Buffalo Chicken Pizza Recipe
Let's combine everyone's two favorite party foods into one beloved dish: Buffalo chicken pizza! Featuring spicy Buffalo sauce, tender shredded chicken and loads of cheesy goodness, this pizza is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Perfect for game day or a casual gathering with friends.
How to Make the Best Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Buffalo chicken pizza is the perfect fusion of two beloved party favorites—crispy pizza and spicy buffalo chicken wings. This recipe brings together the bold, tangy heat of Frank’s Red Hot sauce with tender shredded chicken, creamy mozzarella, and tangy blue cheese all nestled on a hand-stretched pizza crust. It’s comfort food at its finest, and guaranteed to be devoured quickly at any gathering.
A Pizza Worth the Effort
The secret to truly exceptional buffalo chicken pizza lies in the fundamentals: a well-stretched pizza crust, a perfectly balanced sauce, and quality toppings. This recipe takes the time to do it right, from slowly bringing the dough to room temperature to hand-stretching it with gentle precision. The result is a pizza with a crispy exterior and a chewy interior that rivals any pizzeria.
Make It Your Own
While this recipe calls for specific toppings, buffalo chicken pizza is wonderfully versatile. Some people add diced jalapeños for extra heat, while others incorporate caramelized onions for sweetness. You can even experiment with different hot sauce brands to adjust the spice level to your preference. Ranch dressing is the traditional accompaniment, but blue cheese dressing offers a creamier, more tangy option that pairs beautifully with the buffalo flavors.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Let's combine everyone's two favorite party foods into one beloved dish: Buffalo chicken pizza! Featuring spicy Buffalo sauce, tender shredded chicken and loads of cheesy goodness, this pizza is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Perfect for game day or a casual gathering with friends.
Ingredients
Base
Sauce and Cheese
Egg Wash
Garnish and Sides
Instructions
Prep the Dough
- If using dough stored in the refrigerator, place on a lightly floured surface, gently press into a 5-inch flat circle and cover with plastic wrap about two to three hours before you plan to bake the pizza. However, if you made your dough right away and it's already risen and come to room temperature, you're ready to skip straight to step 2.
- About 45 minutes to an hour before baking, place a pizza stone in the cold oven and turn the heat to 500 degrees. If you don't have a pizza stone, you can use a large baking sheet and preheat for 30 minutes, though a pizza stone is recommended for best results.
Shape the Crust
- Hand stretch the dough using the bed of your fingers rather than your finger tips to pat the dough outward toward the edge. Don't pat in the center of the dough, or you'll get limp pizza. Really focus on staying outside of the center and work toward the edge. After you work the dough, grab the edge of the pizza and lift it in the air. Allow it to quickly hang down and keep rotating the pizza crust through your fingers to allow the rest of the pizza to have a chance to hang like you're turning the steering wheel of a car. Do not use a rolling pin to shape and flatten. The dough is stretched when it's 10 inches in diameter. If any holes form, pinch the dough back together.
- Coat a pizza peel or the back of a parchment paper-covered baking sheet with cornmeal and place the hand-stretched dough on top. Adjust the shape if necessary.
Assemble and Bake
- Stir together the Frank's Original Red Hot Sauce and melted butter. Spread ¼ cup of the sauce on the stretched pizza dough, leaving room for the crust. Toss the chicken with 2 tablespoons of sauce and reserve the rest to serve with the pizza.
- Top with mozzarella and then the blue cheese.
- Whisk together the egg yolk and water and brush on the crust.
- Transfer to the hot pizza stone. If using parchment paper on a baking sheet to transfer the pizza, bring the baking sheet to the edge of the pizza stone, grab the edge of the parchment paper and slide the pizza from the baking sheet to the pizza stone. Bake for two minutes, remove the parchment paper and then continue to bake for six to eight minutes. If using a pizza peel with no parchment paper to transfer the pizza directly to the stone, bake for eight to 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Let the pizza set for about five minutes, cut into slices and top with fresh parsley and serving with dressing if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- A pizza stone gives the best results for a crispy crust.
- Reserve some buffalo sauce to serve alongside the pizza for dipping.
- This pizza is perfect for game day, Super Bowl parties, or casual entertaining.