Ingredients:

  • 2 cups (280g) cooked chicken breast, shredded
  • 8 oz (225g) full-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) blue cheese dressing
  • 1/2 cup (115g) sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) Buffalo wing sauce
  • 1/4 cup (30g) blue cheese crumbles
  • 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely sliced
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Note: A steady medium heat prevents the cheese oils from separating too quickly.
  2. Soften cream cheese in a large bowl. <small><strong>Why this?</strong> It's the only way to avoid lumpy, white specks in your finished orange dip.</small>
  3. Whisk dressing and Buffalo wing sauce into the cream cheese until the mixture is a uniform, pale orange color.
  4. Fold chicken (2 cups) into the creamy base gently. <strong>Stop when the chicken is fully coated and vibrant</strong>.
  5. Add garlic powder and stir once more. This tiny amount of powder blooms in the fat of the cheese, scenting the whole dish.
  6. Spread mixture into your baking dish, smoothing the top with your spatula to ensure even heating.
  7. Top evenly with the freshly grated sharp cheddar and those blue cheese crumbles.
  8. Bake 15 minutes until the edges are bubbling and the cheese is molten.
  9. Garnish immediately with sliced chives. The heat from the dip will slightly wilt the chives, releasing their oniony aroma.
  10. Rest 5 minutes before serving. <strong>Note:</strong> This allows the emulsion to set so it doesn't run off your chip.