have this size… yet… so I make do by placing my baking dish in my 6 quart Crock Pot. Which works! But still, this one is so darned cute, isn’t it?
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