Elevate Buffalo Chicken Dip With The Funky Flavors Of Blue Cheese

Buffalo chicken dip has made its way to cookouts and parties across the country over the last couple of decades. This creamy and zesty dip is partly inspired by the flavors of buffalo chicken wings, with its main ingredients being shredded chicken, buffalo or hot sauce, cheese, and ranch dressing. There are a few variations of this dip, but we've got an idea that will fully elevate your next batch: Swap the ranch with blue cheese dressing.

Some recipes for this delicious dip use ranch dressing in the mixture and blue cheese crumbles as a garnish. But we're talking about getting rid of the dressing entirely for its blue cheese counterpart. Blue cheese will take your dip to the next level by adding salty, earthy, and funky flavors and a creamier texture. Sounds delicious? Give this version of buffalo chicken dip a try, with our original recipe for crock pot buffalo chicken dip created by Tasting Table recipe developer Jessica Morone. It's got a double dose of blue cheese with both store-bought dressing in the mix and also crumbles as a garnish.

There are a few ways to incorporate blue cheese into your buffalo chicken dip. First, you can take our recipe's suggestion and use store-bought dressing in the recipe. It's simply a case of swapping ranch dressing with blue cheese dressing. If you have time, make a homemade blue cheese dressing with fresh crumbles of the earthy cheese. It's really not difficult and tastes much better than bottled versions. However, if you can't fathom buffalo chicken dip without ranch, go ahead and use the herby dressing in the dip, and then simply garnish the finished result with blue cheese crumbles for a milder essence of the cheese.

Adding blue cheese isn't the only way you can elevate your buffalo chicken dip. Many recipes suggest using buffalo sauce (it's in the name, after all) but if you want more heat, use a spicier hot sauce like Tabasco. You could also add sauteed green onions or diced red onions for a bit of zest, or use a blend of cheeses like mozzarella and gruyere instead of cheddar. Forgot to buy cream cheese? Use sour cream or mayonnaise instead. When it's time to serve, chop up some celery sticks or use baby carrots for dipping, or simply serve Fritos, tortilla chips, or sliced baguette for that purpose.