The Best Dip Recipe on Planet Earth Is on the Back of This Bottle

It's the ultimate party appetizer.

Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

Appetizers are everything when it comes to parties and get-togethers, so bringing the right one can make you the most appreciated guest in attendance. Luckily, you don’t need caviar or beef tartare to impress a crowd. All you really need is this one fantastic recipe from the back of a bottle: in this case, a bottle of Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce. There, you will find the holy grail of apps: Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Chicken Dip.

What Is Chicken Dip?

Place it in the “strange dips made with chicken” category, Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Chicken Dip is in good company with the likes of ranch chicken dip and chicken taco dip. Like those other dips, It starts with cooked pulled chicken. While no particular type of chicken is specified in the recipe, I like using rotisserie chicken to make things easy.

After the chicken is pulled, it gets tossed with cream cheese, Frank’s RedHot Sauce, ranch dressing, and blue cheese. Once combined, it’s poured into a baking dish and sent to the oven to cook until hot and bubbling.

Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

Frank's RedHot Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

This recipe is adapted from Frank’s RedHot. You'll need:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  2. Mix the cream cheese, hot sauce, ranch dressing, and 1/2 cup blue cheese together in a large bowl. Stir in the cooked chicken. Spoon the mixture into a 1-quart baking dish.

  3. Bake for 20 minutes or until the dip is heated through; give it a stir. Garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese and scallions.

How To Serve Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Chicken Dip

Now that you have the best dip on the planet coming out of the oven, how should you serve it? There’s no “wrong” way to serve chicken dip, so be as creative as you want. The recipe suggests crackers, chips, and cut veggies, but you could also serve it with pretzels, corn tortilla chips, pita chips, or toasted baguette slices. Or, if you’re up for it, offer them all!

Chicken dip is best when warm, so if you bring the dish to a party, wait to heat it up until you arrive. Once it’s hot, hand everyone a plate so that they can dig in and enjoy.

Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

Tips for Making the Best Chicken Dip

Do right by this great recipe with these insider tips..

  1. Choose your chicken carefully. To make life easier, I recommend buying a rotisserie chicken for making this dip. If you have some extra time, make a batch of pulled chicken in your slow cooker.

  2. Customize it. The ingredient list is short, so feel free to add what you want to make this dip your own. Some ideas: add a tablespoon or two of minced garlic, half of a minced jalapeño (or chopped pickled jalapeños), or a tablespoon or two of finely diced onion.

  3. Add a garnish. You’ll end up with a very bright orange dip once you’ve combined everything for this dish. To add a pop of color and freshness, top it with sliced scallions or chopped parsley just before serving.

  4. Tinker with the ranch dressing ratio. I love ranch salad dressing, but I think the dip would be lovely (and less salty!) with half as much as what’s called for in the recipe. You can also replace it with an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream.

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