Buffalo chicken pizza

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If you love pizzas, you will love this buffalo chicken pizza. Homemade buffalo rub, spiced up sauce on a ranch slathered thin crust pizza.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Update April 2020: The original recipe went live in September 2012. I updated the post with some more recent pictures and a printable recipe. The post now has the old photos and the new ones both.


This is the first time I am posting with Group B for the Secret Recipe Club.

I had to change my SRC group from A to B since Group A’s posting day clashes with the Recipe Swap’s posting day, ever since the Recipe Swap started posting the first Monday of the month. I loved Group A and the bloggers I had got to know, but I am sure Group B will be as much fun. Atleast, the first month has been. 🙂

For my first Group B assignment I got Ashley’s Kitchen Meets Girl.

When I read this in her “about me” section I could so relate to her:

Interestingly enough, I didn’t grow up with an interest in cooking […] I don’t know how or when, but somewhere along the line, that changed.  Look at me—I’m writing a food blog.  Craziness.

Since I was traveling for the last two weeks and also because the mail with my assignment probably went to my spam folder, I only got to know my Group B assignment a week before the reveal date. But one look at Ashley’s blog and I knew I wouldn’t pass up this opportunity of cooking through her recipes.

 

I bookmarked quite a few of her recipes but finally chose her buffalo chicken pizza to try.

Someone who reads this space regularly would probably know our little town hardly has any options of eating out. There is a motel which serves american and mexican food. There is another restaurant where we hardly go to because it doesn’t have any vegetarian options. There is the chinese place from where I have eaten twice and have got food poisoning both times. There is the bowling alley that serves food, but besides their grilled chicken sandwich I am not a fan of the food (and believe me I am not a picky eater when it’s someone else who has cooked the food). There is a new place that has opened and though the food is good, the service is horrible- with mixed up orders, a long wait and servers not aware of their whole menu.

And well, don’t get me started on the Pizza. It’s not bad and generally the only option we have when we (actually I) don’t feel like cooking, but it’s not the best either. There is no thin crust!  Just the the thick crust variety of pizza, which I am not a fan of.

So when I saw Ashley’s buffalo chicken pizza recipe it was a great push for me to take off my lazy pants and make my favorite Pizza dough recipe from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. And the idea of having Buffalo chicken as the topping sounded divine!

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BASIL & ALMOND PESTO

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Its pesto time! Had a couple of basil leaves left from the time I made Pizza at home, so pesto was the way to go. Generally pesto is made with pine nuts, but I did not have any on hand and it is difficult to find them in the place that I stay. Many people use walnuts as a substitute but I feel roasted blanched almonds are a better substitute.

Traditionally, pesto is made in a mortar and pestle. Some Italians swear that the key to a good pesto is chopping the ingredients by hand rather than in a food processor. But, well, chopping by hand takes time and I wanted a quick recipe. I will definitely try chopping by hand the next time I have time on my hand and let you know the difference. But, for now I am happy with my food processor made pesto!

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CAESAR SALAD

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I often wondered where did the name Caesar Salad come from. Was it named because Julius Caesar liked it? Well, duh, no! So I researched and here is some Caesar Salad trivia: the salad’s creation is attributed to Caesar Cardini (an Italian born Mexican- yes mexican!). He stumbled upon the idea to make this salad during July 4th celebrations, when most of his pantry emptied out and he had no choice but to make a salad with what was on hand. And, voila! Caesar Salad was born!

The salad is simple, quick to make and tasty to eat. The recipe I use is from a magazine I bought in India, published by Femina. All the recipes in that magazine have been great. The original recipe calls for mayonnaise but I use tartar sauce. I like the sharper flavor that tartar sauce adds. The original recipe also calls for anchovies, instead I add a few drops of worcestershire sauce. You can add grilled chicken as well, but I like to keep this salad vegetarian.

Unfortunately, I always forget to photograph the salad and by the time I realise, its all gobbled up!

CAESAR SALAD

DRESSING:

1 garlic flake, finely chopped

1 tbsp grated Parmesan

salt to taste

5 tbsp mayo (or tartar sauce)

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Few drops of worcestershire sauce

FOR THE SALAD

1 head Romaine Lettuce

Croutons, about 1 1/2 cups

1 cup cherry tomatoes, optional

Shavings of Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Mix all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. The consistency should be that of yogurt. Just before serving, in a salad bowl, add the lettuce, cherry tomatoes and croutons and drizzle the dressing on top. Using tongs, mix well together. The salad should be well coated. Top with shavings of the parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.