Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip – Gameday Style
What’s better than watching a game than all the fun appetizers that go with it?! My love for hot sauce is admittedly a little overboard, maybe even a little obsessive, but that’s what brought me to this recipe. Buffalo Chicken wings are a STAPLE when it comes to gameday appetizers. Why not take it one step further and turn it into a creamy, cheesy dip packed with bold flavor? This Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe is a true crowd pleaser that will have everyone coming back for more. Now bust out your favorite hot sauce and let’s get started!
The most important and personalized step of this recipe is solely based on your tastebuds. Since hot sauce is the main star of this dish, you really need to select one that you love to bring an extra punch to this dip.
Most recipes out there will recommend Frank’s Red Hot sauce and it’s not at all a bad suggestion! But to me, Frank’s lacks the undertones and diversity of different flavors that so many other hot sauce brands can offer. Your choice of hot sauce can alter the flavor to make it more smokey, tie in exotic flavors, or even add an extra boost in the vinegar department. It is completely up to you to choose which hot sauce to use so choose wisely!
What You’ll Need
- 3 shredded chicken breasts
- ¾ cup hot sauce
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup ranch
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
How You’ll Make It
Start with the shredded chicken. I’m going to let you on a little tip – the best way to make shredded chicken is to both sear AND boil. The searing will bring out the flavor of the chicken better than a full boil. In this case, we will cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise and sear each side for 1 minute in a cast iron skillet. Lower to medium-low heat and add some chicken stock to the pan and cover until fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F (about 5-10 minutes). This will give you that extra juicy chicken then pulls apart effortlessly. Remove chicken and allow to cool.
Note: You will need to cook the chicken in 2 batches as the standard size cast iron skillet cannot hold more than 3 halves of a chicken breast. Cut this recipe in half if you are not serving to a crowd. On a time crunch? Grab a rotisserie chicken and shred away!
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Shred the cheddar cheese until you have 3 cups. I always prefer to shred the cheese myself rather than buy it pre-shredded because of the additives. I also noticed that pre-shredded cheese has this slight powdery aftertaste (just me?). If you don’t want to use only cheddar, substitute half of it with mozzarella for a more “stringy” and gooey texture. It goes great in this dip.
Add all the ingredients (asides from 2 handfuls of cheese) back into the cast iron skillet. Warm on medium-low to allow the cream cheese to melt. Mix together until you have a thick, consistent dip texture. Top with the remaining shredded cheese you’ve set aside to add to the gooey/cheesy appeal.
Place in preheated oven for about 25 minutes. You will know it’s ready when the top starts to brown (pro-tip: for a deeper brown crisp on top, set your oven to broil for the last 3 minutes). Allow it to cool at least 10 minutes before eating because this will be piping hot! Also, if you really want to step it up a notch, you can add chopped green onions for appearance.
Now it’s ready to serve! Serve in bowl or if you’re feeling fancy, scoop out a round roll of sourdough bread to make a bread bowl. I’ve tried it with vegetables, crackers, chips and even bread. My recommendation? Go with the chips. The salty crunch of a tortilla chip paired with buffalo chicken dip oozing with stringy cheese will have your tastebuds thanking you. Remember, buffalo chicken dip isn’t just a recipe – it’s part of the gameday experience!
Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip – Gameday Style!
Ingredients
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- 3 shredded chicken breasts
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese substitute some with mozzarella if you want it extra stringy!
- 3/4 cup hot sauce
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup ranch
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
Shredded Chicken
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cut 3 chicken breasts in half lengthwise so that they are thin. Season with salt and garlic powder to taste. Allow chicken to get to room temperature.
- Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp butter. Add chicken and sear 1 minute on each side.
- Lower heat to medium low heat and add enough chicken stock so that it's ¼ of the way up the sides of the chicken. Cover and allow to simmer for additional 5-10 minutes until fully cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F)
- Remove and allow to cool.
Dip
- Shred the chicken and add it back into the cast iron skillet. Adjust stovetop heat to medium-low.
- Set 2 handfuls of the 3 cups shredded cheese aside (use cheddar or blend of mozzarella and cheddar). Add the remaining cheese to the skillet along with 8 oz cream cheese, ¾ cup sour cream, ¼ cup ranch, salt, and garlic powder. Blend until smooth and melted.
- Top the skillet with the cheese that has been set aside.
- Bake at 350℉ for 25 minutes. Adjust the heat to "broil" for the last 3 minutes for a more golden crust on top.
- Serve with tortilla chips, veggies, or crackers. Enjoy!