Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

When I served this Buffalo Chicken Dip last weekend during the play-off games, the hungry football fans at my house went wild! In fact, Mr. SGCC told me not to bother making Buffalo wings anymore because this dish was easier to make and eat, and was just as delicious. I don’t know if was just the beer talking, but it was quite a testimonial!

The first time I saw this dip was about a year ago at this time. I was shopping at my neighborhood supermarket and my friend Jeanne, the Publix Aprons lady, was handing out samples of an almost identical dish. Jeanne is great! She was a caterer, food writer and cooking instructor in the Boston area before moving down here several years ago. Now, she cooks up lots of tasty stuff at Publix. I always stop by her makeshift store “kitchen” for both good food and conversation. If you get a chance, check out her new blog, Sola Gina Nella Cucina: Cooking On My Own. It’s a good read with lots of great recipes.

Now, where was I? Oh yes, the dip. I remember thinking at the time that this dip was the perfect nosh for sitting in front of the TV, watching football. It has all the great flavors of Buffalo wings, without the mess or the bones. I slipped a copy of the recipe in my purse with every intention of making it. Yeah, well the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and so, apparently, is the road to my kitchen. Winter melted into Spring and football season was long gone. That recipe card sat in the corner of my kitchen counter for months and I never got around to making it. When I finally was ready to make it, I couldn’t find that darn recipe anywhere! I couldn’t find Jeanne anywhere either. She had taken a few days off to spend some time with her kids.

I remembered which ingredients I needed for the dip, but not the measurements. I searched the Aprons web site – several times. The recipe wasn’t there. By this time I had become a little obsessed. So, I turned to Google. I found several different versions of Buffalo chicken dip, but none were exactly how I remembered it. The closest came from the Baltimore Nesties Cookbook web site. I have no idea who the Baltimore Nesties are, but I owe them one for that recipe. I adapted it based on what I remembered of Jeanne’s recipe.

To make this dip, you will need a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket, cream cheese, bottled buffalo wing sauce, blue cheese dressing, chopped scallions and shredded cheddar. Just heat up the cream cheese, wing sauce and dressing, toss with the chicken and scallions, sprinkle on the cheddar and pop it in the oven. That’s it! You can serve it with crackers, tortilla chips or even crudités, if you want. Personally, I think it would be fab served with those big scoop-shaped Fritos. Wish I’d had some of those when I made it.

This recipe is super easy, and takes hardly any time at all to make. If you made it during the Super Bowl, you could probably pull it together during the half time show. And, it is so, so good! Creamy, cheesy and spicy all at the same time!

If Buffalo wings are a Super Bowl tradition at your house, why not try this dish instead? Whether you’re a Giants or a Patriots fan, this Buffalo Chicken Dip is something everyone will root for!