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Tuesday 3 July 2012

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Happy belated Canada Day to my fellow Canucks.  Our beloved country is now 145 years AWESOME!  Nothin' says "Happy Canada Day, EH?" like a bunch of Canucks wearing their red and white proudly while drinking a cold Canadian lakeside.  Am I right?  Our family was lucky to be invited, yet again, to two Canada Day festivities.  My parents host a huge shin dig at their cottage and our good friends A & B have hosted a fete for 10 years now.  That's a lot of partying goin' on!

Being Canadian is truly awesome and I mean that sincerely.  We may be overly humble but I honestly think we need to toot our old horns a bit more.  We're not just a bunch of humourous people who can rock a snowboot and love talking about the weather!  We've brought more to the world than just the Biebs, Roots wear, good beer and Gretzky!  I love the fact that:
  • we put poutine on the map
  • we use 'eh' to mean so many things
  • people from around the world like and respect us
  • we have wicked sense of humour but are still very humble
  • we love popping 'U's into various words (humour, flavour ...)
  • we get a kick out of making fun of ourselves and our politicians are good sports about being teased on Canadian TV. 
  • I love that we know the importance of a good donut
  • we invented basketball and Superman. 
  • And the next time you see a Canadian you can thank your lucky stars that your pants aren't falling down because we invented the zipper too! 
So many things to be proud of! So much for that quiet Canadian humility, eh?!  Ok, enough Canadian pride.  Let's get back to the recipe at hand. 

I made this appetizer (as well as my Jalapeno Popper Dip) to bring to A & B's party.  Unfortunately I was not able to stay and enjoy said dip that evening because I quickly learned that my beloved quinoa (which I had eaten at the first party) and my stomach are no longer on good terms.  There was a veritable smack down happening in my stomach on Canada Day.  So not cool or patriotic of my stomach!  After perusing the internet in the wee hours of the morning (after a few hours of nastiness) I learned that even though some people can enjoy quinoa several times with no ill effects all of a sudden their bodies can revolt and chaos ensues (or was that spews?).  So b'bye to quinoa.  It was good while it lasted.  Parting is definitely sweet sorrow.

Since I had to leave the second festivities early (sorry for the TMI above) I didn't get to share this appetizer with our friends (who were much too full from supper).  While I do think that they would have enjoyed this dip Brad, Boy 1 and I took advantage of the situation the following day and ate this dip and it was ... de-lish!  Oh yes.  Brad kept saying how good this dip was and how perfectly it was spiced.  Speak on, my love.  Speak on!  While I do admit to being a wuss in the spiciness department I have to say that this dip was the perfect balance between hot/spicy and flavour.  My mouth was humming but I was in no way dousing my mouth with water with my eyes watering and crying for sweet relief.  It was just a great dip for an afternoon poolside.

I found this original recipe on Allrecipes.com but tweaked it to suit my own tastes.  First of all the original recipe called for canned chicken.  Um, no.  The mere thought of canned chicken makes me gag a wee bit. Tuna in a can I'm ok with but chicken or ham? I just cannot stomach.  Instead I had Brad grill up a couple of small chicken breasts the night before.  The BBQ flavour and the texture of fresh chicken, to me, made a big difference.

I'll also state that I strongly suggest using Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce.  We've tried a couple of other 'Buffalo Chicken' sauces but they pale in comparison to Frank's.  Frank's got this sauce thing down, people!  No one compares, just sayin'.

So whether you're Canadian or not, give this dip a try at your next par-tay or 'just cuz' occasion.  You'll be happy you did, eh?



2 small chicken breasts - BBQ'd and diced
3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce
16oz cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes (I always use reduced fat)
1/2 cup Blue cheese salad dressing
1/2 cup Ranch salad dressing
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Garnish: crumbled blue cheese (optional)
Serve with: scoop nacho chips

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the cooked chicken and the hot sauce.  Add creamed cheese cubes and mix until well blended.  Add salad dressings and cheddar cheese and combine well.

Pour into a baking dish.  Place into the refrigerator for later use or preheat the oven to 350F and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the dip is heated through.  Serve with scoop nacho chips.

Inspired by: Buffalo Chicken Dip

Yield: 12 servings

Notes: This recipe can easily be halved if you don't have a big crowd.  Next time I think I'll use 1 cup of Blue Cheese dressing and leave out the Ranch dressing.

I've linked this recipe to: A Little Nosh's 'Tastetastic Thursday'

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