Smoky Buffalo Chicken Dip: A Texas Twist

I don’t know who first created Buffalo Chicken Dip, but I have to admit it’s pretty genius. All of the great flavors of wings in one non-messy, no fuss no muss super yummy bite. While it might seem simple (it is – lol), there are a thousand different varieties out there…including those that use canned chicken. Um, no offense if that’s your thing. I just…won’t…yeah no. I personally don’t suggest it. Especially since buying freshly cooked chicken is so easy these day, which I’ll get to.

To add to what seems like an unexhaustive list, I just had to give this classic a Texas twist by giving a little smoke to the heat. 😉 We do LOVE our BBQ around these here parts, so short of actually slow smoking a chicken to use in this dip (please feel free to if you have the time – even better!) I chose to cheat a bit. Wanna find out how?

Ingredients:

• 1 – 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce [I like Frank’s RedHot]
• 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
• 2 cup diced, cooked chicken [Tip: pick up a rotisserie from your market to use; some stores even sell pre-“picked” chicken bulk (e.g., Central Texas area HEBs)]
• 1/2 cup Ranch dressing
• Optional: celery sticks to serve with

Instructions:

Place a medium pot over medium-low heat on the stove top. Add cream and cheddar cheeses, stirring constantly until about half combined and they have started to melt. Add wing sauce and Liquid Smoke. Careful – a little goes a long way! Keep stirring until all cheese is melted and ingredients are blended. Fold in diced chicken.

TIP: If mixture seems too thick simply add more wing sauce; however, note that dip will thicken after it cools (especially if you refrigerate it).

Stir until chicken is warm and remove from heat.

Fold in Ranch dressing until blended evenly.

Serve while warm or at room temperature and serve with veggies, chips, crustinis…whatever you like. I personally prefer it much better after being refrigerated for a few hours, but note the dip with “set” and will be too firm to serve with chips. 😉 Hey, it’s your kitchen so you do what you want! And, remember to always have fun! – Dawn

Related products:

Related recipes:
Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs