Halloween buffalo chicken dip is baked in a cast iron skillet until golden brown. A spooky jack-o’-lantern face is added with black tortilla chips making this an easy to decorate and festive Halloween party dip.
Place chicken thighs into a pressure cooker with the buffalo sauce. Set pressure on high for 20 minutes. Once done cooking, carefully release pressure manually.
Preheat the oven to 375 F while the chicken is cooking.
Shred fontina cheese and sharp cheddar and place in a small mixing bowl.
Once the chicken is done, carefully pour buffalo chicken and all the sauce into a large mixing bowl. Shred the chicken and stir well to combine.
Add cream cheese and half of the shredded cheese into the large mixing bowl with the chicken and buffalo sauce.
Mix well to combine. Make sure there are no large areas of cream cheese.
Add buffalo chicken mixture into a 10 inch cast iron skillet. Top with the rest of the shredded cheese. Sprinkle the blue cheese crumbles evenly over the top and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Buffalo chicken dip is done when the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling.
Jack-o-Lantern Assembly
To make the jack-o’-lantern face, take 2 whole tortilla chips and place them for the eyes with the point facing up. Break the tip off a third tortilla chip and place it for the nose.
To make the mouth, break pieces to form a smile. Break 2 tips off a whole tortilla chip for the cheese.
Place the chips onto the dip right before serving.
Serve with tortilla chips, toasted bread or vegetables.
Notes
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can make shredded buffalo chicken in a slow cooker on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours, on the stove top simmered in buffalo sauce or in a casserole dish in the oven until shreddable.
You can replace chicken breasts with chicken thighs but add ¼ cup more buffalo sauce.
Halloween buffalo chicken dip can be made in a 10 inch round cake pan or pie plate.
To make ahead: place chicken and cheese mixture in a covered mixing bowl in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, place the mixture in the skillet, top with remaining cheeses and cook. You may need to add a few minutes to cooking time.
Accommodations
Buy pre-shredded cheese - Italian blend, part skim mozzarella, or Mexican blend will work great here.
Use a rotisserie chicken or canned chicken - Using already cooked chicken speeds the recipe up and saves more dishes.
Use a stand or hand mixer to shred chicken - After the chicken thighs are cooked, use a mixer on low to shred the chicken.
Use a food processor to grate cheese - Freeze fontina cheese (or mozzarella, havarti or any other melting cheese) for 15-30 minutes to make it easier to grate.
Use a pie plate or cake pan - If cast iron pans are too heavy, a pie plate or cake pan may be easier to lift.