Buffalo Chicken Dip Pizza

Do you love cheesy, gooey, spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip?  Yeah, we do here, too--so I created a Friday Night Pizza Night/Game Day Snack mashup for this week's pizza

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Thank my son for this creation.  His favorite game day snack is Buffalo chicken dip.  When I made my first Buffalo Chicken Pizza, I was more interested in getting the flavor of Buffalo chicken and still creating a somewhat . . . well, not an over-the-top decadent cheese-fest like this pizza is. (I try and stay away from subjective adjectives like "healthy" but this pizza is definitely not healthy.)

You may notice that this this pizza is on a green crust.  Don't be fooled into thinking that I'm sharing a new crust in addition to this gooey topping.  I'm not.  Been there, done that with the Buttermilk Pesto Pizza Crust.
The pizza crust shown, spinach wheat, is not yet ready for prime time.  I recommend using any of the crusts listed in my Visual Pizza Recipe Index or buying a ball of pizza dough or a Boboli® or other pre-baked shell.  Whatever works for you.
But do add the chopped celery after baking--the cool crunch is a wonderful contrast to the gooey, cheesy, topping.  I nearly forgot (good thing I'd chopped the celery when I did the veggies for the other pizza--so the celery was sitting on the cutting board saying "hello!" like a wee wiener dog wanting attention).

Oliver, on the left, with Simon and Christmas squeaky toys

Fresh Mozzarella Note:  I have a habit of buying fresh mozzarella logs at the fancy cheese counter when I see the magical markdown stickers.  While fontina remains my favorite pizza cheese, fresh mozzarella is my second choice.  I hoard cheese, a little bit, and freeze my extra booty.  If you are also a fresh mozzarella hoarder and will use previously frozen mozzarella for your pizza, it will weep some water in the oven while it melts.  To counteract this, as soon as the crust is done (about 8 minutes usually for me) I move the pizza up under the broiler and broil until the cheese is browned and bubbly.  This usually evaporates the extra liquid.  Using shredded (not fresh) mozzarella avoids this, though the end result is less gooey.  And I wanted serious gooeyness on this pizza.

For other recipes using celery, please see my Celery Recipes Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. I've got more pizza recipes on my Visual Pizza Recipe Index. Want to know How to Use This Blog? Click here.

For general hints, tips, and photo collages please check out my Pizza Primer post, a brain dump of all things related to making pizza in my home kitchen. For 7 tips to Successful Pizza at Home, please see this post.

Buffalo Chicken Dip Pizza

Ingredients

• 1+½ to 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons Frank's Red Hot Sauce® (or the Buffalo sauce of your choice)
• 1 pound pizza dough or a pre baked pizza crust of your choice
• olive oil for brushing on the crust--if you like (this is optional)
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly (see Note above)
• ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1 to 2 cups thinly sliced celery

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, and if you're using a pizza stone preheat that as well.  In a small bowl, mix the chicken and the sauce.  Set aside.
2. If you're using a ball of pizza dough, stretch it out on an oiled piece of parchment.
3. If you're using a pre baked crust skip the parchment.
4. Brush dough or crust with a thin layer of olive oil, if desired.
5. Top with slices of fresh mozzarella, then seasoned chicken, then blue cheese crumbles.
6. If you're using pizza dough, bake for 5 to 8 minutes then shimmy off the parchment and bake directly on the pizza stone (or cookie sheet) another 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and browned.
7. If you're using a pizza crust bake according to package directions or until cheese is browned and bubbly.  Remove from oven and top with celery. Cool on a rack for about 5 minutes until the cheeses are set, then slice (Amazon affiliate link to my favorite pizza slicer) and serve.

This post is shared on the From the Farm Blog Hop, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Tasty Tuesdays, Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up, What's Cookin' Wednesday,  Food on Friday