If you love Buffalo wings, you’ll enjoy this easy Buffalo chicken pizza made with a homemade crust. It’s far better than takeout and hits all the cheesy, spicy, carby cravings.
For a long time we tended to order takeout on Friday nights. After a long workweek, standing up and using the oven didn’t feel appealing. Lately, though, we’ve tried to be less wasteful with our money and time. So instead of ordering in, I’ve leaned on simple, satisfying favorites that don’t require hours in the kitchen. Pizza is our top pick.
With a reliable homemade pizza dough you can prepare ahead, you can have an outstanding pizza faster than most delivery options. Once you try it, it’s hard to go back to chain pizza.
One of the best things about homemade pizza is its flexibility. Cover it in melted cheese and most toppings will shine. A handful of wilting vegetables becomes a delicious veggie pizza. Leftover roast or pulled pork also work beautifully. And leftover chicken? That’s perfect for this Buffalo chicken pizza—one of our favorites we return to again and again. If you can’t find good Buffalo wings nearby, a simple hot sauce and butter blend gets you remarkably close.
Essential Tools for the Best Homemade Pizza
A pizza stone is a worthwhile, inexpensive investment if you make pizza often. Preheating the stone while bringing the oven up to its highest temperature helps the crust cook evenly and quickly—mine reaches 550°F and pizzas usually finish in under 10 minutes. A pizza peel and a good pizza wheel also make handling and slicing easier.
The sauce for this pizza is extremely simple: warm canned tomato sauce with a few tablespoons of cayenne-pepper hot sauce and a touch of butter. Use half of the sauce to spread on the dough and toss the remaining sauce with the cooked chicken before topping. Add sliced red onion and plenty of grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella, bake until the crust and cheese are deeply golden, and you’ve got a perfect Buffalo-style pie.
If you want to be extra indulgent, drizzle ranch or blue cheese dressing over the pizza after baking. For a lighter option, try a Buffalo chicken salad instead if you prefer lower carbs.
Enjoy!
If you make this Buffalo chicken pizza, I’d love to see a photo—tag @ourhappymess on Instagram.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 recipe homemade pizza dough
- 1/2 cup canned plain tomato sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons cayenne pepper hot sauce such as original Frank’s-style hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 chicken breast cooked and cut into bite-size pieces (or use about 8 oz leftover chicken)
- 1/2 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 3/4 lb Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese grated
Instructions
- Place a pizza stone on the middle rack and preheat the oven as high as it will go (about 550°F if possible).
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the tomato sauce, hot sauce and butter until the butter melts and the sauce is smooth.
- On a large piece of parchment paper, spread or roll the pizza dough into a 12-inch circle. If the dough resists, let it rest a minute and try again.
- Spread about half the sauce over the dough. Toss the remaining sauce with the cooked chicken, to taste.
- Distribute the sauced chicken and sliced red onions evenly over the dough, then top with the grated cheese.
- Using a pizza peel or the back of a large baking sheet, slide the pizza with the parchment onto the hot pizza stone. Baking time varies with oven temperature; at 550°F it takes about 8 minutes.
- When the crust and cheese are deeply golden, remove the pizza and let it rest a couple of minutes before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
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Carbohydrates: 25g
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Protein: 20g
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Fat: 16g
Mention @OurHappyMess or tag #OurHappyMess when you share your pizza photos.