It’s hard to believe that football season is almost over. I’m sure some of you are bummed out, others are jumping for joy, and then there are those who could care less. I’m somewhere in the middle of all of those. I am definitely more into football here in Colorado than I was in Arizona. Colorado is way more into football and backing up their team than Arizona ever was. One part about football season that I will truly miss is all the fun food and especially this Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip!
When it comes to watching football, dip is a necessity. You really can’t expect a person to sit through 3 hours of football and not feed them something. Of course the downside to having dip sitting in front of you is that it’s hard to control yourself. This is where making lightened up dip comes in handy.
Whenever I make dip I ALWAYS lighten it up. The first reason I do it is because I am that person that can’t control myself around it. So I figure since the self control isn’t there I’ll at least do everything I can to make myself feel less guilty for eating 10 servings. The other reason I lighten up my dip is because honestly unless I tell someone, they can’t tell the difference between the full fat and skinny versions. I don’t do dramatic things that change the flavor and consistency of the dips, rather just make adjustments and substitutions that cut the fat and calories in half.
My first trick is always using neufchatel cream cheese (1/3 less fat cream cheese). I really can’t tell you the last time I used full fat cream cheese in anything. The only thing I can think of where using at least some full fat cream cheese would be beneficial would be in a cheesecake, but dips, totally not necessary in my opinion. The second trick I use to keep dip light, plus add lots of healthy protein is to use a good amount of plain non fat Greek yogurt. The yogurt is thick, creamy, and tangy and is a perfect replacement for sour cream. The third trick to lighter dip is to choose a cheese with less fat, cheddar is pretty heavy on the fat. For this dip I used mostly part skim mozzarella with a little blue cheese in the mix, because it’s buffalo chicken dip after all! The final trick to keeping dip light, serve it with vegetables or whole grain crackers rather than chips. It’s amazing how many calories you can rack up with those dipping vehicles! Using all these lighter choices makes it easier to justify eating those 10 servings of dip and you won’t be sacrificing any flavor! So go ahead, dive in, and enjoy this Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip, along with the last few football games of the season!
Yields 6 servings
All the flavor of buffalo wings in a creamy, cheesy, and lightened up dip!
10 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
40 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 4 ounces neufchatel (1/3 less fat) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup plain non fat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese, divided
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
- Carrots, celery, and crackers for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray and 8x8 baking dish or 9 inch cast iron skillet with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl whisk together the softened cream cheese, yogurt, buffalo sauce, buttermilk powder, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Fold in the green onions, chicken, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, and 2 tablespoons of the blue cheese.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish or cast iron skillet and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.
- Remove from the oven and top with the remaining blue cheese crumbles and more green onions if desired.
- Serve immediately with carrots, celery, or crackers.
More Dip Recipes:
Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Dip
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