Description
This Buffalo Chicken Pizza Skulls recipe combines tender shredded chicken cooked in an Instant Pot and tossed in spicy buffalo sauce with sautéed vegetables, all stuffed inside pizza dough shaped like skulls. Baked to golden perfection, these spooky yet delicious hand-held pizzas make a fun appetizer or main dish, perfect for parties or game day. The recipe offers easy substitutions to accommodate dietary preferences, including dairy-free and gluten-free options.
Ingredients
Scale
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken:
- 2 chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups chicken bone broth
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Buffalo Chicken Stuffing:
- 1 1/2 Tbsp ghee substitute (avocado oil or dairy free butter)
- 1 (8.5 oz) bottle buffalo sauce (use less for milder heat)
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 1/3 cup diced onions
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup diced green onions
- 1/4 cup blue cheese (or dairy-free option or omit)
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese (Monterey Jack with Hatch chili or dairy-free shredded cheese)
Pizza Dough:
- 1 (13.8 oz) store-bought pizza dough crust (e.g., Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust or Simple Mills for gluten-free)
Instructions
- Prepare the Instant Pot Shredded Chicken: Add chicken breasts, chicken bone broth, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the Instant Pot. Set to the poultry setting and cook for 15 minutes. Once finished, allow the pressure to release naturally, then shred the chicken using two forks.
- Make the Buffalo Chicken Stuffing: Heat ghee (or avocado oil/dairy free butter) in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, salt, and pepper, sautéing for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, and green onions; mix well and sauté for 5 additional minutes.
- Prepare the Pizza Dough: Slice the store-bought pizza dough in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 6 strips, resulting in 12 strips total.
- Assemble the Buffalo Chicken Pizza Skulls: Press one strip of dough into the center of a skull-shaped pan. Add about 1/3 cup of the buffalo chicken stuffing on top of the dough. Sprinkle with blue cheese and shredded cheese. Fold over the dough to enclose the filling and carefully press the edges to seal securely.
- Bake: Place the filled skulls in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and cooked through.
- Serve: Serve the Buffalo Chicken Pizza Skulls hot, accompanied by ranch dressing, celery sticks, and carrot sticks for dipping and crunch.
Notes
- You can substitute rotisserie chicken for the Instant Pot shredded chicken to save time.
- For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free pizza dough such as Simple Mills brand.
- Blue cheese and shredded cheese can be replaced with dairy-free alternatives or omitted for a dairy-free version.
- Adjust the amount of buffalo sauce to control the spiciness to your preference.
- Use avocado oil or dairy-free butter as a substitute for ghee to make this recipe dairy-free.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Buffalo Chicken Pizza Skull
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
