This Creamy Buffalo Chicken Casserole is a healthy, gluten free and keto dinner filled with protein, spice and hidden vegetables. It’s ideal for anyone who loves buffalo chicken dip but wants to make a full meal out of it! This casserole recipe is simple and uses blended cottage cheese to make it creamy. You will be in awe by how addicting it is!
I have a new-found love and appreciation for casseroles. Ever since I made my Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole a few months ago, I’ve been thinking about new variations. And considering how much you all love every single buffalo chicken recipe I post (read: Buffalo Chicken Chili, Mini Buffalo Chicken Tortilla Cups, etc)…it just seemed fitting to make this a Creamy Buffalo Chicken Casserole.
I used a lot of the same ingredients as my Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole but, I excluded the jalapeños & bacon, upped the chicken to compensate for that and added some buffalo sauce and ranch-inspired seasonings to the blended cottage cheese.
So, the next time the buffalo chicken dip craving hits, consider making this healthier dinner option instead! It still gives off all those same flavors and vibes, but is loaded with protein, sneaky vegetables and is gluten free, grain free & keto friendly.
Why You’ll Love this Creamy Buffalo Chicken Casserole
- It’s cozy, cheesy, and decadent while still being filled with nutrient-dense ingredients!
- This Creamy Buffalo Chicken Casserole is high in protein from the chicken, cottage cheese and cheddar cheese.
- It’s a great gluten free, grain free & keto dinner idea.
- This recipe will remind you of a healthier version of buffalo chicken dip.
- It sneaks in a whole bag of cauliflower rice for extra fiber, and you can’t even taste it!
- This Creamy Buffalo Chicken Casserole is perfect for a weeknight dinner or to bring to a potluck.
What You Need to Make this Creamy Buffalo Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Breast or Thighs: Using chicken breast will make this recipe a little leaner, but thighs are so tender & flavorful! If you’re using chicken breast, I highly recommend taking the extra time to “dry brine” it heavily with salt. Helps prevent it from drying. out!
- Celery: Although optional, I like incorporating some chopped celery for extra veggies and buffalo vibe.
- Carrots: Carrots are also optional but I like them for the same reason as above.
- Cottage Cheese: We are blending the cottage cheese up to use as a substitute for cream cheese. 2% or 4% milk fat will work. My favorite brands are Good Culture and Hood.
- Buffalo Sauce: This gets blended into the cottage cheese mixture and also drizzled on top of the finished casserole. I used Frank’s RedHot Wing sauce which is a bit thicker than their original, but either should work. Other brands to consider are Primal Kitchen & Yo Mama’s.
- Garlic: To add in with the blended cottage cheese mixture.
- Dried Dill, Parsley, Onion Powder, Celery Salt, Salt & Pepper: Some ranch-inspired spices to add flavor to this casserole. If you don’t have celery salt, you can just use a little more kosher salt instead.
- Green Onion: Chop up both the white and green parts. Some will go in the casserole and some will go on top!
- Frozen Cauliflower Rice: The easiest way to sneak in veggies! Thaw it out and then make sure to squeeze out the excess liquid so the casserole doesn’t get too soggy.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: For topping!
How To Make this Creamy Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Dry Brine the Chicken (Optional):
Preheat your oven to 350F. If you have extra time and want the chicken to be very tender, add it to a large bowl and heavily salt it. Let that sit at room temperature to “dry brine” while you’re preparing the rest of the ingredients. This is not as necessary if you’re using chicken thighs.
Blend the Buffalo Cottage Cheese Mixture:
In a small food processor, add cottage cheese, buffalo sauce, garlic and spices. Blend until smooth. You may have to stop every so often to scrape down the sides with a spatula.
Cook the Chicken, Carrots & Celery:
Then, bring a large pan to medium high heat. Once hot, add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Then, add the cubed chicken, chopped carrots & celery. Season with salt & pepper. Cook undisturbed for about 3 minutes, then stir and continue cooking for another 3 minutes until chicken is golden and almost done through. It will continue to cook in the oven so don’t stress if it’s not fully done yet.
Thaw Cauliflower Rice & Squeeze out Excess Liquid:
If your cauliflower rice isn’t thawed yet, add it to a large microwave safe bowl and microwave until it’s thawed and warm (doesn’t need to be hot). Alternatively, you could defrost it in the same pan that you just cooked the chicken in. After it’s thawed, make sure to squeeze out as much excess liquid as possibly using a thin dish towel or paper towel.
Mix Everything Together & Bake:
In your baking dish, add the chicken, carrots & celery, chopped green onion, cauliflower rice and blended buffalo cottage cheese mixture. Mix it up with a spatula until everything is coated. Then, spread out evenly in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Next, remove the foil and spread the cheddar cheese evenly over top. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Then, switch your oven to broil and broil for several more minutes until golden and bubbly on top. Let cool for a few minutes before topping with more buffalo sauce, ranch & chopped green onion or parsley. Enjoy!
Equipment Recommendations:
- Food Processor: This is key for blending the buffalo cottage cheese mixture until it’s nice and smooth! I personally have this one from Magic Bullet which has both a small food processor attachment and a blender attachment. You may be able to use a blender for this recipe, but since this mixture is quite thick, it’ll need to be a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix.
- Le Creuset Baking Dish: Any baking dish that’s about 8×12″ or 9×13″ will work, but I love this one! It’s sturdy, has handles and is pretty shallow which works well for this recipe because there isn’t a super large amount of food in the dish. It’s also easy to clean and Le Creuset products last a lifetime!
Tips to Make this Creamy Buffalo Chicken Casserole Even Easier:
This is a relatively simple recipe already! After you’ve cooked the chicken, celery and carrots, the rest is pretty much passive as you let the casserole bake in the oven. However, if you want to make this recipe quicker, here are a few tips:
First, you can substitute the chicken breast for rotisserie chicken. Either cube or shred up an equal amount (1.5lbs) of rotisserie chicken and stir it in with the cottage cheese mixture and other ingredients. If you go this route, you can just skip the sautéed carrots and celery – they aren’t crucial! Or, add them in to the casserole raw. They’ll likely cook until tender in the oven anyways.
Another way to make this recipe easier is by utilizing a pre-made ranch seasoning as a substitute for the dried dill, parsley, onion powder and celery salt. The ingredients aren’t great in these, but it’s definitely a good option if you don’t own all of these spices. If you go this route, use about 2 tsp of the pre-made ranch seasoning. You may have to reduce the salt as well, since typically those store-bought seasoning blends are already pretty salty.
Can I Make This Dairy Free?
I haven’t tried a dairy-free version of this recipe yet but here are my thoughts. You could try to substitute the cottage cheese for a dairy-free cream cheese. If it seems too thick while you’re blending it, you could add a touch of dairy-free milk. Of course, for the cheddar cheese on top, feel free to substitute it for your favorite dairy-free cheese. There are so many options these days! They don’t always melt the same way real cheese does but that’s okay 🙂 Let me know if you try a dairy-free version and have success!
How Spicy is This? Can I Make it Spicier?
Honestly, this Creamy Buffalo Chicken Casserole is pretty mild. That’s personally the way I like it! But I know that buffalo lovers like my husband will want more spice and buffalo flavor. So, you have options!
I would caution against adding more buffalo sauce to the cottage cheese mixture, because I’m worried that it would make the casserole too liquid-y. However, if that doesn’t bother you…go for it!
Another option to add more spice without making the casserole liquid-y is by just adding some cayenne to cottage cheese mixture. Since buffalo sauce is primarily made with cayenne pepper, this gives very similar flavors and vibes! I know they even sell some buffalo seasoning so that could be a good option too.
Lastly, you can always top it with as much buffalo sauce as your little heart desires! This is a great way to make it spicier.
Find the full recipe below. As always, please let me know if you tried it by commenting below or tagging me on Instagram, @munchinwithmaddie_.
Looking for more Healthy Buffalo Chicken Recipes?
Creamy Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Equipment
- 8×12" or 9×13" baking dish
- large pan
- spatula
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup finely diced celery
- ½ cup peeled & finely diced carrots
- 16 oz cottage cheese (2% or 4% milkfat)
- ¼ cup buffalo wing sauce + more to top*
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- ½ tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp celery salt sub with more normal salt if you don't have this
- ½ tsp diamond kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- cayenne optional, for more spiciness
- ⅓ cup chopped green onion (both white & green parts) + more to top
- 12 oz frozen cauliflower rice
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. If you have extra time and want the chicken to be very tender, add it to a large bowl and heavily salt it. Let that sit at room temperature to "dry brine" while you're preparing the rest of the ingredients. This is not as necessary if you're using chicken thighs.
- In a food processor, add the cottage cheese, buffalo sauce, garlic cloves, dill, parsley, onion powder, celery salt, salt, pepper and cayenne, if using. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Then, bring a large pan to medium high heat. Once hot, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Then, add cubed chicken, celery and carrots. Season with some salt & pepper. Let that cook, undisturbed for about 3 minutes, then stir and continue cooking for another 3 minutes or until chicken is browned. It's okay if it's not fully cooked as it'll finish cooking in the oven.
- Thaw out the cauliflower rice in a bowl in the microwave or on the stovetop — you don’t need it to be hot, just warm! Then, use a thin dish towel or paper towel and squeeze out all the liquid from the cauliflower rice — don’t skip this step! Otherwise, your casserole will be too liquidy.
- Add the blended buffalo cottage cheese, cooked chicken, celery & carrots, green onion, and the cauliflower rice to a 8×12 or 9×13” baking dish. Use a spatula to mix it up. Spread out evenly in the pan.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then, add shredded cheese and return to the oven & cook, uncovered for 10 more minutes – SEE NOTE**. At the end, switch the oven to broil for 2-4 more minutes.
- Top with an extra drizzle of buffalo sauce & ranch as well as some chopped green onion or parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @munchinwithmaddie_ on Instagram and/or hashtag it #munchinwithmaddie.
Loved how easy and healthy this was. Will be on repeat in our house!
Thank you so much, Aly!
Loved all the hidden veggies in this & that the cauliflower rice was disguised so well. Also a good one for leftovers!
I’m all about the sneaky veggies! Thanks girl!
Loved this! I didn’t follow the instructions and didn’t squeeze out my cauliflower and it was liquid 😂 It still turned out good and I stirred in spinach and a side of bell peppers to dip in and it was more like a dip! All in all flavors were great
Okay love the quick pivot to a dip! Thanks Lauren!