With the Super Bowl just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about what to cook up on game day!
I don’t think I am alone in professing that one of my favorite snack foods this year has become Buffalo Chicken Dip. That super tangy, creamy cheesy goodness on a crunchy tortilla chip is darn near irresistible. One tiny bite (as I promise myself that’s all it will be) seems to lead to another, and another, and another… it’s that good.
I first had Buffalo Chicken Dip at Tapphoria, a local pub and growlerie in Tigard, Oregon. If you live nearby, I highly recommend paying them a visit! Since then, it seems that recipes for this fabulous appetizer have been popping up all over the place. Each one calls for a heavy combination of cheeses, creams, sauces and dressings to mix with chicken. Hmm… I wondered. There’s got to be a healthier way. I searched online and found a solid collection of recipes that substituted Greek yogurt and a few healthier foods to improve things a bit. But too much yogurt makes for a sour and bitter taste, and adding more cheese to off-set the taste leaves you back where you started.
Then I thought of cottage cheese. Healthy and protein-rich, cottage cheese is also low in fats and carbs, and it happens to melt beautifully! It also has a rich flavor without being bitter like yogurt.
This recipe cooks up thicker that most other dip recipes and almost has a puffy quality to it when done right. I love the versatility of this dip because you can serve it super hot and creamy in a bowl with veggie sticks, or you can let it cool slightly and spoon it on to zucchini or cucumber slices to make bite-sized servings to nibble on.
Let the dip cool all the way to room temperature, and you can also serve it in small lettuce boats drizzled with fat-free ranch dressing to make yet another version of this amazing appetizer.
- 2 cups 2% Cottage cheese
- 1 cup Non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
- 1/2 cup Low-fat cream cheese
- 2 tsp. Ranch dressing mix
- 12 oz. Cooked chicken breast, shredded
- Set the chicken aside and combine all other ingredients in a large sauce pan. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly, then turn the heat down to simmer. Add the chicken, continue to stir constantly and cook until the cottage cheese melts completely. The dip is done when the mixture begins to puff around the edges as you stir.
- Scoop it into a dish and serve hot with crunchy veggies, or spoon it on to zucchini slices and drizzle with buffalo sauce. You can also fill bite-size lettuce boats and drizzle with fat-free ranch dressing to make yet another version of this appetizer.
