Loaded Buffalo Chicken Pull-Apart Bread
The following recipe was created in collaboration with Lauren Schulte. To see more of her bites and meals, visit her Instagram @TheBiteSizePantry.
You won’t be working into over-time making this super simple, tailgating-friendly Loaded Buffalo Chicken Pull-Apart Bread. It’s extra cheesy and super easy. It’s stuffed with cheddar cheese, chicken, buffalo sauce, celery and red onions with extra cheese on top! Does that sound like a touch down or what?
If you want to serve it vegetarian-style, you can always pick up Heinen’s pre-made spinach and artichoke dip and drench the bread in that instead. Either way, it’s a game day hit you won’t want to miss.
Here’s the game plan. Find yourself a loaf of good crusty bread, baked fresh in Heinen’s bakery. You can use any variety you like (sourdough would be really good). Next, you’ll want to score the bread by cutting it into semi-shallow one-inch cubes that can easily be pulled apart after baking. Don’t cut too deep into the bread as you want the loaf to stay intact. Once the bread is cut, load it with a little herb-infused garlic oil to keep it from drying out in the oven. You’ll want to fill all the nooks and crannies of the bread so it’s extra delicious.
Now, mix up the cheesy chicken dip. It’s a simple mix of cream cheese, two types of cheddar cheese, ranch powder, buffalo sauce, and Greek yogurt for extra creaminess. I also like to use blue cheese, but if you’re not a fan, simply leave it out. Stuff the dip into each nook and cranny of the bread, then add extra cheese on top.
All there’s left to do is bake the loaded, cheesy bread until it turns golden and the cheese has melted and top. I like to use, celery, red onion and green onion for toppings at the end, but you can also add a little blue cheese if you like.
Loaded Buffalo Chicken Pull-Apart Bread
Ingredients
- 1 loaf crusty bread
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. fresh green onion, chopped
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 Tbsp. dried oregano
- 6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 packet of ranch seasoning
- ½ cup 0% Greek yogurt
- ½ cup Caesar dressing
- ½ cup buffalo sauce
- 1 ½ cups Heinen’s shredded white meat chicken
- 1 cup mild cheddar cheese
- 1 cup New York sharp white cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375˚F. Slice the bread loaf horizontally and vertically to create semi-shallow 1-inch cubes. Be careful not to slice all the way through the bread. If the loaf is pre-scored, simply follow the lines. You can also use a pre-sliced long rectangular loaf of bread. Just make sure you place it in a rectangular baking dish so it doesn’t all fall apart.
- If using a round loaf, place in a pie pan or a rectangular baking sheet after slicing.
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, parsley and green onion. I recommend using scissors to cut the green onion, if you use a knife, make sure it’s extra sharp or it won’t cut as finely. Rub the inside of the bread with the olive oil mixture. This helps the bread stay moist while baking.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, ranch powder, Greek yogurt, Caesar dressing, oregano and buffalo sauce until combined.
- Stir in the chicken and half of the cheddar cheeses. Save the other half for the top of the bread. Stuff the filling inside the bread. Be sure to fill the spaces in between the cuts. I recommend using your fingers to tuck it all in there.
- Top the bread with the remaining cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the filling is warmed all the way through. Top with fresh parsley, additional buffalo sauce, blue cheese, celery and red onion.
