Call it deconstructed, reimagined, newstalgized Nachos. Or not. This recipe nailed my interest early on in my first read-through. It’s baked, not just schlepped up on the stove top. And the ‘Buffalo’ part is more of a character reference than a flame thrower…
If you think, from the glam photo at left, that this ‘dip’ looks more like a casser-ole, you’re right! And some of the 80(!) photos sent in to the recipe page by folks who tried it look as thick and spoonable as a quiche or a breakfast bake. But made perfectly, it’s a very thick, creamy, at times gooey, cheesy dip studded with shreds of rotisserie chicken (or leftover chicken or turkey), and topped with chopped scallions.
Cheese-forward
The dish is definitely ‘cheese-forward’, incorporating plain cream cheese, bleu cheese and bleu cheese dressing, and Pepper Jack.
And, yes… Even with all of those other cheeses, you DO need the cream cheese in there to ensure you achieve the de-sired texture.
The heat
The ‘Buffalo’ part come from 3/4 cup of your fave Hot Sauce plus a pinch or two of cayenne. That’s a Fires-of-Hell-of-a-lot of Hot Sauce! Add yours a little at a time until, you reach your preferred heat level. You want to taste the chilies, not just feel the burn…
In fact, I question whether the ‘pepper’ aspect of the Pepper Jack isn’t redundant in the face of the Hot Sauce and cayenne. Speaking of which… Will you even be able to detect those pinches of cay-enne in the mix, against the Hot Sauce?
The 1/2 tsp of Old Bay just seems out of place in this dish, to me. Again… Won’t it just get lost in the chili-flavour torrent?
Just a dip?
I also question whether this dish is just a dip. As I hinted in the top-of-post teaser… It could be viewed in many ways. It sounds like a great pot of nachos, lacking only the chips. Which you can dip as much or as little as you wish in this upgraded, updated, newstalgized version of classic Nacho Sauce. The word ‘deconstructed’ comes, once again, to mind…
Or you could add a little flour to the Bleu Cheese Dressing, forming a slurry which, when set would ensure you get a spoonable, even cuttable casserole-like consistency that could be served on Texas or sourdough toast.
Or go retro and serve it in individual bread (bun) bowls.
All of which is not to say you couldn’t add other stuff as long as it’s complementary to the chicken and cheese. Bell Peppers, maybe? Onions? Whatever strikes your fancy.
My take
I keep going back to the apparent redundancies and the pinches of certain ingredients that don’t seem to belong in the overall picture of this dish. I’ll bet you the contributor originally melded two or three chicken-and-cheese recipes to create this one. And it turned out great, so she didn’t bother to go back and remove the ingredients that were no longer necessary.
Anyway, it’s YOUR chicken-and-cheese Dip. As Rick Nelson sang, in The Garden Party, “You can’t please everyone, so you gotta please yourself!”
~ Maggie J.