Welcome to my recipe for Buffalo chicken dip with chili and cheese. My version of this delicious dip is lighter than the usual Buffalo chicken dip because it uses chili as a base instead of cream cheese. And man is it ever good!
Have you tried the new dip sensation, Buffalo Chicken Dip? It’s got all the flavors of Buffalo Chicken Wings but in a dip.
The only problem with Buffalo chicken dip is that I can’t stop eating it. And since it’s made with a lot of cream cheese, ranch dressing, and cheese, eating a lot of it doesn’t seem to agree with my hips.
I wanted to remake this dip so that it was healthier but I didn’t want to sacrifice flavor or turn to non-fat items.

Leftover Chili For A Quick Buffalo Chicken Dip
The solution came to me after whipping up a batch of this Homemade 10 Minute Chili (yes, it’s really ready, start to finish, in 10 minutes). The chili had been made with ground chicken and I had about a bowlful left. I thought, “What can I do with one bowl of leftover chicken chili?” An idea was born! I added some buffalo wing sauce, ranch dressing and a touch of cheese to it and…
..it was the best Buffalo chicken dip I’d ever tasted!
No sacrificing of flavor here. None at all.
So, next time you’re making an appetizer for game day, plan ahead a wee bit. Make a batch of this easy, 10-minute chili for your family’s dinner the night before.
Then on Game Day, use the leftovers to make this tasty lightened up Buffalo Chicken Dip. (Note that you can use any chili recipe to make this dip. You can even buy a can of chili to make things quicker).
And now, here’s my recipe for the lightened up Buffalo chicken dip with chili and cheese:
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Buffalo Chicken Chili Dip
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Welcome to my recipe for Buffalo chicken dip with chili and cheese. My version of this delicious dip is lighter than the usual Buffalo chicken dip because it uses chili as a base instead of cream cheese. And man is it ever good!
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken chili (leftover or canned), strain a bit if it’s liquidy
- 2 Tbsp. Buffalo Wing Sauce (or more to taste)
- 2 Tbsp. ranch dressing
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese (plus a bit more for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Spoon the chili into a small baking dish. Use a fork to break up any big pieces, if any.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of Buffalo Wing Sauce, the ranch dressing, and the cheddar cheese.
- Taste it. You may need more wing sauce depending on how spicy the original chili was and on how hot you like your dip. Add more wing sauce to taste.
- Top with a sprinkle more of shredded cheese and then bake until heated through and cheese on top is just starting to brown at the edges, about 15-20 minutes.
This post originally appeared in January 2014. It was revised and republished in May 2018.

Rachel Cooks says
Love a lightened up dip — that means I can eat more! ;)
barry says
I love chicken wings and looking forward to trying the buffalo chicken dip
★★★★
Katie says
Oh man I love buffalo chicken dip… I’m the same way I can’t stop eating it… must try the lighter version ;)