A Wing Lover’s Dream in Pizza Form
I grew up in the heyday of buffalo wings and “Wing Wednesdays” at our favorite pub. So I’ve been a fan of hot wings for more than half of my life! So, when working on collaborations with A Food Lover’s Kitchen, their Buffalo Chicken Pizza recipe was at the top of the list!
This recipe includes the “controversial” use of blue (bleu) cheese to transform everything we love about hot Buffalo chicken wings—spicy, savory chicken, and tangy—into an irresistible pizza.
Before the Pizza: The History of Buffalo Chicken
So, where does buffalo chicken get its name? Does it actually hail from Buffalo, New York?
Yes! Buffalo chicken originated in Buffalo, NY, in the 1960s. Wikipedia notes that there are several claims for who invented Buffalo wings. I love these debates!
It would seem that nearly all of the stories include the Anchor Bar and the Bellissimo family as the originators of our favorite wings.
According to (arguably) the most accepted story, Teressa Bellissimo, co-owner of the Anchor Bar, whipped up a quick snack for her son and his friends using leftover chicken wings, deep-fried and tossed in a simple blend of hot sauce and butter. She served them with celery and blue cheese dressing to cool the heat, and the rest is history. The other variations still seem to include Teressa and mostly are just variations on why she made them in the first place.
Another possibility is that a man named John Young invented a breaded version served in his own special tomato-based “Mumbo sauce”. While this doesn’t sound to me like the wing I hold near and dear to my heart(burn), it would potentially pre-date Teressa’s creation.
Either way, Buffalo wings quickly became a hit and have since inspired countless adaptations, including this Buffalo Chicken Pizza. The classic flavor profile—spicy, buttery sauce paired with tangy blue cheese—makes it an instant crowd-pleaser in almost any form.
My Buffalo Wing Experience in Buffalo, NY…
…was very underwhelming. Granted this was pre-internet search days and some of my friends and I were on a road trip from Toronto to New York City. I insisted if we were passing through Buffalo, we had to go find authentic Buffalo hot wings.
Well, we didn’t know anything about the Anchor Bar – we just went to what looked like a good, old school pub and ordered Buffalo wings.
“Do you mean hot wings? We don’t serve them here.”
*sigh*
We did eventually find a pub that served them, but they simply were nowhere as good as our favorites back home.
Why Buffalo Chicken Pizza is a Must-Try
This pizza brings the comfort of a classic pizza crust together with the crave-worthy flavor of buffalo wings. What makes this version special is the addition of a creamy blue cheese base that pairs beautifully with the heat of the buffalo sauce. Plus, it’s versatile: you can go mild or crank up the spice, and there’s always room to customize.
Ingredients for Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Pizza
As you’ll have surmised, this is really a buffalo chicken and blue cheese pizza (i.e. not just buffalo chicken). This is because we want some sort of sauce – and not tomato sauce!
If you don’t like Blue Cheese, I would substitute olive oil to provide the moisture. You’ll probably find our deep dish olive oil pizza recipe perfect as a base in this case.
What Kind of Chicken?
While you might default to think that you should use chicken wings to make your pizza, the reality is that isn’t going to work out well. De-boning enough chicken wings for your pizza is not going to be a fun assignment! Instead, we recommend using chicken thighs because they are still the same dark meat, but much easier to work with. If you prefer white meat, you can easily substitute chicken breast.
Here’s what you’ll need to make our Philly Cheesesteak pizza recipe on a 12-inch pizza:
- 10 ounces of pizza dough
- Store-bought: we recommend trying Trader Joe’s pre-made dough
- You can use a pre-made dough but why not try making our Easy Peasy Dough?
- Cooked Chicken Thighs: Simmered and shredded for maximum flavor and tenderness.
- Buffalo Sauce:
- Frank’s RedHot is the A Food Lover’s Kitchen‘s choice. However, I vastly prefer Louisiana brand.
- Mix either with melted butter to simulate the effect of the deep fryer and add a more authentic taste.
- Blue Cheese Sauce:
- Homemade is a creamy mix of mayonnaise and crumbled blue cheese, mixed until chunky or blended until smooth (see below).
- You can also substitute blue cheese dressing – in which case we recommend a chunky and thick dressing.
- Red Onion: Thinly sliced for a sharp, sweet crunch.
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese: For that gooey, melty goodness.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Pizza
Step 1: Cook the Chicken
- Cook the Chicken: Simmer chicken thighs in water for about 25 minutes. Let them cool, shred the meat, and toss it with buffalo sauce and melted butter. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes to let the flavors soak in.
Step 2. Preheat Your Oven
- Preheat your oven to the temperature recommendation of your pizza dough.
Step 3: Prepare Your Dough and Toppings
- Mix the Blue Cheese Sauce: Combine mayonnaise and crumbled blue cheese in a bowl, whisking until creamy. If you prefer a smoother texture, blend it in a food processor. You can also substitute blue cheese dressing – in which case we recommend a chunky and thick dressing.
- Slice the onions.
- Shred the cheese.
- Mix the hot sauce with butter.
- Prepare the Dough (last): Stretch or roll out your homemade or store-bought pizza dough.
Step 4. Parbake the Pizza Crust
- Because the Blue cheese dressing is pretty wet, this pizza benefits from parbaking it – which means partially cooking it.
- Depending on your pizza recipe and cooking temperature, the length of time for parbaking will vary.
- I recommend parbaking for 1/3 of the total cooking time. So if your dough recipe says 18 minutes, parbake for 6, then take it out to top it. If it’s a Neapolitan at 800+ degrees, you can parbake for about 30 seconds.
Step 5: Top Your Pizza
- Spread the Sauce: Cover the pizza crust with a layer of the blue cheese sauce. Because you’ve partially baked the crust, you can adjust the thickness to your liking, and you don’t need to hold back if you’re a blue cheese fan.
- Add the Chicken: Scatter the shredded buffalo chicken evenly across the crust.
- Top with Cheese and then Onions: Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese followed by the sliced red onions on top (the exposure to the heat will mellow them).
Step 6. Finish the Bake
- Transfer the topped pizza back to the oven.
- Continue to bake for the remaining 2/3 of the time (per the dough recipe), and until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly on top, and the crust underneath is browned and firm.
- Allow the pizza to rest on a cutting board for 3 to 5 minutes for the cheese to set.
- Slice and serve immediately!
Tips for the Best Buffalo Chicken Pizza
- Adjust the Heat: Use more or less buffalo sauce depending on your spice tolerance.
- Crispy Crust Tip: Par-baking the crust ensures it’s fully cooked and sturdy enough to hold the toppings.
- Experiment with Cheese: Not a blue cheese fan? Swap it out for ranch dressing or use shredded cheddar for a milder flavor.
- Make It Personal: Use individual-sized crusts to customize toppings for each eater.
Why You’ll Love This Buffalo Chicken Recipe
This Buffalo Chicken Pizza is everything you want in a meal: indulgent, zesty, and packed with flavor. It’s a great way to mix up pizza night, especially if you’re a fan of bold flavors and the satisfying kick of buffalo sauce.
Ready to give it a try? Share your Buffalo Chicken Pizza creations on social media and tag us, along with A Food Lover’s Kitchen!
Buffalo Chicken Pizza Recipe (with Blue Cheese)
Equipment
- 1 Outdoor pizza oven Optional
- 1 Pizza stone/Pizza steel/Pizza Pan Also optional for cooking your pizza in your indoor oven
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Pizza Cutter
Ingredients
Pizza Ingredients
- 1 pre-made pizza crust Either use a pre-made dough or refer to one of our dough recipes such as our Rye Pizza dough: https://satisfyingslice.com/rye-pizza-dough/
- 1 pound Chicken Thighs Boneless & skinless. You can use bone in and remove it after cooking, but you'll need to use more chicken.
- ½ cup Louisiana Hot Sauce or Frank's RedHot
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 3 ounces Blue cheese crumbles
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese grated
- ¼ red onion to taste
Instructions
Preheat your oven to the temperature recommended for your dough.
Cook the Chicken
- Simmer the chicken thighs in a pot of water for about 25 minutes. Return chicken to the empty pot and add the buffalo sauce and butter.
- Take them from the water and let them cool, then shred.
- Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
Prepare Your Toppings.
- Make sure all of your toppings are ready before you stretch out your dough. Have the sauce made, the cheese grated, etc.
- The ingredient ratios in the recipe assume a pizza that’s 12 inches in diameter. So adjust either your dough weight OR your ingredients, if necessary.
Make the Blue Cheese Sauce
- To make the blue cheese sauce, whisk or use a food processor to combine the blue cheese and mayonnaise.
Prepare Your Dough
- Stretch or roll out your pizza dough on a floured surface.
- Place the dough on your peel or pizza pan.
Parbake the Pizza
- Because spreading the Cheez Whiz can tear your dough, this pizza benefits from parbaking it – which means partially cooking it.
- Depending on your pizza recipe and cooking temperature, the length of time for parbaking will vary.
- I recommend parbaking for 1/3 of the total cooking time. So if your dough recipe says 18 minutes, parbake for 6, then take it out to top it. If it’s a Neapolitan at 800+ degrees, you can parbake for about 30 seconds.
Top Your Pizza
- Remove the pizza from the oven and put on a heat-resistant surface.
- Spread a thin, even layer of the Blue Cheese dressing over the dough, leaving about 1 inch of crust uncovered.
- Distribute the shredded chicken evenly across the pizza.
- Top it off with the grated Mozzarella cheese for that irresistible melty finish.
- Finally add the sliced red onion. The direct exposure to the heat will soften the flavor.
Finish the Bake
- Transfer the topped pizza back to the oven.
- Continue to bake for the remaining 2/3 of the time (per the dough recipe), and until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly on top, and the crust underneath is browned and firm.
- Allow the pizza to rest on a cutting board for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Slice and serve immediately!
Notes
Nutrition
Todd’s cooking skills have revolved around the grill since about age 12, when he developed a love for grilling and took over for Mom at the BBQ. He worked at Wendy’s and at Earl’s Tin Palace (a restaurant chain in Canada) but never really did any sort of baking…until he and Heather started making pizza together! Now he’s often making dough in the mornings and pizza in the evenings.