Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring (Quick Meal Idea Lightened up!)

This Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring is guaranteed to be a crowd favorite! I’ve lightened this classic recipe up a bit, but don’t let that scare you, it absolutely does not taste it for a second! Hearty chicken, bold buffalo flavors and creamy cheese all baked in a buttery crescent ring, you are gonna melt!!

Need a fun dish to impress? Look no further. The hype over this Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring is 100% justified. Creamy, cheesy buffalo chicken stuffed inside flakey, buttery dough and baked until perfection…it most definitely tastes just as good, if not better, than it sounds!!

You may be skeptical of the “lightened up” part of this recipe. And that is fair. Why mess with a good thing, right? But let me tell you guys, this recipe is a prime example of EASY ways you can tweak a recipe to lightened it up a smidge. And yes, that is without losing any sacrifice in flavor.

If you love everything buffalo flavored, make sure to check out my other buffalo inspired recipes on the blog. Some of my favorites are the Dairy Free Buffalo Chicken Salad, Low Carb Buffalo Chicken Soup, and Lightened up Buffalo Chicken Dip. And we can’t forget about one of our favorite OG recipes, the Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole! AKA my mom’s favorite of ALL my recipes ha ha!

If you’re a Fit Cookie Club member, you’ll also want to take a look at the Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls, Buffalo Chicken Egg Roll Bowl and THE BEST Buffalo Chicken Tacos!

how to lighten up buffalo chicken crescent RING

The original recipe comes from Pillsbury and calls for six simple ingredients: crescent rolls, shredded chicken, hot sauce, regular cream cheese, regular shredded cheese and crumbled blue cheese.

To lighten this Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring up, I opted for fat free feta cheese over the blue cheese. I typically prefer feta cheese over blue cheese anyway, so this was an easy sub to start with. Fat Free feta cheese is actually one of the only fat free cheeses that I genuinely think tastes good!

From there I knew I could still make this dish a little lighter by using a reduced fat (rather than regular) cream cheese. Again, this is another swap that you literally can’t tell is “lighter” either. I also added in some thick, plain Greek yogurt to help that creamy cheese spread further.

But let me tell you…no one would have a clue whatsoever! It’s not even spicy, so no fear if you don’t like a kick! But if you do, feel free to add more buffalo or some red pepper flakes in there!

This recipe makes for the perfect snack, appetizer or dinner paired with a side salad or some veggies! It’s a crowd pleaser and winner every time! 

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS BUFFALO CHICKEN CRESCENT RING

• It’s absolutely out of this world delicious!
• The ULTIMATE crowd-pleaser.
• There will be no leftovers!
• Made with just 7 ingredients and 6 if you omit the green onion.
• No one will know it’s lightened up!
• Ready to eat in just 30 minutes.
• It’s absolutely insane reheated in the air fryer.

INGREDIENTS

• Crescent rolls – I used normal Pillsbury crescent rolls. Any brand or crescent roll variation works for this recipe. The pre-cut triangles just makes the ring part of this recipe a bit easier!
• Yogurt – I used plain, non fat Greek yogurt. You can use a Greek style dairy-free cream cheese to make this recipe dairy free.
• Cream cheese – I used 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese. You can use any cream cheese here- normal, Greek, Neufchâtel cheese. You could also use a dairy free cream cheese if you needed to make this recipe dairy free.
• Buffalo sauce – I used Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce. If you don’t have buffalo, you can sub for any hot sauce you in have in a time crunch. The buffalo sauce is pretty mild so just note subbing may make this recipe have a bit more heat.
• Shredded Chicken – I used my Basic Shredded Chicken recipe. Feel free to use canned chicken or rotisserie chicken if in a time crunch.
• Feta Cheese – I used fat free feta cheese. You can use normal feta, 1/3 reduced fat feta, blue cheese, goat cheese or any other crumbly cheese in this recipe. You could technically use any shredded cheese if you wanted, I just love the crumbles!
• Green onion – Love the slight crunch and freshness the green onion brings but you can omit if you wish! Another yummy option would be to caramelize a 1/2 shallot or 1/4 of a yellow onion and mixing that into the buffalo mix!

HOW TO MAKE A BUFFALO CHICKEN CRESCENT RING

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray. 
2. Add the yogurt, cream cheese, and buffalo sauce to a bowl and mix until combined. Then, mix in the shredded chicken, green onion, and half of the feta cheese. 
3. Unroll both cans of dough and separate into 16 triangles. Arrange the triangles in a ring on the baking sheet so the short sides of triangles form a 5-inch circle in the center. Dough will overlap. Dough ring should look like the sun.
4. Add the chicken mixture on the half of each triangle closest to the center of the ring. Top with the remaining feta cheese. 
5. Bring each dough triangle up over filling, tucking dough under the bottom layer of dough to secure it. Repeat around the ring until the entire filling is enclosed. Some filling might show a little.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the dough is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. 

HOW TO STORE

Let Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring cool completely, then cut into pieces. Store pieces in an air tight container or wrap up individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

CAN YOU FREEZE BUFFALO CHICKEN CRESCENT RING?

You most definitely can! To freeze, let Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring cool completely, then cut into pieces. Wrap up the pieces individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store in an air-tight freezer-safe zip-top bag.

Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring will keep fresh stored in the freezer for 4 months.

HOW TO REHEAT BUFFALO CHICKEN CRESCENT RING

If frozen, let defrost in the fridge overnight.

To reheat, I highly recommend cooking in an air fryer if you have one. I usually air fry mine on 390 degrees F for 5-6 minutes or until the outside is starting to brown. It results in the upmost delicious crusty outside while keeping the inside doughy and teeth-sinkable. IT’S OUT OF THIS WORLD!

If you don’t have an air fryer, then the oven or microwave would definitely work too. If you still wanted to get that crusty outside, you can switch the oven on broil for the last minute or two.

MORE BUFFALO CHICKEN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

• DAIRY FREE BUFFALO CHICKEN SALAD
• LIGHTENED UP BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP
• LOW CARB BUFFALO CHICKEN SOUP
• BUFFALO CHICKEN SPAGHETTI SQUASH CASSEROLE

WANT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?

If you try this Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring and love it, please rate this recipe!

You can also tag me on Instagram, @LaurenFitFoodie. It makes my day seeing your yummy recreations!