How to: Make Buffalo Chicken Dip

The Super Bowl is this Sunday and my team, the New England Patriots, are playing! Because of this, I thought it would be fun to share the recipe to one of my favorite appetizers of all time - Buffalo Chicken Dip! I LOVE this recipe and it is an absolutely perfect treat to bring to your Super Bowl party this weekend!

I first discovered Buffalo Chicken Dip at a 4th of July party a few years ago, and while I was a little bit skeptical of whether or not I'd like it (I'm not a huge fan of spicy foods), I gave it a shot and instantly fell in love. The ingredients in this dip really cool off the spiciness of the Buffalo sauce, and if you'd like you can even opt to use a more mild or more intense Buffalo sauce, depending on what your spice preference is. This recipe only calls for 5 ingredients, can be completed in about an hour, and will be a huge hit at whatever party you bring this to! Let's get into it, shall we?

*A few of these images were pulled from my coinciding video, so sorry in advance for poor quality! That's what I get for forgetting to snap photos throughout the process. #badblogger



Ingredients:

- About 1 lb. of boneless chicken breast

- 1 cup of ranch dressing

- 1 cup of Buffalo sauce (any level of spiciness will work)

- 8 oz. of cream cheese, softened

- 1 - 1.5 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Takes approximately 1 hour to prep and cook.
Makes a full 8x13 dish.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2: Place chicken breast on a greased or non-stick pan and place in the oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Remember to cut the chicken to ensure that it has cooked all the way through! Set chicken aside and let cool. 

Step 3: Combine Buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, cream cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Note: The cream cheese can be a bit difficult to work with and won't always blend evenly, but this is alright as the chunkiness will melt down when it goes in the oven later. You can also play around with how much cheddar cheese you use at this point, as you will be adding another layer before it goes in the oven.

Step 4: Once the chicken has cooled, shred the chicken into bite-size chunks. I like to use a fork for this step, and make my chunks about a half inch thick and an inch or two long. The chunks will be naturally uneven, so just shred it to a size you wouldn't mind eating!

Step  5: Add the shredded chicken to the bowl and mix thoroughly.

Step 6: In a greased 8x13 pan (I like to use a glass dish) spread the mixture evenly. Once the mixture is in the pan, add an even layer of cheddar cheese on the top. You can add as little or as much as you would like.

Step 7: Drop the temperature of the over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake dip for approximately 10-15 minutes.

Step 8: Dish should be served warm. Bust out the tortilla chips and enjoy! :)

Note: This dip also makes a great condiment! I've seen people throw this on burgers and hot dogs and rave over how great the combination is! I usually stick to using Scoops, but this is also great addition to a lot of  party-type foods!

And there you have it - my absolute favorite appetizer! Writing this blog post is making me crave this dip so badly! I made this example dip a few weeks ago when the Patriots were playing the Ravens in the Divisional Finals, so I'm pretty excited to make it again this Sunday for the Super Bowl! I have made a coinciding video to go along with this post, so if you'd like to see some of the techniques I use when making this dish (and a hilarious blooper reel of Brett and I being ridiculous), check it out below! :)