An amazing game day recipe or easy weeknight dinner, this easy Buffalo Chicken Pizza is a simple recipe thanks to store-bought crust and rotisserie chicken or make it your own using my homemade pizza dough and easy Foolproof Chicken recipe.
Why this recipe works
If your family is anything like mine, they should be from Buffalo, that's how much they love Buffalo chicken wings. And maybe that's why they could eat this Buffalo Chicken Pizza once a week (or more). Let's be honest, it might be the ranch dressing they douse each bite with. Either way, this pizza gives them the excuse they need.
Or maybe now that they're on their own, they've realized how easy it is to whip up this spicy pizza.
All you'll need is:
- a super easy homemade Buffalo sauce recipe
- shredded roast chicken
- homemade or store-bought pizza dough.
Let's get started.
What you'll need
There are only 2 ingredients to the amazing and classic chicken wing sauce:
- Franks Red Hot Sauce (not the pre-mixed Buffalo sauce variety )
- melted unsalted butter
You're literally just mixing these two together in a bowl.
That's it. Simple, easy and best of all...proven.
What kind of pizza dough?
While I love to make my own homemade pizza dough , I don't always want to or have the time. Trader Joe's is my go-to for store bought pizza dough. I love that they have three varieties: plain, whole wheat, and a garlic herb one. For this buffalo chicken pizza recipe, I'd choose either the whole wheat or plain.
Choosing the right pizza pan
The other key to the crispy crust isn't just the dough. It's the hot stone I bake it on. If you don't have a pizza stone, you can still make this recipe but I will tell you it's not an expensive investment and you'll use it for soooo many things. This pizza stone comes from Emile Henry and to say I love it is an understatement.
- It's a hip, cool black and second of all, it always looks great.
- It's super easy to clean.
- It comes in several shapes and sizes - I have two of them: round and this rectangular one.
The process
- For the chicken, I shred my Foolproof Chicken Breasts recipe - I find that 2-3 chicken breast halves per pizza typically works depending on the size. You can also shred up a store-bought rotisserie chicken or buy Costco's already shredded rotisserie chicken. Huge timesaver!
- In a small bowl, toss the chicken with the hot sauce and butter mixture.
- Roll out the pizza dough on to a pizza peel and layer on the ingredients like this:
- Buffalo chicken
- grated cheese
- red onions (you can also caramelize these if you'd liked)
- cilantro and sliced green onions
Using store-bought crust?
Let the dough it sit out on the counter to come to room temp for about 20 min or so before rolling.
Optional toppings
Here are some topping suggestions for one amazing Buffalo Chicken Pizza.
- A combination of cheeses
- A blend of Monterrey Jack, sharp cheddar and mozzarella combined give you all the melty goodness.
- Crumbled blue cheese for classic Buffalo chicken pizza flavors
- Veggies
- diced celery (on the required list of what to serve with chicken wings)
- chopped red onion
- green onion
- chopped cilantro
- garnish of avocado.
- Other options
- bacon
- red pepper
- caramelized onions
- don't forget to accessorize with a little Mascarpone Ranch Dressing or this better-than-store-bought Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing.
FAQ
Between each ingredient addition, make sure that the crust still slides back and forth on the peel. If it doesn't, gently lift the spot where it's sticking and sprinkle on some more cornmeal. Keep doing this throughout the layering process because the pizza is getting heavier and the crust is getting all cozy on that board.
If you don't have or want a stone, you can use the back of a cookie sheet or baking sheet. You won't have to heat it for the whole 20 minutes per the recipe but I would definitely put down some cornmeal on the pan right before placing the pizza on it.
You sure can! In this case, I'd roll out the pizza dough on a clean and floured countertop before placing it on the pan. Sprinkle some cornmeal on the pan before layering on the ingredients and bake in a 450˚ preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Tips
For a few. One pizza oughta do it!
For a crew. Many, many pizzas!
For more pizza recipe inspiration
…before you go...
If you make this Buffalo Chicken Pizza recipe, be sure to share your reviews in the comments below! Or pin the recipe by clicking on one of the images above and save it for later.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
Tools Needed
- pizza peel
- baking stone
- pizza cutter or scissors
- rolling pin
Crust Prep
- 1 lb pizza dough, or premade crust (I use Trader Joe's or my homemade whichever I have time for)
- flour, as needed
- cornmeal, as needed
Topping Prep
- 3 boneless chicken breasts, cooked*
- ⅓ cup butter, melted
- ⅓ cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce, or your favorite hot sauce
- ⅓ cup sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated
- ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese, grated
- ⅓ cup Monterrey jack cheese, grated
- ⅓ cup red onion, chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Optional
- 1 avocado, sliced
- diced celery
- 3 slices of crisp bacon, cooked and chopped
- blue cheese or ranch dressing, for dipping or drizzling on top
- chopped fresh tomatoes
Instructions
- Heat oven to 500° and place stone in the oven and heat for at least 20 minutes.
Crust
- If dough is refrigerated, remove from fridge for about 20-30 minutes so it can relax.
- Lightly sprinkle flour on countertop or cutting board. Using rolling pin, roll dough out to within 1" of pizza stone edges. My stone is approximately 13x15 so I roll it out to about 12x14. If the dough shrinks back, you can wait for 10 minutes or so for it to relax.
- Sprinkle pizza peel with a decent amount of cornmeal. Once you have the dough to the size you want it, lay it on the pizza peel and give it a shimmy back and forth to make sure that it is sliding easily on the peel. Keep checking it from time to time as you progress to the other steps so that the pizza will slide off easily on to the stone when the time comes. If there's a sticking area, just toss some cornmeal underneath.
Chicken
- Prepare chicken according to Foolproof Chicken recipe or use a rotisserie chicken. Shred cooked chicken and place in medium bowl. Set aside.
- Mix hot sauce and butter together in a glass measuring cup. Cover lightly with a paper towel and melt in microwave for approximately 1 minute, checking periodically. Gently stir to combine.
- Pour hot sauce mixture over chicken and gently toss to combine. Meanwhile, gather other toppings.
- Using a fork, spread the chicken on the pizza dough making sure that it is spread out evenly across the crust. Layer the ingredients in the following order: bacon (if using), cheese, red onion, green onion, cilantro.
- Make sure that the crust easily slides on the peel. If it doesn't, gently lift the area where it's sticking and toss some cornmeal under the dough. It should re-slide again.
- Open the oven door and pull out the rack. Using a back and forth sliding motion and starting at the back of the heated stone, gently transfer the crust a bit at a time from the peel to the stone. It might not be perfect but that's ok!
- Bake for approximately 10 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Remove and let sit for about 5 minutes and slice.
Notes
- The cornmeal gives the crunch so try not to leave it out.
- As you add each ingredient, wiggle the peel back and forth to make sure the pizza is still sliding over the peel. If you have a sticky spot, gently lift the crust and toss some more cornmeal on the peel until it no longer sticks.
- If you don't have a pizza stone/peel, use the back of one or two cookie sheets or pan. You won't have to heat it for the whole 20 minutes per the recipe but I would definitely put down some cornmeal on the pan right before placing the pizza on it.
- No peel? Roll out the pizza dough on a clean and floured countertop before placing it on the pan. Sprinkle some cornmeal on the pan before layering on the ingredients and bake in a 450˚ preheated oven for 20 minutes.
I made this last night and it is delicious! Just wondering what is considered one serving for the nutritional information? Is that 2 prepared chicken breasts?
Hi Ashley - thank you for your comment and question! So glad you liked it - one of our top five favs for sure! I would say 1/6 of the recipe or two pieces. And yes, two prepared chicken breasts.🙂