Mistakes Everyone Makes With Buffalo Chicken Dip

The teams may change and the arena may be different each year, but one thing you can count on as a popular Super Bowl food staple is the spicy kick of Buffalo chicken dip. This classic creation hasn't always been part of the celebration, but once it joined the circuit it became a mainstay as one of the standard dishes guests go looking for among any game day spread. This beloved must-try Super Bowl recipe is such an expected part of the menu, adding it to your roster could be the Hail Mary pass that helps your get-together score extra points.

Unless you made Buffalo chicken dip once or twice in the past, you may find yourself struggling with some of the aspects of the recipe. Whether you use the wrong type of cheese or find your finished dish spicy enough to set your tongue on fire, there are common mistakes that everyone has made when perfecting their version. The good thing about mistakes is there are usually simple solutions to get you out of the danger zone and into the end zone. Here's a list of some common errors and potential solutions that can set your Buffalo chicken dip on the path to party food victory.

It might sound odd that you haven't included enough chicken in a recipe called Buffalo chicken dip. But depending on what the formulation calls for, you may be shorting your sumptuous creation on one of its main components. You may notice the volume looks a little bit thin or you may take a sample bite and find out it's all cheese and sauce with very little chicken to be detected. Major whoops.

How does it happen that you end up with too little chicken in your finished dip? Eyeballing the amount you use is a surefire way to undercut your chicken quotient. Make sure you use the prescribed amount in the recipe you've chosen; an easy Buffalo chicken dip recipe calls for one and a half cups of chicken, though yours may vary a bit. If your recipe uses weight measurement instead, be sure to utilize your kitchen gadgets to get the balance right. Should you complete your Buffalo chicken dip and feel like it still doesn't have quite as much meat as you'd like, you can always cook an additional breast to shred and incorporate into the dip to increase volume.

There's no shame in wanting to deliver a super saucy dip that adds heat to the occasion. It's pretty much the whole point of making Buffalo chicken dip. But a heavy hand with the bottle can easily overdo the volume of sauce, throwing off both the flavor and the texture of your dish. You risk burning everyone right out of their enjoyment with a soupy, spicy mess of a dip.

A little more cream cheese is the player to put in at the last minute to shore things up. Be sure to grab an extra brick at the grocery store when shopping for ingredients so you'll have a solution ready should you fumble on the first go. And if you find you've gone overboard with the cream cheese when the excess sauce is finally in check, you can always sprinkle in more chicken and expand the entire recipe. You should reach a point where the flavors and composition all come to centerfield and balance one another out. You might also end up with a little more dip than you intended, but that just means more enjoyment for anyone lucky enough to plate it up.

It's tempting to think you can just shop for the surrounding ingredients for your Buffalo chicken dip while using whatever cheese you have in the fridge. It's an easy way to save money and use up existing ingredients at the same time. But the smudge on your snack-providing record when guests taste Swiss or American in the mix instead of the right cheese for the situation is a party faux pas that could haunt you in your future dip-making opportunities.

Be cheese-appropriate and stay within the lines by sticking with the pre-tested cheese options. Most recipes call for either cream cheese or blue cheese to give coolness to the fiery sauce, with generous amounts of cheddar melted on top. You can also use Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack to give more complexity to the cheese layer. But getting fancy with cheeses like brie or mascarpone could be asking for trouble, especially if you decide to experiment at the last minute. Nobody wants to find out the otherwise-dependable Buffalo chicken dip on their plate has taken a gourmet twist just as the whistle blows.

Chicken itself isn't inherently salty; neither are the cheeses or the hot sauce used in most Buffalo chicken dip recipes. So when the moment comes to add salt "to taste," there's a fair chance that you'll go just a little too far in your attempt to achieve the optimal flavor profile. But if the snacks that liven up your Super Bowl include a heavy-handed portion of salt, they can alter the carefree party vibe quicker than snow on the field.

You may not realize you've oversalted your recipe until it's ready to be served, a misstep that can be resolved with a simple taste test before you put your Buffalo chicken dip in the oven. To run back the clock on a super salty dip, try adding a bit of sugar to balance out the flavor profile. Acid is also a worthy adversary against a too-salty composition; a squeeze of lemon or lime juice or even a splash of apple cider vinegar is a solid approach to undoing the saltiness without violating the other flavors in the dish.

It might seem like a step-saver to pull your Buffalo chicken dip straight from the fridge and serve it come party time, especially if you intend on taking it to someone else's event. But that would be a huge mistake; most Buffalo chicken dip recipes are intended to be eaten hot, while the chicken is warm and the cheese is as gooey as possible. So laying it among the other dishes at room temperature or even serving it cold robs anyone eager to enjoy it of the full flavor-texture impact. You don't want all your hard work to result in a party flop, do you? Of course not.

Rather than taking a shortcut that takes you too far from the end zone, make sure you heat up your dip before serving. If you're a guest, this may mean you carry it to the party while it's hot, which could require an insulated case to keep the heat in place. If you're hosting, you can keep your dip warm in the oven once it's finished cooking by turning the temperature low. Be careful not to let your Buffalo chicken dip dry out by overwarming it; if the cheese on top loses its shine, you may have gone to far. Keeping an eye on the oven will help you deliver the goods at the perfect temperature.

Should you prefer your Buffalo chicken dip cold, choose a recipe that's meant to be served either hot or cold rather than adapting the heated version.

Where would your Buffalo chicken dip ever acquire too much grease, especially if you're following your recipe to the letter? The culprit will most likely be the cheese you use; depending on the brand, you might encounter an excessive amount of oil once your cheese melts into its gooiest form. The oil quotient multiplies if you go extra-extra for a colossally cheesy dip.

Unfortunately, you won't always know if your Buffalo chicken dip is too greasy until it's too late. To head off a situation before things get too slippery, you can use a slow cooker to heat your dip. The lower heat distributed over time will let you sop up any grease that collects at the top as the cheese melts. A paper towel dipped lightly into the grease will wick the liquid off of the surface of your dip. Stir your dip well to be sure that whatever is left is incorporated into the rest of the ingredients to give smoothness and flavor without feeling overly heavy.

Hot sauce is a finicky phenomenon in the food world. Heat and spice can have entirely different connotations between products, sometimes varying drastically even among different forms of the same style of sauce. Even if you're tempted to substitute the usual sauce for something that sounds jazzy or more souped up, you'd be wise to stick with what already works. There's a reason whoever you got the recipe from wrote it down the way they did.

Maybe the best thing about being the one to bring the Buffalo chicken dip to the party is that it's one of the best recipes to try with your favorite Buffalo sauce. Brands like Trappey's, Kinder's and Frank's Red Hot capture the essence of Buffalo heat perfectly and are your best bets for including in your shopping trip. If you prefer Sweet Baby Ray's or Buffalo Wild Wings instead, those are definite winners in the Buffalo sauce tournament. But if you're thinking of using salsa, sriracha or Cholula, you could be leading your guests' palates astray. Substitutions may result in a tasty new invention that could be a total champ, but it won't be true Buffalo chicken dip.

You know what your tolerance for spicy food is, and you most likely know what your family can stand. But how well do you know your friends' Scoville level? And if your Buffalo chicken dip is a component at a party table where strangers are present, there's no chance you'll be able to accurately predict the proper heat for your savory treat. A huge party foul goes to anyone who ramps up the fire without considering where the tipping point is.

The sneaky play for removing excessive spice  from your Buffalo chicken dip is to add a counterpoint ingredient that helps level down the heat. This is accomplished with additional fat, which could come in the form of more cream cheese, or sugar, which gives a touch of sweetness that dims the blaze. You can also add acid, like a squeeze of lemon or a little apple cider vinegar. Sample your finished dip once you've tinkered to make sure you've removed the heat without altering the flavor too much. These are general culinary techniques used to tip the scales toward a milder version of your Buffalo chicken dip that come in handy with a creation carrying so much fiery potential. 

Once you think you've corrected course, get a second opinion from another taste tester to make sure you're on the right track.

Your Buffalo chicken dip may start out the part as a VIP and could even score an MVP among the other tidbits on the table. But if it goes too long without being gobbled up, it could become a bit of an eyesore before you even get to the halftime show. Suddenly, your luscious, gooey creation is the last thing anyone wants to circle back around to. How did it go from the A-team to being sat on the bench for the rest of the game so quickly?

If you thought you'd be smart about things and heat up your Buffalo chicken dip too far in advance, you might have been working against yourself, making your dip reach its peak performance too early in the event. It's best to keep the premade dip in the fridge until you're ready to warm and serve; considering that it takes between 15 and 25 minutes in the oven once your ingredients are all teamed up in the dish, it could take some tricky timing to coordinate a perfect pass. Luckily, you can assemble your Buffalo chicken dip 24 hours ahead of time and heating it just before you leave the house or your guests arrive, depending on your scenario. Keeping it covered when it isn't actively being served can help it last longer, too. 

If somehow your crowd can resist scooping out mounds of your Buffalo chicken dip until they're scraping down the sides of the dish, you may think it wise to toss what's left. Maybe it's been sitting out for a while and has solidified in an unpleasant way; the chicken may have dried out, the cheese could be waxy, and the hot sauce might have pooled at the bottom. But leaving any of this premium party food on the field would be a big mistake, especially with rising grocery prices that make ditching the delicious remains an unadvisable and easily avoided move.

How simple is it to make sure you get the most bang for your buck out of your Buffalo chicken dip? As simple as making sure you cover the dish before it has a chance to become too dried out. Keep a casserole lid or foil wrap handy to place over the bowl once the snack rush has passed; this will prevent your dip from drying out before guests take a second swipe. After the hubbub has died down, cover what's left and stash it in the fridge until the party's over, then take it home and heat it back up during the week, refreshing the cheese and sauce if necessary to bring it back to life. You'll have a handy spread for making leftover Buffalo chicken dip sandwiches for lunch or supper until the bowl is empty. Just be sure to use it all up with in three to four days.