Vanessa's Buffalo Chicken Cheese Dip

[addendum: Nov 12, 2007 - Since Peter wanted to see pics, and this dip recipe got such good feedback, I figured I better make some (heh heh) and take some pics. Lightning wasn't great, and with the hot sauce and melted cheddar it takes on sort of a molten lava look to it - but it sure does taste good! I poached chicken breasts til done/tender, shredded/chopped them, and just stirred them into the softened cream cheese with the hot sauce, blue cheese dressing and half the cheddar, then piled on more cheddar. Baked til bubbly. We DEFINITELY approve!)




Vanessa and Paul brought a dish to the Halloween party this year that no one else had had before - Buffalo Chicken Cheese Dip. This stuff was GOOOOOD! Spicey too! I could see this almost being like a casseroley meal if you were to eat it with crusty bread or crackers (and lots of veggies or salad so you don't feel as guilty about making a meal out of it!)

Vanessa sent me her ingredients list, and I tracked down the rest of the cooking instructions online - turns out this recipe is all over the place if you know to look for it!

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Dip

• 2 cups cooked chicken in pieces or shredded (you can cook chicken breasts or used canned chicken)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
• 1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing
• 16 oz of cream cheese, softened
• 5-8 oz Franks hot sauce (Vanessa used about 4 oz)

Heat chicken and red hot until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half the cheddar cheese. Now here's where the recipes I've seen diverge - you can either put the mixture in a slow cooker, add the remaining shredded cheddar on top, and cook on low til hot and bubbly, OR you can put it all in a pan (8x8 and 13x9 have both been recommended - Vanessa baked hers in a roughly 8x8 casserole dish), top with cheese, and bake at 350F for 20min.

Hm, some recipes go a much simpler route, suggesting you just spread the cream cheese into the pan first, then layer on the combined chicken and hot sauce, and then layer on the blue cheese dressing and shredded cheeses (Montery Jack is also recommended in place of cheddar).

There's obviously lots of ways you could go with this - and I'm sure they all taste great!

Sorry I don't have any pictures of this tasty treat, but I'm sure if you make it up and serve it with crackers or chips or even some crusty bread, you'll find the pictures don't do it justice!