I have never been into buffalo wings (the tendons and skin and weird part of the chicken freak me out), but I have found a fondness for hot wing sauce. In fact, I think it might be the greatest condiment out there.
It is rich in flavor and spicy, but usually not too spicy, and great with so many things. But despite the versatility, buffalo sauce doesn’t get used as much as some others or in as many dishes. So, I made it my business to change that. A couple of years ago I started using it in everything.
Buffalo sauce can make an average sandwich great. It is amazing as a layer in the middle with chicken in mac and cheese. And, arguably my favorite, it works as a sauce for the best pizza you will ever eat. Bold statement, I know, but it really is that good. I am kind of obsessed with it and make it every time I host pizza night.
The concept is pretty simple – take what is good about buffalo wings and turn it into a pizza. I have made many variation of this but honestly one of the best only has hot wing sauce, shredded chicken and cheddar. So, feel free to stop there if you want to, but the other toppings work really well with it too.
With any pizza you make at home, be careful with the toppings. Too few and it is boring, too many and it gets soggy and falls apart. The best pizzas are coated and have enough to flavor each bite but don’t get overdone. Striking that balance can take a little trial and error. Work on it, it’s worth it.
To make this pizza perfect, I like to get a rotisserie chicken and shred it while it is warm. Tear it into very small pieces. For the spinach, make sure you get all the moisture out of the spinach. You can use a clean tea towel to help do this, but it is really important or the pizza will get soggy.
I like the way goat cheese tastes with this dish, but if you really love blue cheese use that instead. Nobody is stopping you if you want to add both, just refer to the above and don’t go crazy overloading the pizza!
I have been getting dough lately from Pinky Gs. Dominos also sells it, and you can buy some in the freezer section of the grocery stores. Remember to save time for the dough to proof at room temperature for about an hour before you roll it out. Also, coat the bottom of your pan with cornmeal so it doesn’t stick.
I like to bake this on a pizza crisper so it comes out more thin and crispy, but whatever you have will do. Hopefully you will enjoy this as much as I do. For variations you could add bacon, grilled onions and fresh mozzarella.
Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
- Pizza dough*
- 1 cup buffalo sauce
- 1.5 cup shredded chicken
- 1 pound spinach, steamed and drained well and chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup crumbled goat or blue cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 F. Toss or roll out your choice of pizza dough onto a pizza crisper coated with cornmeal so it doesn’t stick.
- Place the shredded chicken into a bowl and pour the buffalo sauce over it while stirring until it is coated. Add more or less until it has a coating but is not swimming in sauce. Spread this topping out over the pizza in an even layer. Add the spinach and spread out as much as possible. Cover with the cheese and bake until crispy (about 10 to 15 minutes).
- * Pinky Gs is a great place to buy dough, but make sure to ask for their smaller pie dough or split a larger pie into two so it fits in your oven.
