Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Recently, I’ve had two cravings that I just couldn’t shake. One of them was for Buffalo wings. I hear a lot of people say they don’t like wings, that they’re too bony to make it worth your while. Personally, I have no such issue, but if you agree with my detractors, I hear you. Really, all I ever want is that delicious Buffalo sauce, and I’m happy to use pretty much any edible part of a chicken to deliver such mouth-watering flavor unto my taste buds. The second thing I’ve been craving is plain ol’ pizza. That’s simple enough and pretty relatable too, right? Plenty of us crave pizza once in a while, and can even set aside the age-old debate between thin crust vs. deep dish to satisfy our appetites.
 
Given the number of bars, restaurants, arcades, and bowling alleys out there that serve both pizza and wings, these two cravings would seem to go hand in hand. So then I started thinking, “what if I put them together?” Well, after doing a little research, it turns out I’m not the only person who’s ever had that thought. With that, I give you: Buffalo chicken pizza. If you think it sounds weird, you’re right, but give it a try anyway. You won’t be sorry.
 

Picture credit goes to Bon Appétit. Recipe modified by me.

Notes:

• You can make the Buffalo sauce up to 5 days ahead, and the blue cheese dressing up to 1 week ahead. (The latter makes a great party dip, too.) Simply transfer sauces to separate airtight containers and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
• This recipe recommends cooking your pizza in a cast iron skillet. If you prefer to make your pizzas on a pizza stone or in another kind of pan, feel free. The recipe will work just as well, but the cast iron will do wonders if you’re like me and prefer a nice crispy crust.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. homemade or store-bought pizza dough
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 cup hot sauce (preferably Frank’s)
• ½ cup prepared marinara sauce
• ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp. heavy cream
• 2 cups cooked chicken, torn into bite-size pieces
• ½ cup whole-milk plain yogurt (not Greek)
• ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice
• ¼ tsp. celery salt
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• 2½ oz. mild blue cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup), divided
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more
• All-purpose flour (for dusting)
• 9 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced (optional, I like it for a little crunch)
• ¼ cup chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)

The Nitty-Gritty

1. Place a rack in upper third of oven. Place a large cast-iron skillet on rack and preheat oven to 500° (or as high as your oven will go). Place pizza dough in a large bowl, pour a little oil over, and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic and let dough proof at room temperature while pan and oven heat up.
2. Meanwhile, make your buffalo sauce. Cook hot sauce, marinara, and butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted. Stir in cream, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and warmed through, about 10 minutes.
3. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add chicken, toss to coat, and then add ¼ cup Buffalo sauce. Cook chicken, tossing occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until chicken is well coated and sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
4. While the chicken is cooking, whisk yogurt, lemon juice, celery salt, garlic powder, ¼ cup blue cheese, ½ tsp. pepper, and 2 tbsp. water in a small bowl, adding more water if sauce seems too thick (it should be pourable). Set aside.
5. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Shape with your hands into a round that’s slightly larger than the cast-iron skillet you’re using. Take hot skillet out of oven (watch that handle!) and place on a heatproof surface. Add a little flour to pan. Lay dough in skillet, then work edges of dough up sides of skillet with your fingertips (use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon if you’re worried about touching the hot pan). Drizzle a little oil around inside edge of pan so that it trickles behind and underneath dough, which will encourage browning and help it release.
6. Spread about ? cup Buffalo sauce over dough. Arrange mozzarella on top, then top that with the remaining ¼ cup blue cheese. Arrange your chicken mixture on top.
7. Bake the pizza on top rack until crust and cheese are nicely browned, approximately 15–20 minutes. Transfer skillet to stovetop (again, watch that handle!) and let pizza rest a few minutes. Using a spatula, slide pizza onto a cutting board or platter.
8. Arrange celery on top if desired, then top with reserved blue cheese dressing. Season with pepper, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle chopped parsley on top.

 
Serve and enjoy!