Part of the reason I think I always failed at losing weight before is I could never get past my love of comfort food. I thought dieting meant salads, veggies, and bland protein, which was never sustainable for me beyond a few days. IIFYM was a game changer for me. The flexibility to fit my favorite foods was something I needed.
Now, more than three years in, I’ve found lots of ways to modify even the most indulgent comfort foods to make them more macro-friendly. (Also always soliciting suggestions on what to “lighten up” next – email me or comment on this post!) Creamy, cheesy dips are high on that list.
This buffalo chicken dip recipe swaps the fatty ranch dressing for fat free greek yogurt and the loads of cream cheese and mozzarella for cottage cheese and part-skim mozzarella. The result is a creamy, protein-rich dip that’s about as guilt-free as it gets. 2f / 3c/ 20p per HUGE 90g serving (about a cup)!
And for those wondering, yes, I’ve brought this to parties before and no, no one has noticed it was healthy. Seriously. It’s that good.
Serve alongside crackers or sub in bell pepper strips and celery sticks to keep the carbs even lower – or grab a double serving and swap it in for your protein at lunch or dinner.
A few tips to simplify the cooking process:
- I cook my chicken in the InstantPot. Just add whole chicken breasts and a cup of water, then set to manual for 8 minutes. Quick release the steam.
- Save the time and hassle of shredding chicken with a fork. Toss the cooked chicken breasts into the bowl of your stand mixer and beat at medium speed with the flat beater. Thank to Jane Carole for teaching me that trick!
- Blending the cottage cheese before you add it to the dip resolves any consistency issues that some people have with it. I use the smoothie cups with my Ninja blender.
Low Fat, Low Carb Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb cooked shredded chicken breasts
- 2 c low fat small curd cottage cheese
- 1 c fat free greek yogurt
- 1 packet Ranch Dressing mix
- 1 c Frank's Red Hot more to taste
- 6 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a small blender or food processor, mix the cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and ranch dressing mix.
- Heat chicken in a skillet or crock pot.
- Add mixture of cottage cheese, yogurt, and ranch mix, as well as Frank's Red Hot.
- Heat until bubbly.
- Add cheese; stir.
- Serve warm.
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