A buffalo chicken pizza recipe tops pizza dough with shredded chicken tossed in buffalo sauce, melted cheese and a cool blue cheese or ranch drizzle. One published method bakes it at 475°F for 15 to 18 minutes, while an Ooni needs only 1 to 2 minutes. The buffalo sauce sets the heat, so pick a mild one if you want a gentler bite. The bake changes with your oven, so the steps below cover both a standard oven and an Ooni.
What Goes on Buffalo Chicken Pizza
A buffalo chicken pizza recipe is built from a dough base, buffalo sauce, cooked chicken, melted cheese and a dressing finish. The Spend With Pennies recipe uses 2 cups of cooked shredded chicken and 1/2 cup of buffalo sauce on an 8-slice pizza.
The sauce does most of the flavor work. According to the Spend With Pennies recipe, any brand of buffalo sauce works, and a milder sauce takes the edge off the heat. Blue cheese or ranch dressing spread under the toppings adds a cool contrast to each bite.
Cheese is usually a blend. The Savor the Best version pairs 12 ounces of shredded mozzarella with 4 to 6 ounces of cheddar, while the Spend With Pennies version uses 2 cups of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of Parmesan.
The Spend With Pennies card lists estimated nutrition per serving of 179 calories, 17 grams of protein, 11 grams of fat and 929 milligrams of sodium per serving. The author treats these as estimates that shift with your sauce, dressing and cheese. Serve it with celery and carrot sticks, as the same recipe suggests.
Ingredients and Amounts by Recipe
Each buffalo chicken pizza recipe differs on how much chicken and sauce to use, so compare the amounts before you shop. The Savor the Best recipe uses the most chicken at 2 1/2 cups, against 2 cups in the Spend With Pennies recipe.
| Ingredient | Spend With Pennies | Savor the Best | Exceldor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooked chicken | 2 cups, shredded | 2 1/2 cups, shredded | 4 boneless chicken thighs, cooked and shredded |
| Buffalo sauce | 1/2 cup | 1 1/2 cups, divided | 2/3 cup hot sauce with 1/2 cup cold butter |
| Dough | 1 roll refrigerated, or 1/2 pound homemade | 1 pizza dough recipe | 500 g, split into four portions |
| Mozzarella | 2 cups, shredded | 12 ounces, shredded | 1 fresh ball, shredded |
| Other cheese | 1/4 cup Parmesan | 4 to 6 ounces cheddar, plus 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese | 1/2 cup Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese |
| Dressing | 3/4 cup blue cheese or ranch, divided | 1/3 cup blue cheese or ranch, divided | Blue cheese for topping |
The Exceldor recipe pre-cooks its chicken first, at 425°F for about 15 minutes, then shreds it once cooled. Plan that step in before you start the dough, since the rest of the recipe moves quickly.
Dough and sauce choices change the result, and a homemade base such as pizza dough with bread flour is one option. Farm and Dairy uses a 10 ounce refrigerated tube for a thin crust, brushed with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Exceldor builds its sauce from Frank’s RedHot, cold butter, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Either approach gives your buffalo chicken pizza recipe a different base.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza Recipe Steps for a Home Oven
Bake a buffalo chicken pizza recipe at 475°F for 15 to 18 minutes on a preheated baking sheet or pizza stone, according to Spend With Pennies. The Savor the Best and Exceldor recipes use 500°F for a standard home oven.
- Preheat the oven to 475°F with a baking sheet or pizza stone inside.
- Roll the dough into a 14-inch circle on parchment paper. Room-temperature dough is easier to shape.
- Spread 1/2 cup of blue cheese or ranch dressing over the dough.
- Toss the cooked chicken with the buffalo sauce, then spread it over the dough with a little thinly sliced red onion.
- Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella and Parmesan on top.
- Slide the pizza onto the hot sheet or stone and bake 15 to 18 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese bubbles.
- Finish with chopped cilantro and sliced green onion, then drizzle with the remaining dressing.
Preheating matters for the crust. Spend With Pennies calls a preheated pan or stone the key to good homemade pizza, because high heat gives a crisp base and bubbly cheese.
For a thinner base, a thin crust pizza dough recipe works well, and Farm and Dairy bakes its version at 500°F for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned, then cuts the pizza into 6 wedges. That shorter bake suits a buffalo chicken pizza recipe built on a thin shell.
Making Buffalo Chicken Pizza in an Ooni Oven
The official Ooni recipe has a cook time of 1 to 2 minutes and yields a 12-inch or 16-inch pizza. It uses grilled buffalo chicken wings, tangy blue cheese and crunchy celery rather than a standard shredded-chicken topping.
The Ooni recipe asks you to stretch the dough a little thicker than usual, then fold the pizza after cooking for a sandwich style. The page does not list an oven temperature, so check your Ooni manual for the baking board setting. For heat figures on specific models, see how hot an Ooni Koda 16 gets and how long an Ooni Koda 12 takes to heat up.
Savor the Best gives 920°F for an outdoor pizza oven and about 90 seconds of bake time. Its method calls for rotating the pizza during cooking, and baking a little longer if the oven temperature drops.
For this buffalo chicken pizza recipe, Savor the Best suggests dividing the dough into two to four balls, depending on the pizza size you want. Smaller balls are easier to turn quickly in a hot outdoor oven.
- Stretch the dough a little thicker than for a standard pie.
- Use grilled wings or cooked chicken tossed in buffalo sauce.
- Rotate the pizza often during the short bake.
- Fold the pizza after cooking.
Common Mistakes With Buffalo Chicken Pizza
The main pitfall is over-topping, and Savor the Best advises against piling toppings on too thickly. Sauce heat also varies by brand, so taste the buffalo sauce before you add the full amount to a buffalo chicken pizza recipe.
- Adding all the sauce before tasting it, when a milder sauce keeps the heat in check.
- Baking on a cold pan or stone, which the Spend With Pennies recipe says costs you a crisp crust.
- Trusting the printed cook time. The Spend With Pennies card lists 25 minutes, but its bake step says 15 to 18 minutes.
- Over-baking an Ooni pizza, since the cook time is only 1 to 2 minutes.
Read the bake step rather than the total time on any buffalo chicken pizza recipe card. Check the cheese and crust a little early, then leave the pizza in only until both look right.
Storage and Variations for Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Leftover slices of this buffalo chicken pizza recipe keep up to 4 days in a covered container in the refrigerator, according to Spend With Pennies. Common additions in the same recipe include mushrooms, black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, bell peppers and spinach. For a sweeter topping, the Hawaiian pizza recipe pairs ham with pineapple.
Ranch is a simple swap for blue cheese if your household prefers a milder finish. Savor the Best notes that ranch or blue cheese helps mellow the heat, and Spend With Pennies says any cheese combination works. For another topped pizza with both home-oven and pizza-oven methods, try this sausage and peppers pizza recipe.
Frozen dough is a practical backup. Savor the Best notes that store-bought refrigerated or frozen pizza dough works, and freezing extra pizza dough keeps a second batch ready for your next buffalo chicken pizza recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make buffalo chicken pizza with rotisserie chicken?
Yes, rotisserie chicken works in this buffalo chicken pizza recipe. Spend With Pennies says any cooked chicken works, including leftover baked chicken or rotisserie chicken. Plan about 2 cups of shredded meat for an 8-slice pizza, and toss it with the buffalo sauce before spreading it on the dough.
Which buffalo sauce works best in a buffalo chicken pizza recipe?
Any brand works in a buffalo chicken pizza recipe, according to Spend With Pennies, which finds a mild sauce less hot. Savor the Best notes that ranch or blue cheese helps mellow the heat, so the dressing is a useful control as well.
How long does buffalo chicken pizza take to bake?
In a standard oven, the Spend With Pennies recipe bakes it at 475°F for 15 to 18 minutes. Savor the Best gives 12 minutes at 500°F. Check that the cheese bubbles and the crust turns golden, whichever buffalo chicken pizza recipe you follow.
Do you need to pre-cook the chicken?
Use cooked chicken. Exceldor pre-cooks boneless chicken thighs at 425°F for about 15 minutes, then shreds them once cooled. Spend With Pennies also works with leftover baked chicken breasts.
How long does it keep in the fridge?
Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, according to Spend With Pennies.
If you bake in a standard oven, follow one buffalo chicken pizza recipe’s temperature and time and stay consistent. If you own an Ooni, plan for a bake of 1 to 2 minutes, rotate often and watch closely. Either way, taste the sauce first so the heat lands where you want it.