Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo chicken is all the rage lately.  I frequently make Rachael Ray’s buffalo chicken chili.  It’s one of my favorites meals.  So, imagine my delight when I discovered all of the new popular buffalo chicken dips. Within one week, a friend brought buffalo chicken dip to a Christmas party and I saw a recipe for a similar dip in the paper.  I decided that it was only appropriate that I make some of my own.

I am not a real big fan of blue cheese.  I will eat it in some dishes, but I typically don’t use it in my recipes.  So, my recipe does not feature the typical blue cheese elements that you will find in most buffalo chicken dip recipes.  If you are a fan of blue cheese, you could substitute blue cheese dressing for the ranch dressing I used.  Or, substitute crumbled blue cheese for the monterey jack cheese in my recipe.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces light cream cheese (1/3 fat – neufchâtel cheese), softened
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 2 – 9.75 ounce cans chicken breast in water, drained
• 1/3 cup hot sauce
• 4 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded and divided

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray and set aside.

Whisk the cream cheese and the ranch dressing together in a mixing bowl.  Add the chicken breast, hot sauce, and 2 ounces of the monterey jack cheese.  Stir to combine.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pie plate, spreading evenly.  Top with the remaining monterey jack cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes, and then broil for 2-3 minutes until the top is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

Serve with your favorite tortilla chips or crackers.