Buffalo chicken dip for 12: shredded chicken, cream cheese, hot sauce, ranch and cheddar, mixed at home in a foil pan and heated on the grill at the lot. It takes about 15 minutes of work the night before and about 45 minutes on the grill, and it's the easiest hot tailgate dip there is.
Feeds: 12 · Hands-on: about 15 min · Total: about 1 hour
Home gear: a 9 × 13 in. foil pan with a lid or foil, and a hand mixer
Pack for the lot
- Dip, covered, in the cooler
- Celery sticks and green onions, in the cooler
- Blue cheese, if using
- Tortilla chips
- Hot sauce
- Instant-read thermometer
- Spoon for stirring
- Heat-proof gloves or oven mitts
- Charcoal and a chimney starter, or a full propane tank
- Trash bags
Lot notes
- Fuel: charcoal or propane both work. All you need is a cool side to set the pan on. A kettle grill with the coals pushed to one side does it.
- Holding it hot: leave the pan on the cool side with the lid closed and check it with a thermometer now and then. Below 140°F, warm it back up to 165°F. Toss whatever has been out past 2 hours, or 1 hour when it's over 90°F.
- Watch the bottom: foil pans are thin. If the bottom starts to scorch, nest it in a second foil pan.
- Cold until it's on the grill: it's a cream cheese dip, so it rides in the cooler at 40°F or below until it goes on the heat.
- Cleanup: let the pan cool, fold the foil over the leftovers and toss it. Nothing to scrub.
Can you make buffalo chicken dip ahead of time?
Yes. Mix it in the foil pan up to 2 days ahead, keep it covered in the fridge, and heat it straight from the cooler at the lot until the center reaches 165°F.
How do you keep buffalo chicken dip hot at a tailgate?
Leave the pan on the cool side of the grill with the lid down so it holds at 140°F or above. Toss what's left after 2 hours out, or 1 hour over 90°F.
How much buffalo chicken dip do you need for 20 people?
Make 2 pans: 4 blocks of cream cheese, 2 cups of ranch, 1½ cups of hot sauce, 8 cups of chicken and 4 cups of cheddar, plus 4 bags of chips. That feeds up to 24. Put the second pan on when the first is half gone so neither one sits out too long.
Can you serve buffalo chicken dip in a slow cooker?
Yes, if you're homegating. Bake it in a 350°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes until the center reads 165°F, then move it to a slow cooker on warm or low to keep it at 140°F or above. Don't use the slow cooker to heat it up from cold, because it warms too slowly to be safe.