I know it was a very hot day here in New York to think about using the oven, but I had one piece of boneless chicken breast and some pizza crusts, so I decided to use both of them. Since Sean isn’t home for a couple of weeks, I also decided to spice things up a little bit and make something I know he wouldn’t eat, Buffalo Chicken Pizza. I looked around on the Internet and found a whole bunch of recipes for this, so what I did is a kind of combination of several of them that I thought would work best.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

1 large boneless chicken breast 
salt and pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs

1 large egg, lightly beaten 

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
¼ cup red onion or scallions, diced very fine
1 store bought pizza crust or pre-made pizza crust (I use Boboli myself)

For the chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Thinly slice the chicken breast, dip in the egg to coat, shaking off any excess, then place in the breadcrumbs to coat, again shaking off any excess. Place the chicken in the skillet and saute until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Place the chicken on a paper towel lined plate to drain.

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

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

Assemble the pizza: Place the pizza dough on a pizza stone or the back of a cookie sheet. Spread the ranch dressing evenly on the pizza dough; top with the chicken, then the cheese, and finally the onion.

Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is browned. Let the pizza rest about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Just a couple of quick notes about the recipe. You could easily use a store-bought ranch dressing instead of making your own, but I think the one I made for this recipe tastes good and is very light. You could also use a tomato sauce instead, but I think the ranch adds to the flavor with the buffalo chicken. A lot of the recipes I found use bleu cheese in addition to the mozzarella cheese. I omitted it from the recipe since neither Michelle nor I are big fans of bleu cheese, but you could add some in when you sprinkle on the cheese.

That’s it for tonight. I’m not sure what I’ll be making for Michelle and myself tomorrow, so we’ll have to wait and see. I have a bunch of things in the freezer, so it could be anything tomorrow, depending on the weather. Check back and see what I come up with. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!