This Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip made with Greek yogurt is a party food favorite that nobody has ever realized is a lighter version unless I’ve told them. It has reduced fat and calories but NOT reduced flavor.

A bowl of healthy buffalo chicken dip on a platter with cut veggies, crackers and tortilla chips.

Is Buffalo Chicken Dip Healthy? Not Really, But We Can Improve It.

Buffalo chicken dip is one of everybody’s favorite appetizers, made with shredded chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, buffalo sauce and blue cheese. It’s so delicious, but to be honest, it’s kind of a calorie and fat bomb. So, I set out to create a healthier buffalo chicken dip recipe that is just as good as the original.

And look, I know we’ve all been there. Somebody shows up at a party with a “lightened up” dish that they insist is every bit as good as the real thing (brownies made from beans, anyone?). And it never is.

But I’ve been making this healthy buffalo chicken dip with Greek yogurt for game day parties for YEARS, and I promise you: nobody has EVER realized it’s a lighter version unless I’ve mentioned it.

I think the key here is that buffalo sauce has such a strong, delicious flavor. It completely masks the fact that this dip is made with lower fat ingredients. Give it a try yourself and let me know what you think!

Why You Will Love This Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

  • Focusing on protein? This dip has 15g of protein per serving!
  • With just a few simple steps and a handful of ingredients, it’s really quick to put together.
  • Gives you all the flavor you love with better-for-you ingredients.
Ingredients, mostly in bowls, on a textured surface, including blue cheese, celery, onions, cream cheese, yogurt, shredded poultry and hot sauce.

Best Buffalo Chicken Dip Ingredients

  • light cream cheese (Neufchatel) – this has about a third less fat than full fat cream cheese, while tasting pretty much the same in the finished dip.
  • Greek yogurt – even if you use full fat (5%) Greek yogurt, this ingredient choice still has quite a bit less calories and fat than sour cream, which is traditional in buffalo dip.
  • buffalo wing sauce – provides the signature buffalo flavor and spiciness.
  • lemon juice – adds a brightness and acidity that balances the creamy elements.
  • cooked shredded chicken – the main texture and substance of this dip.
  • celery – adds a crunch and freshness to the dip.
  • green onions – provide a mild onion flavor and a pop of color. You can also finish the dip with chives or parsley.
  • blue cheese – an optional element to enhance the buffalo flavor.

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Dip with Greek Yogurt

A saucepan filled with cream cheese, Greek yogurt and buffalo sauce.

1. SAUCE. In a saucepot, cook the cream cheese over medium heat until it is melted and smooth. Remove from heat, and whisk in the yogurt, buffalo sauce and lemon juice.

A saucepan filled with a creamy hot sauce mixture, topped with shredded chicken and chopped celery.

2. CHICKEN. Stir in the chicken and celery.

Buffalo chicken dip with Greek yogurt in a baking dish, topped with blue cheese and green onions.

3. BAKE. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and sprinkle with blue cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until edges are bubbly, then let stand 10 minutes to thicken.

How to Make Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip Ahead of Time

You can make this Greek yogurt buffalo chicken dip up to 3 days in advance of baking it.

Complete the recipe through Step 1, then transfer it to a baking dish. Cover it tightly for storage in the refrigerator.

When you’re ready to serve, let the dip come to room temperature for 30 minutes, and then proceed with baking it. It might need an extra 5 to 10 minutes in the oven, so just keep an eye on it and bake until it’s bubbly!

A spoon digging into a bowl of a cheesy orange mixture. The dip is garnished with blue cheese and green onions.

Home Chef Tips for Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

  • I recommend Fage Total Greek yogurt for the best buffalo chicken dip. I’ve tested this recipe with a lot of different yogurts, and this one has the best creamy texture and tangy-but-not-too-tangy flavor.
  • Instead of baking, you can cook the dip in a slow cooker on low for 1 hour, then keep it warm for hours on the warm setting.

Best Buffalo Chicken Dip Variations and Substitutions

  • FULLY LOADED – If you’re not interested in a lightened version, use full fat cream cheese in place of the Neufchâtel, and mayonnaise in place of the yogurt.
  • TURKEY – While chicken is the traditional choice, I’ve actually made this with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving, and it turned out great!
  • EXTRA CHEESY – Add shredded mozzarella cheese, Monterey Jack cheese or cheddar cheese (lowfat varieties, if you prefer) to the top before baking for more cheesy goodness.
A baking dish full of the best buffalo chicken dip on a cutting board, with crackers, cut veggies and tortilla chips alongside the dish.

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Choose Your Chicken Carefully

This is a touchy topic for me, because buffalo chicken dip is often made with canned chicken, and that honestly just grosses me out so much. You’ll never see canned chicken around this blog, trust me.

I’ve also seen it made with shredded rotisserie chicken quite a bit. This is an easy (and delicious!) option for this dip, but I think we’ve all realized by now that rotisserie chicken is kind of packed with fat and sodium, sadly.

So, when I make this healthy buffalo chicken dip recipe, which calls for 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken, I usually just buy a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and bake them in a 350 degree oven until they’re cooked through. Then, I let them cool and just shred them up.

A hand dipping a celery stick into a creamy orange chicken and cheese mixture.

The Blue Cheese is Optional for Healthier Buffalo Chicken Dip

The flavor of blue cheese is pretty polarizing. You either love it or you hate it, and I don’t blame you either way.

Personally, I love it, but I know that not everybody feels the same way. So, depending on the crowd I’ll be serving this healthy buffalo chicken dip to, sometimes I’ll add the blue cheese, and sometimes I won’t. It’s truly delicious either way.

Or, if I want to hedge my bets, I’ll just serve a small dish of crumbled blue cheese on the side, so anybody who does want blue cheese can just add a sprinkle to their serving.

A large bowl of healthier buffalo chicken dip, with a hand dipping a wheat cracker into it.

What to Serve With Greek Yogurt Buffalo Chicken Dip

  • crackers – any variety of cracker you like here is great with this snack, but I think Triscuits are best with light buffalo chicken dip.
  • tortilla chips – you can keep it ultra healthy and use baked tortilla chips, but honestly, I like the scoop-shaped ones for healthy buffalo chicken dip.
  • celery sticks – there’s a bit of celery in this buffalo chicken dip with Greek yogurt, but you probably still have more celery in the package you bought. Why not slice it up and serve it as a dipper?
  • sliced peppers – I love all colors of bell peppers for dipping, but here I used red bell pepper.
  • carrot chips – you can also use carrot sticks or baby carrots, but carrot chips are kind of fun for this healthy buffalo chicken dip. Slices of cucumber are also great.
A bowl of buffalo chicken dip healthy, garnished with onions and blue cheese.

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A baking dish full of healthy buffalo chicken dip on a cutting board, with crackers, cut veggies and tortilla chips alongside the dish.

Greek Yogurt Buffalo Chicken Dip

Author: Lori Yates
Yield: 8 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 23 minutes
Total: 43 minutes
This Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip made with Greek yogurt is a party food favorite that nobody has ever realized is a lighter version unless I've told them. It has reduced fat and calories but NOT reduced flavor.
5 from 5 ratings
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Ingredients

  • 1 package light cream cheese (Neufchâtel) 8 ounces
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • ⅔ cup buffalo wing sauce plus extra for garnish, if desired
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
  • 1 cup chopped celery about 2 ribs
  • 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese optional
  • 2 green onions thinly sliced
  • Crackers, chips and/or sliced vegetables, for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In medium saucepot, cook cream cheese over medium heat 3 minutes or until smooth, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; add yogurt, buffalo sauce and lemon juice and whisk until well combined (mixture will be slightly lumpy). Stir in chicken and celery.
  • Transfer mixture to medium baking dish and sprinkle with blue cheese, if using. Transfer to oven and bake 20 minutes or until edges are bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes to thicken. Serve garnished with green onions and extra buffalo sauce, if desired, and serve with crackers, chips and/or sliced vegetables.
Calories: 159kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.001g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 842mg, Potassium: 247mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 313IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 119mg, Iron: 1mg
This website provides estimated nutrition information as a courtesy only. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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