Buffalo Chicken Dip

Super Bowl Sunday is fast approaching! Football fans everywhere are planning their watch parties, so it seems like a good a time as any to share a great game day appetizer. Buffalo Chicken Dip is already a popular party choice – if you Google “Buffalo Chicken Dip” , you will find  millions of results. Maybe you think you aren’t in need of another Buffalo Chicken Dip in your recipe arsenal. Well, you would be wrong, very wrong indeed. Kyle’s inspiration for this one comes from Publix. Yes you read that right, Publix.

Publix dip – deemed The Best Buffalo Dip Ever by Mr. Kyle Smith. It may seem odd that deli-packaged dip could ever be the best EVER, but there is just something special about this store-bought Buffalo Dip. There are no Publix locations in our area, but the chain is abundant in Florida, where Kyle and his family discovered it.

There was suspicion that some sort of dark magic was at work here, however, with a once over of the ingredient list – no dark magic involved. The usual suspects all took part – chicken, hot sauce, and cream cheese. There were a few unorthodox ingredients, but nothing over the top – mayonnaise and sour cream (added for extra creaminess).

The stand-out oddball ingredient appears to be the lack of any blue cheese or ranch to counteract the hot sauce. No taming the spicy here – this dip was made to bask in the glory of it’s Buffalo-iness – making it more addicting with each bite.

Once Kyle had a rough ingredient list, he was dying to experiment with ingredient proportions to get the dip just right. He got as close to the Publix dip as he could, but you will see that there is plenty of wiggle room to adjust it to your own dip preferences. Bump the heat up or dial it back – whatever you need for your personal heat level.

Kyle swapped in Greek yogurt to substitute for the sour cream; that is an ingredient he always has on hand at home; sour cream – not always. And, you could not even taste the difference. The only real change made from the Publix dip was adding 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. This was to allow for the gooey cheese pull we all love when it comes fresh out of the oven.

Any shredded cheese will do – cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby – use whatever you have on hand! You can also completely eliminate the cheese and honor the original recipe. Using the chilled leftover dip makes for a delicious Buffalo Chicken Salad, creating a great after-game-day sandwich.

If you are on the look-out for other great dips and appetizers for your Super Bowl party try our Queso dips – Smoky Queso and Caramelized Onion with Manchego Queso. In fact go all the way with this Chunky Guacamole-Inspired Salsa, or these awesome Chicken Nachos.

Publix Style Buffalo Chicken Dip

 

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Ingredients

• 1 pound cooked chicken, shredded
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• ½ to ¾ cup buffalo sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or any mild cheese)
• Tortilla chips, crostini, and/or celery sticks, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, mix chicken, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, buffalo sauce, and about half (it doesn’t have to be exact) of the mozzarella cheese. Spread into a 2 quart baking dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until dip is heated through and the cheese on top is melted and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips, crostini, or celery sticks.

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