Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Published: May 23, 2023 by Drizzle · 67 Comments

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Looking for a flavorful and nutritious dinner that satisfies your cravings without compromising your health goals? Look no further than this healthy Buffalo Chicken Casserole recipe! Packed with protein, essential nutrients, and the irresistible tang of buffalo sauce, this dish is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. It’s a great one to bring to a potluck- because no one would really know that it’s healthy. But you are able to stay on track with it.

Indulging in a flavorful buffalo chicken casserole doesn't have to mean sacrificing your health. Buffalo Chicken Casserole offers a lighter twist on the classic dish, without compromising on taste. With lean chicken, low-fat dairy, and a blend of tangy and creamy flavors, this casserole is a winning option for a satisfying dinner. Enjoy the goodness guilt-free and relish every mouthful of this wholesome and delectable meal. Let's dive into how you can prepare this delicious casserole in no time.

Three reasons why you need to make this recipe!

Chicken casserole is a classic, quick dinner.

Most of us grew up having casserole at least once a week. It’s easy, versatile, and typically a one-pot dinner. This buffalo chicken casserole is a healthy twist on the dinner classic. You can even make it 24 hours ahead of time if needed to save a ton of time. Just make it all the way up to the baking step, cover it with foil, and let sit in the fridge for 24 hours. Bring it out of the fridge to return to room temp while the oven is preheating. Then bake according to the last steps.

It’s a cheese-lovers perfect meal.

Cheese lovers will rejoice at the flavor and creaminess of this casserole. If you’re on a weight loss journey, cheese isn’t always your friend. This recipe uses plenty of light cheese to give a protein boost without the extra fat calories. You’ll be able to indulge your cheese tastebuds without packing on the pounds.

It’s very balanced in protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

Having a meal that’s balanced in all three macronutrients means you’re covering your basic nutrition needs. The protein will help with muscle recovery and keep you satisfied. Fat is great for brain and hormone health. Carbs provide energy for your body to function.

Ingredients you need to make Buffalo Chicken Casserole:

1 (7.5 oz) package of Pillsbury biscuits
6 oz softened light or fat-free cream cheese
12 oz cooked shredded chicken
⅓ cup franks hot sauce
¼ cup light ranch dressing
½ cup light shredded cheese
5 slices cooked and crumbled bacon

How to make Buffalo Chicken Casserole (step-by-step):

Preheat oven to 375F and spray a 9x13 casserole dish.
Cut the biscuits into 6 pieces each and spread them out on the bottom of the casserole dish.
With a hand mixer, in a big bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, ranch dressing, and Franks sauce. Slowly stir in the shredded chicken.
Drop the mixture by spoonfuls onto the biscuits. Make sure to cover all the areas.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the casserole then sprinkle cheese and the crumbled bacon over the top.
Return to oven for 10 minutes so the cheese can fully melt. Remove from the oven, then cut into 6 equal servings.

Makes 6 servings. Nutrition info per serving: Calories 341, Fat 18g, Saturated fat 9g, Carbs 24g, Sugars 7g, Sodium 1522 mg, Protein 21g.

WW Points

Pillsbury Biscuits 16 points
Light cream cheese 17 points
Chicken 0 points
Franks hot sauce 0 points
Light ranch dressing 6 points
Light shredded cheese 4 points
Bacon 9 points

9 points per serving based on the WW app recipe creator.

If you’re using an older version of WW, check out these points below.

Personal points- 7-8PP range depending on your 0PP foods

SP Freestyle- (blue & purple) 7 using WW recipe builder

Smart points- (green) 8 using SP calculator

Points plus- 7 using PP calculator

Different ways to change up this recipe:

You can make it more spicy, or even less spicy depending on your taste preference. Feel free to add a few tablespoon of hot sauce or cut the franks with a little 1% milk to reduce the heat.
Throw in some fresh herbs to really enhance the flavor- like rosemary and thyme.
You can hide some veggies in this recipe by chopping broccoli into very small pieces and adding it in with step 4. Chopped bell peppers and onions would work really well too.
You can change up the meat and do ground chicken, ground turkey, or extra lean ground beef. By using ground meat and adding a bit of sage, it would give you more of a sausage flavor.
If you have some points, you can even bulk it up with pre-cooked chopped potatoes.
Change it to a BBQ Chicken Casserole by using sugar-free bbq sauce instead of Frank's hot sauce.

Tips and Tricks for Buffalo Chicken Casserole.

If you use fat-free cream cheese (3 points), it will drop each serving to 6 points.
The 7.5 oz Pillsbury biscuits come in a pack of 4. If you can’t find them, you can get a larger pack, and just weigh out 7.5 oz of dough. Great Value now offers a 4 pack of 7.5 oz cans.
You need about 3 cups of shredded chicken. To cook the chicken, put it in the crockpot with a little broth for 3 hours on high. Once it’s done, you can shred it right in the crockpot with a hand mixer.
To save points, you can use a zero-point ranch dressing recipe.
You don't have to weigh the servings out as long as you make sure each piece is similar in size.
You can use rotisserie chicken as long as you use only breast meat with the skin removed.
It will last 7 days in the fridge, so this is a great recipe for meal prep. Bake it on a Sunday afternoon, and divide the pieces up into containers for your lunches for the week.

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