Buffalo chicken dip is creamy, slightly spicy and seriously delicious as an appetizer served with celery, crackers, chips or bread. You can make it as a cold dip or bake it and serve warm!
School's out for summer!
My kids finished up their school year this past week, which was full of concerts and graduations and parties. So much fun!
And this week, we're headed to the beach for a long Memorial Day weekend to play in the sun and sand and surf. What better way to start off the summer?!
Alrighty though, let’s move along to the food.
I’m so excited to share this buffalo chicken dip with you today!
This appetizer is just the best combination of spicy and creamy. It’s got that hit of heat from the hot sauce but it’s got the cream cheese and Ranch dressing flavors to cool that right down.
Which means you’ll be going back for scoop after scoop because it’s so addictive!
It’s perfect for serving at parties, and one I first had at a friend’s house years ago. We all pretty much hovered around this dip. We couldn’t get enough!
You could definitely add this to your Memorial Day weekend plans; it's sure to be a hit!
And if you love these flavors, too, check out this buffalo chicken salad that’s great for lunch or this slow cooker buffalo chicken that works great for sliders.
OK, let’s get to fixing this so you can enjoy it too!
Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up below on how to make buffalo chicken dip. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on making buffalo chicken dip:
- Chicken: The chicken for this recipe needs to be already cooked and shredded or chopped. Please plan accordingly. You can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, homemade rotisserie roast chicken or crock pot shredded chicken. You could even substitute 2 (10 oz.) cans of diced chicken; just make sure they are well drained.
- Cream cheese: It helps to let your cream cheese soften a bit so it will mix more easily into the dip.
- Hot sauce: Choose whichever hot sauce is your favorite. We always use Frank’s.
- Ranch dressing: Similarly, use any brand or style of Ranch dressing, or make your own homemade dressing.
- Blue cheese: I always buy a tub of blue cheese crumbles that are ready to use. You could certainly opt for buying a hunk of blue cheese and crumbling it yourself, if you’d like.
- Cheesier: Want to make it cheesier? You can add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the top of this dish before you bake it, if you’re using the hot option.
That’s right, we have options.
The beauty of this dip is that you can make it hot or cold.
The recipe card includes both as well, but here’s the run-down.
Hot or cold buffalo chicken dip
- Cold: Mix the ingredients together and serve it up. (Or make it ahead and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and then serve it.) It’s cold but spicy, creamy and great for hot weather. Also, it takes just 5 minutes to put together. That's some appetizer winning right there.
- Hot: This dip also works great hot! Mix it all up, transfer to a shallow baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. (Add the extra cheese if you’d like to this version to melt down on the top.) It’s warm, creamy, gooey and irresistible.
And to be honest, since I had it cold first, I thought I might not like the hot version as much. But oh wow, I very much did. It's so good!
You should probably try it both ways and see which is your favorite. 😉
Also, if you are looking to lighten this dip up a bit for summertime, it’s totally easy to do that.
How to make healthier buffalo chicken dip:
- Use a ⅓ less fat plain cream cheese
- Use a fat free Ranch dressing
- Look for reduced fat blue cheese crumbles
Those easy swaps can really cut out some excess fat. And it’s so creamy and flavorful, no one will know!
OK, let’s get ready to eat. Cause this dip is gonna have people hovering. I've seen it.
This dip is crazy flavorful all on its own, so you can just stop right there..
However, you can definitely top it with some extra blue cheese crumbles and/or some sliced green onions if you’d like for a little garnish.
Then just serve it up with some dipping options for your guests.
What to serve with buffalo chicken dip:
- Celery sticks
- Carrots
- Crackers
- Chips
- Bread
And you can also use leftovers of the dip to make a wrap or sandwich. Or to add to a salad of mixed greens for a protein boost.
Trust me, you’ll want to just keep eating it.
Speaking of, leftovers will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
I hope you give this a try soon to switch up your appetizer routine and give your guests something to wow about!
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Yield: 8-10 servings
Buffalo chicken dip is creamy, slightly spicy and seriously delicious as an appetizer served with celery, crackers, chips or bread. You can make it as a cold dip or bake it and serve warm!
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 1 (8 oz.) package of plain cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup hot sauce (such as Franks)
- ½ cup Ranch dressing
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit if making the baked/hot version (see notes below).
- In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, cream cheese, hot sauce, Ranch and blue cheese crumbles until well combined. If serving this as a cold dip, transfer to your serving bowl and enjoy! (Or chill in the fridge until ready to serve.)
- For the hot version of this dip: Transfer the mixture to a shallow 1-quart baking dish or an 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
- Serve with celery sticks, carrots, crackers, chips or bread for dipping.
Notes
Chicken: The chicken for this recipe needs to be already cooked and shredded or chopped. Please plan accordingly. You can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, homemade rotisserie roast chicken or crock pot shredded chicken. You could even substitute 2 (10 oz.) cans of diced chicken; just make sure they are well drained.
Ranch dressing: Use any brand or style of Ranch dressing, or make your own.
Cheesier: Want to make it cheesier? You can add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the top of this dish before you bake it, if you’re using the hot option.
Hot or cold: The beauty of this dip is that you can make it hot or cold. Mix everything together and serve as is, or transfer to a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes and serve it up warm. Both ways are great!
Healthier buffalo chicken dip: Use a ⅓ less fat plain cream cheese, fat free Ranch dressing and reduced fat blue cheese crumbles.
For serving: Serve with celery sticks, carrots, crackers, chips and/or bread. Feel free to garnish the dip with extra blue cheese crumbles and/or sliced green onions if desired.
Leftovers: Leftovers will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 133Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 218mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 9g
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