Buffalo Chicken Pizza
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Turn pizza night into date night! This homemade buffalo chicken pizza recipe is fun to make together and tastes better than takeout.
Buffalo chicken pizza holds a special place in our hearts, so of course we had to come up with our own recipe to make at home. Five years ago, on a snowy Boston night, we had our first “real” dinner together (aka not in the dining hall) at a cozy spot ironically called New York Pizza. It was then that we discovered our mutual love of buffalo chicken pizza, and we’ve been together ever since!
And we’ve eaten many, many pizzas together over the years.
That’s why pizza nights are still one of our favorite date night traditions. It’s simple, fun, and pairs perfectly with wine, a cold beer, or a fun cocktail. Plus, it’s a two-person job: one of us (usually Alex) handles the dough, while the other (Nicole) preps the toppings. Then we both get to assemble the pizza together and put our unique touch on it before it goes in the oven.
So if you’re looking for a fun dinner idea, whether with your partner, kids, or best friends, this buffalo chicken pizza is it. It’s interactive, easy to customize, and guaranteed to impress.
What This Recipe Entails
Specialty pizzas take a little extra effort thanks to all the bold flavors and toppings, but that’s part of the fun. Perfect for a cooking date night that’s an experience, not just a meal.
- Prep time: 40 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
If you’re making the buffalo chicken from scratch before assembling the pizza, it’ll take about 40 minutes of prep time in addition to about 20 minutes for baking the pizza. All in all, not bad for a specialty pizza! However, you can reduce the prep time by making it ahead of time or using store bought buffalo chicken.
Ingredients
- Pizza dough – You can use your favorite pizza dough for this recipe as you really can’t go wrong. We generally get a ball of dough from the grocery store for easy pizza nights. We recently tried a beer pizza dough which paired very well with the buffalo chicken flavor.
- Sauce – We make a mixture of Frank’s Red Hot, butter, and ranch dressing to make a thick and creamy buffalo sauce.
- Cheese – A mixture of mozzarella and cheddar ties the buffalo chicken and pizza together perfectly.
- Toppings – The pizza is topped with buffalo chicken (duh), red onion, scallions, and a drizzle of our buffalo sauce and ranch dressing.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Pizza
- Make the buffalo chicken – Start by marinating chicken in some oil, Frank’s Red Hot, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cayenne, and salt for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Then cook on the stove or the grill for best results. Let rest for 2 to 3 minutes before slicing and setting aside.
- Prep the sauce – Make the buffalo sauce by combining melted butter, Frank’s, and ranch in a small bowl.
- Combine the cheese – Mix together the shredded mozzarella and cheddar in a bowl so you’ll have an even distribution of both on your pizza.
- Preheat the oven – Follow the instructions for your specific dough. If you don’t have any, 400 degrees F is a safe bet.
- Stretch the dough – Using floured hands, stretch the dough on a floured baking sheet to fit. Use both hands (and gravity!) to rotate and stretch the dough into a rectangle roughly the size of your pan. Use additional flour as needed.
- Assemble – Top the dough with an even layer of sauce (leave about a ¼ inch of crust) and cheese. Then add on the buffalo chicken, red onion, and scallions. Finish with a pinch of salt to bring out all the flavors.
- Bake – Bake your pizza until the cheese is melty and the crust is golden brown. Again follow the timing of the dough you’re using. If you don’t have that and need a starting point we recommend 12 to 18 minutes, but keep an eye on your pizza!
- Drizzle and serve – Drizzle some extra buffalo sauce and ranch over the pizza, slice, and serve.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There really is nothing like the enjoyment of making your own specialty pizza. It’s fun, interactive, and the results rival your favorite pizzeria. While we love takeout as much as anyone, changing it up with a fun homemade pizza date night is one of our favorite at home activities. It’s a chance for us to share in the adventure and create shared memories in the kitchen.
This buffalo chicken pizza is bold, cheesy, and perfect for a fun night in. Try it for your next date night or weekend dinner, and let us know how it turns out! Drop a comment, leave a rating, and share your favorite pizza-making memory with us below.
Expert Tips
Love this recipe? You may enjoy these other buffalo chicken recipes, too:
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
- Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
To browse more of our latest recipes and seasonal dishes, visit our homepage here.
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Homemade Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough
- ¼ cup flour for dusting
Buffalo Chicken Pizza Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ cup Frank's Red Hot
- 1 tablespoon light ranch dressing
Buffalo Chicken Pizza Toppings
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
- ½ pound buffalo chicken (see below)
- ¼ medium red onion sliced
- 2 medium scallions sliced
- 1 pinch sea salt
- Light ranch dressing
Buffalo Chicken
- ½ pound chicken breast raw
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup Frank's Red Hot
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- First, make the buffalo chicken. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, vegetable oil, Frank's Red Hot, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Stir well to combine, then marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Preheat a frying pan over medium-high heat (we like to use our cast iron) and cook the chicken for about 9 to 12 minutes or until done, flipping every 3 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach about 160 degrees F.Let the chicken rest for 2 to 3 minutes before slicing into strips, then set aside.
- Next, prepare the buffalo pizza sauce. Add melted butter, Frank's Red Hot, and light ranch dressing to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Microwave the sauce for 30 seconds at a time, as needed, to ensure a smooth texture as you whisk it.
- Combine the mozzarella and cheddar cheese in a bowl and set aside.
- Now, stretch the dough. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and lightly dust a large baking sheet with flour, spreading it around evenly on the pan. Then, dust your palms with flour and begin to stretch the dough. Working over the baking sheet, use both hands (and gravity!) to rotate and stretch the dough into a rectangle roughly the size of your pan. Use additional flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.Lay your stretched dough flat in the pan. Dust your hands lightly with flour again, and gently reach underneath the dough to give the bottom side a very light coating of flour (this will keep it from sticking to the pan).
- Assemble the pizza:Top the dough with an even layer of buffalo sauce, leaving about a quarter inch of crust around the edges. (You will have extra sauce – set aside for later).Next, top with the cheese blend, sliced buffalo chicken, red onion, and scallions. Finish with a pinch of sea salt.
- Bake the pizza for about 12 to 18 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Cool for at least 2 minutes before slicing.
- Finally, drizzle the pizza with extra buffalo sauce and light ranch dressing. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.
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