I want to acknowledge that this post is a day late due to a really fun housewarming party we threw yesterday, but a Saturday party is a super useful lifehack for having soooo much great food for football Sunday! Between the buffalo chicken dip that I made and is now leftover, as well as a chopped Caprese salad, Caesar salad, hot dogs, and cheeseburgers, we will want for nothing today! Our guests also brought some deviled eggs, pasta salad, and Chef Nick’s Walnut Spiced Brownies so we are up to our ears in food in the best way! Now buffalo chicken dip may sound unoriginal and boring, but I am a classic kinda gal, and when you have a staple food that always pleases a crowd (especially your husband), you don’t mess with it, you just keep making it over and over again. I picked up this recipe in college while playing lacrosse at LaSalle University, after every home game we would have a big (and I mean BIG, our parents were the best) tailgate and each family had a specialty. Some of my favorites from memory were the chicken salad sandwiches on croissants, whoever brought Chick-fil-A and my mom’s famous rice crispy treats (maybe I’ll post those one day…), and of course my first foray into buffalo chicken dip. The recipe has most likely slightly changed over the years, but this is how I remember it and continue to make it!
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients:
- 2 large chicken breasts or 1 rotisserie chicken
- 1 bottle of ranch dressing
- 2 8oz bars of cream cheese (I love Neufchatel)
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Hot sauce
Recipe:
Step 1. First off, this step can be done two ways, one way uses a rotisserie chicken when I’m short on time or happen to be near Costco which has the BEST chickens, but if not, step 1 is boiling the chicken breasts until cooked all the way through. If you buy a rotisserie chicken, you can jump to step 2.
Step 2. Shredded the chicken by hand (if boiling, let it cool first), this makes for a nice texture in my opinion. Some people have told me they use a hand mixer to shred the chicken but that’s just not my style.
Step 3. Mix in hot sauce, now here is where things might get dicey. I am a “add to taste” type of cook, I can’t tell you an exact amount but maybe you’ll end up using about half a bottle of hot sauce. After the hot sauce mix in the bars of cream cheese (slightly softened for easier mixing), I use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to mix these ingredients, this process is an arm workout! Lastly, add in some ranch- again this is your call how much you feel like using!
Step 4. Mix, taste, add. I usually go through 2 or 3 rounds of adding more hot sauce, then more ranch until I get the perfect flavor. On the day of my housewarming party, I got it on the first try for the FIRST time ever which was really exciting for some reason.
Step 5. Move the chicken mixture into a baking dish (I use a glass 9×9) and distribute the shredded cheddar cheese on top! Bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes. Let cool, and of course, enjoy! There is always a debate in my house for the type of tortilla chip to use with this dip. My husband insists on scoops, I prefer a round or triangle. Regardless, you will enjoy the dip!
As always, show us your versions of all of our recipes! We can’t wait to see what you are cooking this weekend!
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