buffalo chicken pizza

It's that time again, time for an easy tailgating recipe for your weekend of football viewing pleasure. This recipe is more of a stay at home type thing. I'm sure if you had the skills and the know how (which I do not) to prepare this meal on the grill, I say have at it (and email me the process!!!) This one is simple and tasty!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

• 1 Store bought pizza crust (thick or thin whatever you desire - these can often be found with the prepared spaghetti sauces, or near the deli section at most grocery stores. You can also use fresh dough or the dough that comes in a can. Follow baking directions. (For a crispier crust, bake the fresh dough first then add toppings and cheese and allow the toppings and cheese to melt together in the over).
• 1 package of raw chicken tenders (or two chicken breasts)
• 2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for coating the skillet)
  
• 1 large red onion
• 2 stalks of celery (optional - I don't personally like this on my pizza)
• 1 Bottle of Buffalo Wing Sauce (of your choosing, I prefer Moore's Wing Sauce or Franks Wings Sauce, note: you won't use the whole bottle)
• 1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese (use as much as you like)
• 3 large cloves of garlic (optional - I love garlic)
• salt, pepper, and additional spices to make the chicken taste the way you like it (I usually add in some of the Kickin' Chicken Grill Seasoning that I mentioned in my Grilled BuffaloWings post).
• Shakes of Hot Sauce to your liking (you may not even need it depending on the wing sauce you choose).
• Ranch Dressing (you don't need this, but it's great for dipping or adding a small splash to the sauce mixture for tang).
  

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven as directed on the package of the pizza crust (or fresh dough can etc).
   
2. Chop up your onion and celery (optional), and dice up the garlic into small bits (optional). I usually reserve these to the side of my cutting board or in a bowl.
3. Chop up the chicken tenders or breasts into bite sized pieces (always do this last and be careful not to contaminate other things with the chicken funk - wash your hands well after.
4. If you're a quick chopper - you can heat your skillet with about 2 tsp. of extra virgin olive oil. I usually use medium/high heat.
5. Add your chicken to the pan as well as the spices you desire to cook the chicken in. Let meat brown up almost completely and add in the onions, garlic and celery to saute.
6. Once onions are slightly tender and chicken is cooked through add to the mixture your Buffalo sauce. Be careful to only use enough to coat the chicken and toppings. Then add just a little bit more to give a slightly wet sauce. You don't want this mixture too runny or it will make your crust soggy.
7. (Some crusts will ask you to rub them down a bit with some olive oil, before putting on toppings - now is the best time to do that). I usually use my baking stone that's been preheated in the oven. Once I've rubbed down the crust with oil I add the mixture of the sauce and chicken and toppings and fan it out so that all the mixture is evenly distributed on the crust.
8. Cover toppings (or I guess now they are bottomings) with as much cheese as you like - there is no wrong way to do this.  (I will add some dried oregano to the top of the cheese, just a shake or two but this is completely up to you).
9. Bake according to the crusts directions (Usually it's about 7-10 minutes). Your chicken is already cooked through so there is no fear of it not being done enough. You're literally just baking the crust off and melting the cheese at this point.

I hope you enjoy this - it's my favorite go to meal. I feel a little better about eating this version of buffalo chicken - it's a bit more figure friendly. I usually use part skim mozzarella, and have sworn off using ranch dressing for this pizza (I'm trying to break that horrible dipping pizza in ranch habit!). All that is left is veggies and buffalo sauce. Serve this up with a side salad and you're good to go. It's fairly healthy so you feel good about it - and your boyfriend/husbands/friends will love it because it's all the goodness of chicken wings with less of the guilt!

ENJOY! ROLL TIDE & LET'S GO STEELERS!
I really hate that I have to wait until Monday to watch the Steelers play but that means I get to have a more productive Sunday.