Hot Wing Pizza and The Power of the Dog

Hello and welcome to our first Pizza and a Movie of 2022! Today’s pizza is really kind of amazing. We have rotisserie chicken tossed in Buffalo Hot Wing sauce; blue cheese crumbles and mozzarella cheese. The thing that really makes this pie special is the panko bread crumb mixture baked on top – it gives the crispy, fried texture you want when you dive into a basket of wings. I’ve been on a Western kick this week, since the season finale of Yellowstone; so this week our movie is the psychological thriller set in 1920’s Montana, The Power of the Dog, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Let’s get to this Hot Wing Pizza!

Buffalo Hot Wing Sauce

We are making our own Buffalo Wing Sauce for this pizza. It’s super simple. The main ingredient is Franks Red Hot; additionally, we have white vinegar, Worcestershire, a lot of butter, cayenne pepper and fresh garlic. Preheat the oven and your pizza stone or steel to 450 degrees. Let’s make the sauce!

Over low heat, melt the butter. When the butter is melted, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk to combine. You want to get this mixture bubbling, but not boiling. The butter fat will want to separate from the sauce, which is why I like to keep it bubbling over low heat. Keep it over low/medium heat and whisk every few minutes to keep it incorporated. Let it cook together for about 5 minutes.

While the sauce is slowly bubbling, in a small bowl mix one tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon celery salt with 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs. Then, place the 2 cups of rotisserie chicken in a medium bowl and pour the Hot Wing sauce over the chicken, toss to coat the chicken in the sauce.

Set the prepped panko breadcrumbs and the sauced chicken aside. Grate your low-moisture mozzarella, crumble your blue cheese and slice your scallions. Now we’re ready to assemble the pizza.

Hot Wing Pizza Assembly

Toss, spin, stretch or roll your dough into a roughly 12-inch round. Evenly spread 1.5 cups of grated mozzarella cheese on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border for the crust.

Top the mozzarella with the Buffalo-sauced chicken.

Now, sprinkle the blue cheese crumbles evenly over the chicken. And top it all off with the panko breadcrumb mixture.

Time to bake the Hot Wing Pizza! Give the pizza a little shimmy to be sure it’s not stuck to the peel. Place the front edge of the peel on the far edge of the stone or steel, and with a quick forward motion, slide the pizza onto the steel or stone as you pull the peel out from under the pizza.

Let the pizza bake for 10-15 minutes, until the dough is puffed and golden, the cheese is melted and the panko breadcrumbs on top have toasted and turned golden.

Tricks for if it Sticks

If the dough sticks to the peel, carefully lift the edge by the area where it’s stuck; sharply toss a pinch-full of flour under the dough and give the peel another shimmy to try and dislodge the dough and distribute the flour underneath. If that doesn’t work, you can carefully fold the pizza over itself to reach the stuck part and gently lift the stuck dough from the peel and toss a little flour under; re-lay the folded part back down on the peel, give the pizza peel a shimmy. Then, as best you can, redistribute the toppings. It may not look as pretty but it will melt and taste perfectly fine.

When the pizza comes out of the oven, top with a drizzle of blue cheese dressing if you like. Then finish it off with the sliced scallions.

Hot Wing Pizza

This pizza has all the hot wing flavor you would expect, it’s spicy and tangy; the blue cheese adds a funky richness to offset the vinegary heat. The panko breadcrumbs have a light celery note to them, they’re toasty and crispy – really sending this pizza over the edge in terms of flavor and texture. It’s so perfect!

Movie Night: The Power of the Dog

We have our Hot Wing Pizza ready, so let’s get to the movie! The Power of the Dog is slow moving, but don’t think that makes it any less tense. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Phil Burbank, brother to George, played by Jesse Plemons. The brothers own and operate a ranch in 1920’s Montana. Phil is a rough, mean, bully of a cowboy; while George is kinder and gentler. Phil’s cruelty plays out in his taunting of George, of George’s new wife, Rose (Kirsten Dunst) and her son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee).

Cumberbatch brings all of the tension to this movie, with beautifully stark writing and direction by Jane Campion. This film is economic in its dialog; expressive in its framing and acting. There is a power struggle between Phil and each of the main characters; and Campion, with her actors, does an incredible job conveying the depth and complexity of each struggle. A must-see film, The Power of the Dog is available to stream on Netflix – I highly recommend putting this film at the top of your list.

Thank you all so much for spending time with me today, I do hope you make this Hot Wing Pizza – it’s a revelation! And do watch The Power of the Dog, I think it’s rare that a movie like this comes along these days. Take care and be well Everyone! xo Kelly

At Home Pizza Essentials

Print Recipe

Hot Wing Pizza

(3 votes, average: 2.67 out of 5)

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Dinner, Main Course – American/Italian

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 20 Minutes – Cooking Time: 10-15 Minutes – Total Time: ~35 Minutes

All the Buffalo Chicken flavor, with blue cheese crumbles. A toasted panko topping gives this pizza the crisp bite of a perfectly fried hot wing.

Ingredients

• Buffalo Hot Wing Sauce
• 1 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 2 tbsp. White Vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 tsp. Fresh Garlic, pressed or grated
• Panko Topping
• 3/4 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp. Celery Salt
• Hot Wing Pizza
• 1 Prepared Pizza Dough
• 1-1.5 cups Grated Low Moisture Mozzarella
• 2 cups Rotisserie Chicken
• 1/4-1/2 cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
• 2 Scallions, sliced thinly for garnish
• Blue Cheese Dressing, optional for drizzling on baked pizza

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven with a pizza steel or stone to 450 degrees.

Buffalo Hot Wing Sauce

2

Over low heat, melt the butter. When the butter is melted, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk to combine. You want to get this mixture bubbling, but not boiling. Keep it over low/medium heat and whisk every few minutes. Let it cook together for about 5 minutes.

Panko Topping

3

In a small bowl mix one tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon celery salt with 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs. Stir together until panko is coated with olive oil. The mixture will still be somewhat dry.

Hot Wing Pizza

4

Place the 2 cups of rotisserie chicken in a medium bowl and pour the Buffalo Hot Wing sauce over the chicken, toss to coat the chicken in the sauce. Set aside.

5

Toss, spin, stretch or roll your dough into a roughly 12-inch round.

6

Evenly spread 1.5 cups of grated mozzarella cheese on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border for the crust.

7

Top the mozzarella with the Buffalo-sauced chicken.

8

Sprinkle the blue cheese crumbles evenly over the chicken. And top it all off with the panko breadcrumb mixture.

9

Let the pizza bake for 10-15 minutes, until the dough is puffed and golden, the cheese is melted and the panko breadcrumbs on top have toasted and turned golden.

10

When the pizza comes out of the oven, top with a drizzle of blue cheese dressing if you like. Then finish it off with the sliced scallions.