Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Buffalo chicken-anything is one of my husband's favorite foods. Left to his own devices with some chicken and a grill, and you are getting one of two things for dinner: BBQ chicken-something or Buffalo chicken-something. When I saw this recipe for Buffalo chicken pizza from Bridget, one of my most trusted recipe sources, I knew it would be an instant hit! 

Normally, I am not as big of a Buffalo chicken fan as my husband, but I totally fell in love with this pizza!  The combination of flavors is just perfect!


Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Source: The Way the Cookie Crumbles
Serves 3-4

• 1 large bone-in skin-on chicken breast (about 12 ounces)
• salt
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ cup Frank’s hot sauce
• ½ teaspoon packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon buttermilk or plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• pinch of sugar
• pinch of garlic powder
• 2 ounces (½ cup) mozzarella, shredded
• 1 ounce (¼ cup) blue cheese, crumbled
• ¼ cup red onion or scallions, diced very fine
• 12-16 ounces pizza dough (one third of a recipe calling for about 4 cups of flour), stretched out to 9-12 inches (Whole wheat pizza dough recipe here)
  

1. For the chicken: Stir 2 tablespoons salt into 2 cups cold water until it dissolves. Add the chicken; refrigerate for 30 minutes, then remove the chicken from the brine and pat it dry. Adjust an oven rack to the middle-low position and heat the oven to 450ºF. Heat a small oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan; place the chicken breast in the pan skin-side down. Cook without moving until well-browned, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and move the pan to the oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken measures 160ºF or the juices run clear when small cut is made in the chicken. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside. When the chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove and discard the skin (or eat it, because it’s crisp and delicious!) and shred the meat with your fingers or two forks. (If you’ve used good chicken, brined it, and pan-roasted it like this, I dare you not to resist stealing bites of the shredded chicken. It’s delicious.) Increase the oven temperature to 500ºF.

2. For the buffalo sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar, hot sauce, and vinegar. Mix the sauce with the shredded chicken.

3. For the white sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk or yogurt, mayonnaise, sugar, garlic powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.

4. Assemble the pizza: Place the pizza dough on a wooden paddle that’s been liberally coated with cornmeal. (Or use parchment paper instead of the cornmeal, or the back of a baking sheet instead of the paddle.) Spread the white sauce evenly on the pizza dough; top with the chicken, then the cheeses, and finally the onions.

5. Bake the pizza for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is browned. Let the pizza rest about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.