Bubbling Skillet Buffalo Chicken Dip

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A game-day dip built the way a good bar kitchen would do it: chicken thighs gently poached and hand-shredded instead of dumped from a can, cream cheese loosened with sour cream and buttermilk so it stays scoopable even as it cools, and a cayenne hot sauce emulsified with butter so the dip never breaks into an orange slick. Baked in a cast-iron skillet until the edges blister, then finished with cold blue cheese crumbles and scallions.

Ingredients

• 1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 3 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 bay leaf

• 1/2 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce, such as Frank's RedHot
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cider vinegar

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh dill
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
• 1.5 cups shredded sharp white cheddar (about 6 oz)
• 1/2 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 stalks celery, very finely diced

• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped celery leaves or parsley
• Sturdy tortilla chips, ridged potato chips, celery sticks and carrot sticks

Instructions

1. Put the chicken thighs in a small saucepan with the water or broth, smashed garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and the bay leaf. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat — you want lazy bubbles, not a rolling boil — then reduce the heat to low, cover and poach for 14 to 16 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 175°F in the thickest thigh.
2. Lift the chicken onto a cutting board and let it rest 5 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the poaching liquid. Shred the meat with two forks or your fingers into a mix of long strands and small shreds; you should have about 3 cups. Do not chop it — the strands are what make the dip feel like real wings.
3. Heat the oven to 375°F. While it heats, make the buffalo butter: combine the hot sauce, cubed butter, Worcestershire, garlic powder and smoked paprika in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly for 2 to 3 minutes as the butter melts, until the sauce looks glossy and slightly thickened rather than separated. Off the heat, whisk in the cider vinegar. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a sturdy spoon or hand mixer until completely smooth with no lumps, about 1 minute. Beat in the sour cream, buttermilk, mayonnaise and onion powder, then the dill and chives. It should be thick but pourable.
5. Stir in 2/3 of the buffalo butter (reserve the rest for the top), then fold in the shredded chicken, the diced celery, 1 cup of the cheddar, all the mozzarella and the 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese. If the mixture feels stiff, loosen it with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the reserved poaching liquid. Taste and add a splash more hot sauce if you want it hotter.
6. Scrape into a 9- or 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a 1.5-quart baking dish and smooth the top. Scatter over the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar, then drizzle the reserved buffalo butter over the cheese in ribbons.
7. Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, until the dip is bubbling hard at the edges and the center reaches 165°F. For blistered spots on top, run it under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, watching constantly.
8. Let the dip stand 8 to 10 minutes — molten straight from the oven, it will scald and it also thickens as it settles. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup blue cheese, the scallions and celery leaves, and serve warm in the skillet with sturdy chips and cold celery and carrot sticks.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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