My version of Buffalo Chicken Dip uses fresh cooked chicken, Louisiana hot sauce, ranch instead of bleu cheese dressing, bacon, and a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.
Buffalo Chicken Dip with Bacon
Y'all likely know this dip as Frank's Famous Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip, or just plain ole Buffalo Chicken Dip, some of you may even know it as Crack Dip, but I made some changes to the standard recipe and I really think it's the best chicken dip you could ask for!First I substituted fresh chicken in place of the more commonly used canned. I just find the flavor much better and more like real Buffalo chicken wings to be honest. If you don't want to fool with boiling up some chicken, just purchase a rotisserie chicken for supper one night and set aside enough for this dip.
For my Buffalo Chicken Dip, I substitute Louisiana brand hot sauce, {affil link} and instead of prepared ranch dressing use your favorite mayonnaise and a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. I also think a combination of cheeses works best for this dip so I use a mix of cheddar and mozzarella.
Garnish the top with some crumbled bleu cheese if you like, a sprinkling of sliced green onion and some freshly cooked, crumbled bacon and you are in business. This version of Buffalo chicken dip turned out fantastic and would be a great addition to your next party, movie night, or any gathering of friends.
Here's how to make it.
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Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Dip with Bacon
©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 10 min |Cook time: 20 min | Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese
- 1 (3/4 ounce) packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing and Dip Mix
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of mayonnaise (or substitute sour cream)
- 1/2 cup of hot sauce
- 1 cup of mozzarella, cheddar or monterey jack cheese, or any combination
- 2 cups of shredded, cooked chicken
- 1 tablespoon crumbled bleu cheese, optional
- Cooked, crumbled bacon, to ganish, optional
- Sliced green onion to garnish, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the cream cheese into chunks and place into a deep dish pie plate. Microwave on low/defrost for about 1 minute to soften. Add the ranch mix, 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and hot sauce; mix. Add the cheeses, stir; add the shredded chicken, stir. Add additional mayonnaise if it is too dry.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, stir and garnish with bleu cheese, sliced green onion and bacon, if desired. Serve on a warming platter with a side dish of mixed crackers, corn chips, Triscuit crackers, tortilla chips or your favorite dipper! Reheat in the microwave if needed.
Cook's Notes: Do not be tempted to use more hot sauce until you have tried it with the 1/2 cup! Any more is likely going to be too much fire for most guests. Buffalo chicken dip, by virtue of its name, would typically use bleu cheese and not ranch dressing, however, there are a wide range of folks who do not find bleu cheese palatable or tasty, and so we substitute with more widely accepted ranch. If you want to prepare the dip in a more traditional manner, crumble in fresh bleu cheese with the other cheeses, or else use a quality bleu cheese commercial dressing, and eliminate the mayonnaise. You can also combine ranch and bleu cheese which will help to tone down the sharpness. Use other varieties of cheese you like - colby, jack or a combination of the two are good here.
Tailgate version: Triple and prepare in a disposable aluminum pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Place the pan on a hot grill and heat until bubbly.
Crockpot version: Double and combine all ingredients in a microwave safe mixing bowl, except use only half the cheese in the dip, reserving the remaining half. Heat in the microwave for 3 minutes on high, stop, stir and continue heating another 2-3 minutes. Stir and transfer to a crockpot. Heat on low for at least 30 minutes or until needed. Before serving, stir, top with remaining cheese, cover and let heat until cheese on top has melted.
Microwave version: Combine ingredients in pie plate and microwave on high for 3 minutes, stir. Microwave another 3 minutes, stirring again. Time will depend on your microwave.
Variation: Instead of mixing together, layer ingredients in the baking dish in this order: Blend cream cheese with mayo for the first layer, toss chicken with the hot sauce for the next. Toss the cheeses with the ranch dressing mix and add on top of the chicken layer. May also substitute canned chicken, drained - you'll want a larger sized can of quality chicken, two is even better, or substitute chicken you've pulled from a rotisserie chicken.
Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese Bake: Prepare 1/2 pound of your favorite short cut pasta (rotini, penne, elbow, medium shell) al dente. Place into a buttered 2 quart casserole dish and toss with shredded chicken. Substitute 8 ounces of cubed Velveeta for the cream cheese and add 1 can of condensed cheddar cheese soup with one cup of milk. Omit the mayonnaise. Heat the soup, milk, Ranch dressing mix and cheeses until well blended, stir in the hot sauce (to taste) and pour over the chicken and pasta. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Remove and scatter the bacon and green onion on top.
Source: http://deepsouthdish.com
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