Cool avocado balances the rich, creamy buffalo chicken filling in these stuffed avocados — cream cheese, sour cream, a little blue cheese on top — 4g net carbs and 34.7g protein, ready in about 20 minutes.
I started making buffalo chicken stuffed avocados because I wanted something faster than my usual buffalo chicken dishes but with that same creamy, spicy thing going on. The whole thing comes together in about 20 minutes, and most of that is just the oven doing its job.
The filling is what makes this work. I simmer shredded chicken in buffalo sauce until it reduces and gets sticky, then pull the skillet off heat and stir in cream cheese and sour cream. That ratio matters. Four ounces of cream cheese to a quarter cup of sour cream gives you a filling that's thick enough to mound into the avocado without sliding out, but still creamy when you bite in. I tried going heavier on the sour cream once and the filling was too loose to hold shape.
One of my readers, Chelsea, swapped Greek yogurt for the sour cream and said it came out tangier in a way that actually worked better with the buffalo sauce. I tried it after she mentioned it, and she's right. The yogurt brightens the filling. If you like things a little less rich, it's a solid move. The cream cheese still gives you the body.
For the chicken, you have options. I usually use leftover shredded chicken from earlier in the week, but another reader, Patricia, makes a pound of chicken breast in the crockpot the day before and shreds it for next-day assembly. That's smart if you're batching meals. Rotisserie chicken works too. Just pull it apart and it's ready.
When you scoop out the avocado to make room for the filling, save that extra avocado. I chop it up and toss it into my avocado chicken salad or just eat it on the side. Nothing goes to waste.
I bake these at 375 for 10 minutes, just long enough to melt the shredded white cheddar on top and warm everything through. You don't want to go much longer or the avocado gets mushy. Then I crumble blue cheese over the top right when they come out. If you're into that blue cheese and buffalo combination (and if you like my bacon and blue cheese zoodles, you probably are), this is the same flavor profile in a completely different format.
These are low carb by nature since the avocado is doing all the work a tortilla or bread would normally do. I've served them as a main course with a side salad, packed them for lunch, and even brought them to a friend's house for game day. They work everywhere. If you're looking for more ways to use chicken, my garlic parmesan chicken skewers and lettuce wraps are in the same easy weeknight category.
Two avocados make four stuffed halves, each topped with melted white cheddar and crumbled blue cheese.
Precooked or Raw Chicken
I like to make a big batch of shredded chicken in the pressure cooker and use it in meals all week, like my chicken taquitos. Precooked chicken skips a step here. If all you have is raw chicken, dice it up and cook it in the skillet before adding the rest of the ingredients. That adds about 5 to 10 minutes to the cook time.
In a large skillet, heat butter over medium high heat until melted. Add chicken and buffalo sauce. Simmer until sauce has thickened and reduced by half (about 2-3 minutes).
3
Make it creamy
Remove skillet from heat, stir in lemon juice, sour cream and cream cheese. Combine until smooth.
4
Build your boat
To each avocado, scoop out a larger hole if needed to fit the buffalo chicken mixture. Set aside leftover avocado. It can be used as a topping or in another dish.
5
Add filling
Evenly scoop the buffalo chicken mixture into each cavity of the avocado. Top with shredded cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
6
Garnish and serve
Remove from the oven and garnish with crumbled blue cheese.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1/4 of recipe
Calories
472
Fat
31.3g
Protein
34.7g
Total carbs
9g
Net carbs
4g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use rotisserie or canned chicken instead of shredded?
I use rotisserie chicken all the time for this. Just pull it apart and it works perfectly. Canned chicken is fine in a pinch too, though I drain it well and break it up so it absorbs the buffalo sauce better. The key is starting with cooked, shredded chicken so it just needs to simmer in the sauce for a couple minutes.
What if I don't have buffalo sauce?
I've made the filling with just hot sauce and a little melted butter when I was out of my usual buffalo sauce. It's close enough. The ratio I use is about two parts hot sauce to one part butter. It won't be exactly the same, but the cream cheese and sour cream smooth everything out anyway.
How do I store leftover stuffed avocados?
I store the buffalo chicken mixture separately from the avocado halves. The filling keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and actually tastes better the next day once the flavors meld. For the avocados, I squeeze lemon juice over the cut surfaces and wrap them tight. When I'm ready to eat, I stuff and microwave or just eat them cold.
Can I make this recipe dairy-free?
I've tested this with dairy-free cream cheese and it holds up surprisingly well. The filling is a little thinner, so I use a touch less buffalo sauce to compensate. Skip the blue cheese on top and add extra green onion or a drizzle of ranch made with coconut cream. My Thai chicken salad is another good option if you're avoiding dairy entirely.
Can I add vegetables to the chicken filling?
I've stirred in diced celery for crunch and it fits right in with the whole buffalo wing vibe. Diced bell peppers work too. I add them raw so they keep some bite after baking. Spinach wilts down to almost nothing, so if you add it, use a generous handful. Just don't overload the filling or it won't mound into the avocado properly.
Should I bake the stuffed avocados or serve them cold?
I prefer baking them at 375 for 10 minutes because it melts the cheese and warms the filling through. But I've also eaten these cold, especially for lunch the next day, and the filling is good at room temperature. The avocado stays firmer when you skip the oven. If you're making these for a chef salad style spread or a party, cold works fine.
I put these together for dinner Thursday because my husband had been asking for something that wasn’t another salad, and watching him sort out the avocado-to-filling ratio on the first try, whether to dig all the way to the edge or keep each bite heavy on buffalo, was honestly the funniest dinner we’ve had in a while. He has a whole approach to it now and is very serious about it. The cream cheese is what keeps the filling in place long enough for the system to work.
He’s right about the cream cheese. That’s what holds the filling in place long enough to actually get through one without it sliding to the bottom. I love that your husband has a whole approach to it now, Tyler!
34 grams of protein per serving and I ran the numbers twice. Hot buffalo filling on cool avocado shouldn’t work, but the contrast is kind of the whole point. First keto lunch I’ve ever made. 20 minutes turned out to be an honest number.
First keto lunch and you went with this one, Corinne. The hot-on-cold thing was the last piece I figured out testing it, which is why I didn’t simplify it down.
I almost tossed the avocado I scooped out to widen the hole, then threw it in the filling instead. The fat blends right into the cream cheese and buffalo sauce. Way creamier, and it keeps the filling from sliding around when you eat it. Rough mash with a fork, not smooth. Fills out the portion a bit too, which I noticed when I actually looked at the macros.
Don’t toss it. The fat from that scooped piece blends into the cream cheese in a way I didn’t expect the first time I tried it, goes from thick to almost silky. Rough mash is right. Smooth just disappears into the filling and you lose the texture. I never tracked the macro difference until your comment made me look, and it adds up faster than I thought.
Pull the cream cheese out a full hour before you start, not 15 minutes. At true room temperature it folds into the chicken until the filling is completely smooth, and it holds together in the avocado instead of sliding when you cut in. My husband avoids avocado in pretty much everything, so I watched him closely when he finished both halves without a word. He has never once said he liked it, but I notice he checks the fridge on nights I come home with avocados now.
I use rotisserie for this all the time, it’s actually faster than cooking chicken fresh. Just pull it apart and toss it straight into the cream cheese and buffalo sauce.
Swapped in Primal Kitchen buffalo sauce and the heat comes through cleaner with the cream cheese (less of that sharp vinegar kick). Slightly overripe avocados work better too. Filling holds.
Not a blue cheese fan, so I swapped it for extra white cheddar and finished them under the broiler for two minutes. The cheddar gets bubbled and almost crispy on top while the avocado stays cold underneath. That contrast is freaking ridiculous in the best way.
Made these last week and loved the filling, but the avocado got mushy by the time everything was warm. Worth pulling them out early, or just heating the buffalo chicken separately and adding the avocado after?
Warm the filling separately, add the avocado after. Avocado doesn’t need to be hot and it goes soft fast once it hits heat. Cold avocado against warm buffalo chicken is honestly better anyway.
Swapped the sour cream for Greek yogurt because I was out, and the filling came out tangier in a way that actually worked better with the buffalo sauce. It still gets thick and creamy from the cream cheese, but there’s more brightness to it. If you want to cut the richness a little, worth trying.
Found you on YouTube, subscribed after watching a couple of your awesome videos. Made these avocado boats and they are delicious, and easy. I prepped yesterday by making a pound of chicken breast in the crockpot. New to Keto. I’ve done WW for a couple of years, but simply cannot control my carb cravings. Atkins- great but boring. So far loving Keto- mostly thanks to you!
Crockpot chicken the day before is the move for this one. The filling actually tastes better after sitting overnight. And yeah, keto clicks different when the food doesn’t feel like a compromise.
