Buffalo Chicken Pizza

The Mr. and I have friends who live in St. Louis, and we try to make the trek from Cincinnati at least once a year.  Our usual excuse to visit is centered around the annual Mardi Gras Parade-- The Mr.'s favorite reason.  My favorite excuse to visit (other than simply hanging out and laughing my a$$ off, because that's what we do when we're together) involves a restaurant called Syberg's.

It's a non-descript kind of joint.  It lures you in with the facade that it's just another bar and grill.  You hear rumors that they are famous for their wings.  "Sure," you think to yourself.  "Every place says that they are famous for their wings."  You sit down with your group of friends, order some beers, some appetizers, and maybe even some of the "world-famous wings."  They put the food on the table, you grab a wing and begin to grub, just as you have done hundreds of times before...

Then it hits you. 

A change comes over you, and you're suddenly feeling the sensation of losing all self-control.  You've eaten all of your wings, but are thirsting for more.  You nonchalantly scoop the sauce from your plate for one last hit.  You start eye-balling the ones your neighbor has yet to consume, seriously considering if you can sneak one away undetected.  And once you come to the realization that it's all over, you settle back into your chair-- thinking about all those other times you thought you enjoyed buffalo wings-- but now knowing that you will never be satisfied with any other wing sauce but Syberg's Wing Sauce. 

This happened to me, and if you are lucky enough to live in the St. Louis area, you get to scratch that itch anytime you want.  (And I'm jealous!) But if you live out of town, and try this sauce, be prepared to order bottles of the stuff and have it shipped to your house, because you will be hooked!

So naturally, when we could not visit this year for the annual festivities, I was heart-broken.  Yeah, I missed seeing my friends, but I REALLY missed Syberg's. :)  Luckily, I was able to con another friend into bringing home a couple of bottles of crack, (er, I mean... sauce....).  Having such a heavenly wing sauce at my disposal, I decided it was time to try buffalo chicken pizza for the first time.

Source:  This is a Clark original, but inspired by the buffalo chicken pizza I experienced at Syberg's.


Ingredients:

1 pre-made pizza crust

1-2 c. cooked chicken, shredded

1 c. buffalo sauce, divided

1/2 c. red onion, chopped

1/2 c. celery, chopped

1-2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Ranch and/or bleu cheese crumbles, to taste

Note:  For those of you who keep track-- I'm aware that I actually used measurements in this recipe.  Shocked?  You should be :)  But I figured if it turned out well, I'd want to know what I did so I could do it again.  Thus, the measured amounts.


Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2.  Spread 1/2 c. buffalo sauce onto the pizza crust.

3.  In a medium bowl, combine chicken and 1/2 c. buffalo sauce.  Mix till chicken is thoroughly coated.  Spread chicken mixture evenly upon the pizza crust.  

4.  Add a layer of either ranch dressing, crumbled bleu cheese, or both.  (In our house, we did a "half and half" style with these toppings, since I love bleu cheese but The Mr. does not! )

5.  Top with mozzarella, red onion, and celery. 

6.  Place in preheated oven, and bake for 10-15 minutes (or till desired doneness).

Verdict:  Keeper!

Next time, I may use less chicken, and place more of the red onion on top of the cheese so it can crisp a little more.  But all in all, I was proud!  After all, it's not every day that I throw ingredients together without a recipe to follow...