Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I cannot believe it's almost the end of August. Wasn't it just yesterday I was planting seedlings, heading back outdoors to run, and dreaming up new popsicle flavors? That's the tough part of having a favorite season, it goes so fast. However, there's something that begins at the end of summer that (in my mind) is almost a consolation prize for summer being over...

FOOTBALL.

Oh yes. We love football in this house. Our fantasy football draft is on Sunday! I love me some fantasy football. We play in a small, 8-team family league that's just for fun. We are no "The League" here. We are goofy, we take kickers when want, and no team is complete with 3 defenses... I'm just kidding about the defenses, but we don't take ourselves seriously. Most girls aren't that interested in fantasy football, but I think that's a travesty. I've found I'm more into football since I started playing fantasy. It gives you a reason, a purpose to watch games and it's made me expand to watching other teams that I usually wouldn't watch, just to root on a player. Girls, I highly recommend playing. I swear, you'll want to watch some football on Sunday. With some beer and a piece of this pizza in your hand, right??

This pizza is perfect for football season. We first started making it years ago, actually a couple months after we got engaged. The hubby and I went to Whistler, BC with my brother and his girlfriend, for some much needed skiing and relaxation. We always stay in our timeshare in which every room has its own little kitchen, and it was on this fateful trip that Buffalo Chicken pizza was born. In those days, the pizza was modest. Made with a can of Pillsbury pizza dough, a chicken breast, a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese, and a bottle of buffalo sauce. Simple and to the point. The recipe has definitely evolved over the years into the magnificent work of art that it is today. It's homemade dough, all the way now. By happy mistake, I left my pizza dough rising in the fridge for 3 days. It turned out to be the best dough I've made. It was perfectly elastic, yet held it's shape. All I did was put the pizza dough on my board, and used my hands to knead it into the perfect circle. Not too thin. No tears (tears, like cuts, not tears that I cried!). It was pizza dough nirvana. 

I may just let all my dough's rest for 3 days now :)

So... the draft. I'll be the first to admit I paid no attention to the offseason. None. I found the hijinks of Donald Sterling and the Clippers more newsworthy than the NFL's offseason. HA! I'm just kidding, but seriously, I don't know what's going on. No clue who my first draft pick with be, no running-back must-haves, and really, I'm not up to date on the injuries. I've got some studying to do. That probably won't happen. I say I'll study every year, only to never actually realize the goal. I fly by the seat of my pants every year, and take whoever sounds good at the moment. My strategy is bona-fide, I've even won a couple of years. It's most likely the road I will take again this year. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. As far as fantasy players goes, I fall somewhere between Taco and Ruxin. I'm into it enough to care and tinker with my roster every week, not so into it I over-think everything (You "League" fans will appreciate that reference!).

There's one more awesome thing that comes with football season every year... College football! No fantasy football there, just good, old-fashioned, teeth-gritting love of the alma mater. Our first game is on Saturday, and the hubby and I can't wait. 

Make this pizza! And, GO DUCKS!

Ingredients (makes 1 large pizza):

Basic Pizza Dough

buffalo sauce

1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

5 mozzarella bocconcini balls, halved

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

Directions:

1. Prepare pizza dough through Step 4.

2. For Step 5 of making the Pizza Dough, spread buffalo sauce over the unbaked dough. Sprinkle the pizza with chicken and celery. Place mozzarella balls haphazardly over the pizza. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella and blue cheese evenly over the pizza. Drizzle a small amount of buffalo sauce (1-2 tbsp) over the pizza. 

3. Bake under broiler for 5-7 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and crust has begun to brown in spots. 

4. Slice and serve!

Printable Recipe

Looking for other buffalo sauce recipes? Try these!

Buffalo Shrimp with Creamy Blue Cheese Slaw

Buffalo Ranch Popcorn

Buffalo Chicken Mozzarella Melts

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