Buffalo chicken pizza: All the spice with none of mess

I’m a big fan of Buffalo chicken wings. The heat and the sourness from the hot sauce, contrasted with the cool, creamy, slightly funky blue cheese dressing, takes chicken to a new level. I love everything about them — except the wings.

Eating chicken wings is messy business; I end up with Buffalo sauce up to my elbows. So if I can capture the same elements that make Buffalo chicken wings so good, and use them to top another beloved dish, pizza, that’s a win-win.

Welcome to this week’s recipe, Buffalo Chicken Pizza.

OK, I know many of you are thinking “if my pizza isn’t topped with red sauce, mozz and pepperoni, it isn’t pizza.” For those of you who feel strongly about what is and isn’t pizza, you can quietly call this delightful version flatbread.

But no matter what you call it, the flavor combination works well on top of a crisp pizza crust.

Speaking of crust, most people have no idea how quick and easy it is to make your own. You can do it by hand, or in a food processor, which whips up a respectable dough in a flash. It only needs a short time to rise before rolling it out, adding toppings and popping it into the oven.

Yes, if time is of the essence, you can buy pizza crust at the grocery store. If possible, look for the dough that comes in a bag in the deli section. Crust from a tube is less palatable.

When it comes to the toppings, red sauce doesn’t make an appearance. Instead, cream cheese is mixed with Parmesan cheese and hot sauce (Frank’s is my choice for anything Buffalo wingish) and slathered over the uncooked crust. Shredded mozzarella is showered over the cream cheese and topped with shredded cooked chicken that’s been bathed in more hot sauce.

The pizza is baked to bubbly, browned perfection and drizzled with blue cheese dressing. Either thinly sliced celery or green onions can be used as a garnish.

You may still need a napkin after eating this pizza, but you won’t need a shower.

Makes 2 (12-inch) pizzas.

Although making your own pizza crust is ultra-easy, if preferred, you can substitute with 2 (12-ounce) packages of store-bought pizza dough. From Meredith Deeds.

For the crust:

• 3 1/2 c. (420 g) unbleached flour

• 1 (2 1/4 tsp.) pkg. dry yeast

• 2 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. sugar

• 1 1/4 c. (283 g) lukewarm water

• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• Cornmeal for dusting

For the topping:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

• 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. Frank’s Red Hot Original Sauce

• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

• 2 c. shredded mozzarella

• 2 c. shredded cooked chicken

• 1/3 c. blue cheese dressing

• Sliced green onions or celery, for garnish

Directions

To make the crust: In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Create a well in the center of the dry mixture.

Pour the water and olive oil into the well. Stir the mixture together until the dough comes together. Knead the dough with your hands until mixed and smooth. Dough may be sticky and you may need to sprinkle a little more flour on it, but don’t add too much. The dough should be very soft.

Form dough into a ball, place in an oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap. Let rise for an hour at room temperature or refrigerate overnight, and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before shaping. (Alternately, combine all the crust ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until the dough comes together in a ball. No need to knead with your hands. Let rise in the closed food processor bowl for 1 hour.)

Thirty minutes before making the pizza, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place a pizza stone, tiles or a large baking sheet turned upside down on the lowest rack.

To make the topping: In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons hot sauce and garlic powder.

In another bowl, combine the chicken with the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce.

To make the pizza: Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, on a floured work surface, roll out to a 10- by 14-inch oblong or, if preferred, a 12-inch circle. Place on a pizza peel or a large rimless baking sheet.

Top with half of the cream cheese mixture, half of the mozzarella and half of the chicken mixture. Carefully slide the pizza off the peel or baking sheet onto the hot pizza stone, tiles or baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the crust is browned and cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and cut into 8 pieces. Repeat with remaining dough and toppings.

Drizzle the top of each pizza with half of the blue cheese dressing and garnish with sliced green onions or celery.

Meredith Deeds is a cookbook author and food writer from Edina. Reach her at meredithdeeds@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram ­at @meredithdeeds.