buffalo chicken dip pizza.

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i have a confession to make: i mostly watch football games for the snacks. yea, the sport itself is fun and all, but when it comes right down to it, it's easier to sit through if there are some good eats and drinks. i normally don't get too fancy with said eats and drinks. we're very much a chips & salsa, crackers & hummus, cookies & milk family over here. it's pretty easy to get in a rut of laying out whatever's in the pantry, and that's fine for any old football game.but the big game warrants a little something extra. a little planning, a little recipe testing, and (dare i say it?) a little solo trip to Target for some treats. oh, solo trips to Target. you are my favorite. i've been known to take two hours to just wander around the store, even though all i end up buying is some laundry detergent and snacks for amelia. blissful does not begin to describe it. but i digress. this post is about football game food, not my deep love for shopping by myself.

for any of you Target lovers, you can save 15% at Target on Coca-Cola brand 6-pack 500ml bottles using the Cartwheel app (until 2/13)! and REESE'S cups footballs are also 15% off at Target using the Cartwheel app (from 1/24-2/13)!

one of the most fun things for me is to find ways to combine foods i love into one great recipe. i love buffalo chicken dip. i love pizza. so of course I'm going to love buffalo chicken dip pizza, right? RIGHT! i'm pretty proud of this pizza you guys. when i had the idea, i had a feeling it would taste good, but then i made it, and had severely underestimated the deliciousness factor. it's two wonderful football foods that have been married into one even more wonderful football food. be still my heart. when Mister Man tasted it, he couldn't stop raving about how good it was (and then he had two more slices).

this pizza is basically a deconstructed buffalo chicken dip in pizza form. so while most buffalo chicken dip recipes have you throwing everything together in one pot to heat up and melt together, we change things up a bit to make this. the sour cream, cream cheese, ranch dressing and buffalo sauce are mixed together to act as the sauce for the pizza. the chicken and mozzarella cheese are added as the toppings. i also threw on a cilantro garnish at the end for some color and fresh flavor. i think that the secret ingredient here is in the puff pastry crust though. it's fluffier than most pizza crusts and really adds a nice twist!

i opted to use better-for-you ingredients in this recipe, because there are usually a lot of snacks hanging around on game days and i figured a more balanced list of ingredients would be a good idea. feel free to mix and match ingredients to make this recipe work for whatever you have on hand though. it'll still taste great!

full disclosure, this pizza is DELICIOUS, but it's also SPICY and SALTY. i highly suggest serving it with something refreshing to cool your mouth off, as well as something sweet to balance out the flavors. Coca-Cola and REESE'S cups footballs are solid choices, and pretty classic from a football food perspective. pizza and Coca-Cola? so classic. REESE'S cups shaped like footballs? so perfectly thematic. take my advice and serve this combo during the big game (whether it's for a party or just for you, i won't tell).

buffalo chicken dip pizza recipe (serves 8)

prep time: 10 minutes (does not include thawing time for the puff pastry dough)total time: 35 minutes (includes cook time and cool down time)

• 1 sheet of puff pastry crust, thawed and rolled out a bit
• 1/2 C. buffalo sauce
• 1/4 C. light sour cream
• 1/4 C. light ranch dressing
• 6 oz. light cream cheese, cubed
• 1-2 C. cooked, shredded chicken (can use rotisserie chicken if desired)
• 1 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
• cilantro, for garnish

make sure to thaw your puff pastry crust fully before beginning, whether overnight or for at least 45 minutes. preheat oven to 415 degrees F. in a small saucepan, mix buffalo sauce, light sour cream, light ranch dressing, and light cream cheese. heat over medium heat, stirring often, until all ingredients are fully melted and mixed together into a smooth consistency. while the sauce is heating, lay your puff pastry dough on a baking sheet, and with either your hands or a rolling pin, flatten out slightly. once your sauce is ready, spread it onto your puff pastry dough, reserving a little for dipping. top the sauce and dough with your shredded chicken and mozzarella cheese. bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the ends of the crust are puffy and the cheese is starting to turn golden brown. let the pizza cool, and top with chopped cilantro for garnish. slice into 8 pieces and serve as a snack during the big football game.

what are your favorite eats and drinks for the big game? are you more of a sweet or savory snack person? i'd love if you shared some ideas!

(don’t forget to take advantage of the Coca-Cola and REESE'S cups footballs Cartwheel deals, both ending 2/13!)

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