If you are looking for the ultimate game-day snack or a fun, handheld dinner that the whole family will fight over, this Buffalo Chicken Garbage Bread is the answer. It packs all the zesty, fiery flavors of buffalo wings into a warm, golden crust of pizza dough, stuffed to the brim with melted cheeses and tender chicken.
A savory, spicy roll filled with a creamy buffalo-ranch sauce and a blend of gooey cheddar and mozzarella, baked until perfectly crisp and ready for slicing.
Recipe Details
- Flavor Profile: Bold and spicy from the buffalo wing sauce, balanced by the cool, herby creaminess of ranch and savory melted cheeses.
- Textures: A soft but crispy outer crust with a dense, cheesy, and tender chicken filling that pulls apart beautifully.
- Total Time: Approximately 45 minutes (including prep and baking).
- Difficulty: Easy. This recipe uses simple assembly techniques and pre-cooked chicken for a quick and satisfying result.
What You’ll Need
This recipe transforms a few simple components into a crowd-pleasing masterpiece. You will need pre-cooked chicken, your favorite pizza dough, and a generous amount of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. The signature flavor comes from the combination of buffalo wing sauce and ranch dressing, which serves as both a marinade and a base sauce.
Ingredient Notes
- Cooked Chicken – You can use shredded rotisserie chicken or diced leftover chicken breasts. Using pre-cooked chicken keeps the assembly fast and ensures the meat is tender.
- Pizza Dough – For the best results, ensure your dough is fully defrosted and has sat at room temperature for a bit so it is easy to roll out into a rectangle.
- Buffalo Wing Sauce – This is divided in the recipe to provide a punch of flavor directly to the chicken and to create the base for the internal sauce.
- Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese – The mozzarella provides that classic “cheese pull,” while the cheddar adds a sharp, savory depth that pairs perfectly with the buffalo heat.
- Ranch Dressing – This acts as the cooling agent, mellowing out the spice of the wing sauce and adding a creamy consistency to the filling.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Cheese: If you are a fan of traditional buffalo wings, you can substitute a portion of the cheddar for crumbled blue cheese.
- Vegetables: Finely diced celery or sliced green onions added to the filling can provide a nice crunch and a fresh flavor contrast.
- Heat Level: Adjust the spiciness by choosing a mild, medium, or hot buffalo wing sauce depending on your preference.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Garbage Bread
1. Prepare the Filling
Start by preheating your oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, toss your 2 cups of shredded or diced cooked chicken with 1/4 cup of the buffalo wing sauce. You can add a little more or less depending on how spicy you want the filling to be. In a separate small bowl, stir together the 1/4 cup of ranch dressing and the remaining 1/4 cup of wing sauce to create your buffalo ranch base.
2. Roll and Fill
On a lightly floured surface or your countertop, roll out the pizza dough into a long rectangular shape. Spread your prepared buffalo ranch sauce evenly across the surface of the dough, leaving a small border around the edges. Evenly distribute the buffalo-tossed chicken over the sauce, and then top the whole thing with the 8 ounces of shredded mozzarella and 8 ounces of shredded cheddar.
3. Shape and Bake
Pick one long side and carefully roll the dough up tightly to form a long log. It is crucial to seal both ends by pinching the dough together; this prevents the cheese and sauce from “oozing” out while the bread is in the oven. Place the log seam-side down on a non-stick or greased baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and firm.
Pro Tip: Patience is key after baking! Let the garbage bread sit and “rest” for 5-10 minutes before you start cutting it into slices. This resting period allows the melted cheese to set slightly, ensuring you get clean slices without the filling spilling out.
Recipe Tips
- Flour Your Surface: Make sure your rolling surface is well-floured to prevent the dough from sticking, which makes it much easier to roll the log tightly.
- Seam-Side Down: Always place the bread on the baking sheet with the seam facing down. The weight of the log helps keep the seal closed during the bake.
- Chicken Texture: If using rotisserie chicken, shred it while it is still slightly warm for the best texture, then let it cool before tossing with the sauce.
- Browning: If the top is browning too quickly before the 30 minutes are up, you can loosely tent it with foil, though the high heat is generally needed to cook the dough through.
FAQs
Can I use different types of dough? While pizza dough is traditional for garbage bread, you could use a refrigerated loaf of French bread dough, though the baking time may need to be monitored more closely.
How do I store leftovers? Store any leftover slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven or a toaster oven to bring back the crispness of the crust.
What is “Garbage Bread”? It is a fun, regional name for a stuffed bread roll where you “throw in” various fillings, much like a stromboli but often with more diverse or casual ingredients.
Serving Suggestions
- Extra Dipping Sauce: Serve the warm slices with extra ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing on the side for dipping.
- Vegetable Sticks: Classic buffalo wing accompaniments like cold celery sticks and carrot sticks provide a refreshing crunch.
- Salad: A simple green garden salad with a light vinaigrette balances the richness of the cheesy bread perfectly.
Make This Recipe in Advance
You can prepare the chicken and sauce mixture up to 24 hours in advance and store them in the refrigerator. You can even assemble the entire log, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and keep it in the fridge for a few hours before baking. If baking from the fridge, you may need to add 2-3 minutes to the total baking time to ensure the center is hot.
Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Garbage Bread with Ranch Dipping Sauce
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
The ultimate game-day snack or handheld dinner. Packs fiery buffalo wing flavors into a golden pizza dough crust, stuffed with tender chicken and a double dose of melted cheese. This savory roll is filled with a creamy buffalo-ranch sauce and baked until perfectly crisp.
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 2 cups cooked chicken (shredded or diced)
- 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (divided)
- 1/4 cup ranch dressing
For the Dough & Cheese
- 1 pizza dough (room temp)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Prep: Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss chicken with 1/4 cup buffalo sauce.
Sauce: Whisk ranch and remaining 1/4 cup buffalo sauce for the base.
Layer: Roll dough into a large rectangle. Spread buffalo-ranch sauce over dough (leave a border). Top with buffalo chicken and both cheeses.
Roll: Roll dough tightly into a log starting from the long side. Pinch ends and place seam-side down on a sheet.
Bake: Bake for 30 mins until deep golden brown. Rest 10 mins before slicing.
Notes
Resting is Essential: Do not skip the 10-minute rest! This allows the cheese to set so the filling doesn’t pour out when sliced.
Seam-Side Down: Placing the roll seam-side down uses the weight of the filling to keep the dough sealed during the bake.
Dough Tip: If the dough shrinks while rolling, let it sit for 5 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizer / Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 425
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 1150
- Fat: 24
- Saturated Fat: 13
- Unsaturated Fat: 11
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 28
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 25
- Cholesterol: 85
Keywords: buffalo chicken garbage bread, stuffed pizza dough, buffalo chicken roll, game day snacks, homemade stromboli
