Pizza is one of those vehicles on which you can literally journey to any flavor destination. Sure, you can have your standard pepperoni or sausage and mushroom (and don't get me wrong... I LOVE a classic pizza), but it's also fun to flip the script and add toppings that are beyond the expected.
Hailing from the midwest, I love all things buffalo chicken (check out my Buffalo Chicken Rolls and Buffalo Chicken Totchos!) so making a pizza version is a no-brainer. This actually was inspired by the bar I used to work at in Chicago many, many moons ago. They did menu specials every weekend and one weekend, it was buffalo chicken pizza. Everyone went berserk for it and eventually it made its way to the full-time menu.
Sean and I have pizza night pretty much every week. Now that we spend most of our time living out in the sticks where pizza delivery (or even pick-up) is not an option, I make our pizza at home and enjoy changing up the toppings and theme from time to time.
This Buffalo Chicken Pizza is simple to make with store-bought ingredients and is a fun change of pace from the traditional. You aren't going to eat it every Friday, but you'll get a craving, I promise, and you'll be glad you have this recipe in your stash!
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Makes 1 pizza (~14" x 8 slices)
Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes**This recipe may include affiliate links for which I may be paid a commission for purchases made through the link.**
Click the file below to download and print the recipe
I recommend reading the recipe all the way through, including the recipe notes at the bottom, before you start cooking.
Ingredients:
1 pizza dough ball*
~6 frozen chicken tenders to make approx. 2 C. when cooked and chopped**
6 TB Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce, divided*** (or other prepared buffalo wing sauce)
6 TB bleu cheese or ranch dressing
2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 celery stalk, finely diced (~1/3 C.)
1 medium carrot, finely diced (~1/3 C.)
1 oz. bleu cheese crumbles, or to taste (optional)
Drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of garlic powder (optional)
Special equipment:
A pizza stone is highly recommended and it regulates heat much better than a baking sheet. Something like this cast iron one from Lodge is great (handles are a big plus!) If you do not use a pizza stone, I would not preheat the pan.
Directions:
Cook the chicken tenders according to the package on the instructions. Set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat oven AND pizza stone/pan to 450°. Allow oven and stone to be at temp for 10 minutes before moving on to step 3 to ensure stone is properly pre-heated. Roll out pizza dough to desired size and thickness (I usually do a 14" circle). Dock the dough with a fork or a dough docker to prevent bubbles.
Remove the pizza stone from the oven and transfer the dough to it. Bake for approximately 5 minutes to slightly set the dough, but not browning yet.
Meanwhile, mix the bleu cheese dressing and 4 TB Frank's Buffalo Sauce together. Chop cooked chicken into bite-size pieces and toss in remaining 2 TB of buffalo sauce.
Remove the pizza from the oven again to assemble the toppings. First, spread the the bleu cheese/buffalo mixture all over the dough, leaving an edge for crust. Next, sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese evenly over the pizza, following by the celery, carrots, and chicken. Finish with the rest of the mozzarella and the bleu cheese crumbles.
Optional step: Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the exposed crust edge then lightly sprinkle with garlic powder.
Return to the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling, approximately 10 minutes.
Remove pizza to a cutting board and cut into slices (or tavern cut into squares!) and enjoy!
*Recipe notes + Variations*
*I buy my pizza dough at my grocery store (Publix). Pretty much every grocery store has fresh dough balls in their bakery section now. If yours doesn't, check with your local pizza shop. Most will sell you dough. This is one of my easiest short cuts. There's no sense in taking the time to make pizza dough from scratch unless you just really, really want to.
**Volume is approximate. I like breaded chicken tenders for this, but you can definitely use grilled/baked chicken with no breading. Pulled rotisserie chicken would work too.
***Note this is basically prepared buffalo wing sauce (hot sauce with butter). This is different from the regular Frank's Red Hot which is just the hot sauce. You can make your own wing sauce with hot sauce and melted butter.