I had never heard of Buffalo Chicken Dip until the day before New Year’s Eve in 2011. Ryan and I were having some friends over for a Pajamas and Champagne New Year’s Eve party the next night. The scene went something like this:
Ryan: “We should make Buffalo Chicken Dip for tomorrow.”
Jamie: “What is Buffalo Chicken Dip? Like little chicken sandwiches?”
Ryan: “Whaaaaaattttt?! Buffalo Chicken Dip is the best. The Rodgers used to make it in Maine all the time last year.”
And so we made Buffalo Chicken Dip for New Year’s Eve. I have to admit I was slightly horrified at the recipe… hot sauce, cream cheese, a bottle of ranch dressing, and boiled chicken. Where do I even begin. 1) other than the chicken there is not a single remotely healthy item in the ingredients list. 2) there’s nothing that even adds flavor in there!! 3) boiled chicken?! Yuck. I can’t think of any worse way to make chicken than to boil it in plain water. So I set out this football season to make my version of Buffalo Chicken Dip. Loads healthier and a little more flavor. I think it rocks. I wouldn’t mind making it every Sunday for football, except that I wouldn’t have any recipes to post for you next week! Try out this version and compare it to yours. Let me know what you think!
Makes: 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes Baking Time: 1 hour Total Time: 90 minutes
4 chicken breasts
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 bottle of Frank’s hot sauce (or your favorite)
1 onion, small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried chives
12 oz low fat cream cheese
1 cup yogurt-based ranch dressing*
3/4 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese
1 bag Popchips
baby carrots
celery
bell peppers
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic pepper, and chili powder. If the chicken is particularly thick, use a mallet to pound it to a nice and thin, even layer.
- Put the chicken breasts into a baking dish in a single layer. Add 1/3 cup of the hot sauce over the chicken, cover with foil, and bake for about 35 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Use two forks to pull the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the smallest drizzle of olive oil and saute the onions and garlic until they start to caramelize. Add the dried spices, cream cheese, and ranch dressing. Heat until the mixture becomes melted and fluid, about 5 minutes, before adding the chicken, chicken stock, and bleu cheese crumbles. Stir so that everything is incorporated and pour the mixture into a baking dish that you wish to serve the dip in.
- Bake the dip for about 40 minutes, or until the liquids start to bubble. Serve with assorted vegetables and chips for dipping.
* There are a few versions of yogurt ranch dressing that I’ve seen around the country. You can usually find it in the refrigerated part of the produce section with the herbs, mushrooms, or tofu. It tastes nearly the same as regular ranch with just a fraction of the calories.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy:
Cooking In Red Socks 