Buffalo Chicken Dip

A low FODMAP buffalo chicken dip of shredded chicken, lactose-free cream cheese and sour cream, homemade ranch, garlic-free hot sauce, and cheddar.

Prep 15 min

Cook 20 min

Serves 8

Gluten-freeNut-free

Ingredients

• 8 oz (225 g) lactose-free cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) homemade low-FODMAP ranch dressing (bottled ranch and buffalo dips almost always list onion and garlic)
• 1/3 cup (80 g) lactose-free sour cream
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) garlic-free, onion-free cayenne hot sauce (read the label; most cayenne sauces include garlic)
• 2 cups (280 g) cooked shredded plain chicken (about 2 boneless breasts)
• 1 cup (110 g) shredded sharp cheddar, divided
• 1 tablespoon garlic-infused olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons scallion GREEN tops, thinly sliced, for garnish
• Optional: 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
• To serve: carrot sticks, cucumber rounds, or plain rice crackers (about 10 per person; check the label for onion, garlic, and inulin)

Instructions

Cook and shred the chicken

1. If you are starting with raw chicken, season 2 boneless breasts with salt, pepper, and the garlic-infused olive oil. Poach or bake until the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C).
2. Let the chicken rest a few minutes, then shred with two forks. If you already have plain cooked or leftover chicken, skip straight to the base. (The cook time assumes cooked chicken; raw breasts add about 20 minutes.)

Mix the base

1. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth with no lumps.
2. Stir in the ranch, sour cream, hot sauce, and smoked paprika until fully combined. If you used cooked chicken, stir the garlic-infused oil in here too.
3. Fold in the shredded chicken and 3/4 cup of the cheddar.

Bake and serve

1. Spread the mixture into a small baking dish (about 1 quart). Scatter the remaining cheddar and optional blue cheese over the top.
2. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until hot through and bubbling at the edges.
3. Top with the scallion green tops and serve warm with carrot sticks, cucumber rounds, or gluten-free crackers.

Tips & Substitutions

• Check the hot sauce label. Many cayenne and buffalo sauces list garlic or onion. Look for a plain, garlic-free and onion-free cayenne pepper sauce, or thin straight cayenne sauce with a little melted butter.
• Use plain chicken. Rotisserie birds are usually rubbed with onion and garlic powder. Poach or bake unseasoned breasts, or shred plain leftovers instead.
• Shortcut the ranch. No time to make ranch? Use extra lactose-free sour cream loosened with a splash of lactose-free milk and stir in dried chives, dill, and parsley.
• Keep the cheese aged. Sharp cheddar and parmesan are very low in lactose. Skip processed cheese blends that can hide added milk solids or inulin.
• Add heat carefully. Turn up the spice with more hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne rather than chili-garlic paste, which carries garlic fructans.
• Lighten the dairy. Replace half the cream cheese with more lactose-free sour cream for a looser, tangier dip.

Why This Works

• Garlic flavor without fructans. Garlic-infused oil carries the taste because fructans are not oil-soluble, so you get the flavor without the FODMAP load.
• From-scratch ranch skips hidden aromatics. Bottled ranch and buffalo dips almost always include onion and garlic powder, so mixing your own keeps those out.
• Lactose-free and aged dairy. Lactose-free cream cheese and sour cream plus naturally low-lactose sharp cheddar keep the dip rich and low in lactose at this serving.
• Green tops, not bulbs. Scallion green tops add a fresh onion note without the fructans in the white base.

Storage

Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently in the oven or microwave, stirring once or twice and adding a splash of lactose-free milk to loosen if needed. Freezing is not recommended, since dairy-based dips tend to separate when thawed. Look up any ingredient in the FODMAP Foods app to see how its rating changes with portion size.