Authored By: Amanda Unterreiner
We hope you’ve had a little extra time to prepare home-cooked meals lately, so once a month we’re sharing one of our teams’ family recipes and employee favorites with you.
Have you ever wanted to eat buffalo chicken dip for dinner? Cindy Sharp, Quality Assurance Analyst III, has created a keto-friendly casserole recipe that is like a healthier, more filling version of the classic buffalo chicken dip.
“I made a Keto Buffalo Chicken Dip for Advocate Capital’s Healthy Cooking Club and thought I could make some sort of casseroles using that dip as a base. My husband liked the casserole so much, he asked me to write down how I made it! It’s easily adaptable to lower fat or spicier versions and is low carb.”
- Cindy Sharp, Quality Assurance Analyst III
From our kitchen to yours:
Cindy’s Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Ingredients:
- 4 cups shredded, cooked chicken
- 1 cup of mayonnaise
- ½ cup of buffalo sauce (more if you want a spicier casserole)
- 2 Tbsp of dry ranch seasoning mix
- 3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 16 oz of steamed cauliflower pearls or cauliflower rice
- 8 oz of cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 2 oz Blue cheese (optional – Smokehaus Blue Cheese works well)
- Salt & pepper to taste (if using blue cheese, go light on the salt)
- 1 tsp of dried thyme or ½ tsp of ground thyme
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
Directions:
- Sauté the onions and celery until translucent.
- Add garlic.
- Cook a few minutes until garlic is fragrant.
- Add cream cheese.
- Stir until melted.
- Mix 1 cup of the shredded cheese with the onion mixture, chicken, mayonnaise, buffalo sauce, ranch mix, salt & pepper, thyme, and cauliflower pearls.
- Spread in greased pan, and top with remaining shredded cheese and blue cheese.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
This can easily be made ahead. Be sure to always bring a refrigerated glass pan to room temperature before putting it in the oven.