Buffalo Chicken Dip

The ultimate in football food.

I have mentioned before that it took me a while to make a good circle of friends here in town.  And it was especially hard for me because I left an amazing circle of friends behind in New York.  But the first friend I made here in town remains one of my closest, and I feel very lucky to have her in my life.  I trust her with my children, I respect her opinion, she's easy to talk to, and we have the same definition of a good time.  And to top it all off, our kids love each other and our husbands get along great.  She opens up her house to friends all the time, and we are always excited for the invitation.  I don't even feel the need to ring her doorbell anymore.  We just barge in like the house is ours, and I think (and hope!) that she likes it that way.
The first time she invited my family over was during the first fall season we were in town.  Along with a few others, she asked us to come over for a Patriots game.  In her and her husband's classic fashion, there was SO MUCH FOOD!  Enough food to feed 50 probably, and there was really only eight of us...  12 if you count the under one crowd.
They have a lovely finished basement with a bar and a big-screen TV, and lots of room for little ones to move around, so that's where we watched the game.  Pete sat at the bar in front of a pinkish, creamy, cheesy dip.  It didn't look very appealing to me, but Pete tried it, and then ate the rest of it, almost singlehandedly.  He suggested I try it but there was so much other food there that looked so wonderful, I figured I'd let him continue it on his own.  I asked my friend what it was called, and she told me it was buffalo chicken dip.
On the way home, I said to Pete, "Now that was so fun, wasn't it?"  His response, "Yes.  You have to get that recipe for the buffalo chicken dip."  He didn't stop talking about it for days.  He promised if I made it I would love it just as much.  So I made it, and I loved it.  I loved it!  I then made it for my parents.  I could tell when I put it down that my mom was thinking, "Ew.  What's grosser than gross?"  But she loved it and then went home and made it for my brother when he visited, and for her school party (she's a principal), and it was a huge hit on both occasions.
This was five years ago, and I had never heard of buffalo chicken dip before.  It's all over the place now.  For me, this recipe is the ultimate and the original.  And thank you, to my dear friend, for sharing the recipe with me, and for letting me share it with all of you.  This recipe can easily be halved, if you want to make it for a smaller crowd.  Are you ready for some football?

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Serves 10

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked
16 oz of cream cheese (2 blocks)
16 oz of Ranch dressing
12 oz of Franks Red Hot Sauce
2C of shredded cheddar.

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Shred the chicken, place in a bowl and mix with the hot sauce.  Put aside.
3.  Place the cream cheese and the Ranch dressing in a medium-sized pot at medium temperature, and stir until the cream cheese is melts and the Ranch is all mixed in.
4.  Stir the chicken into the cheese mixture, and pour into a casserole dish.  A 9X13 Pyrex works perfectly.
5.  Sprinkle with the cheese and cook for 15 minutes, or until bubbling.
6.  This is where it gets hard:  allow it to cool for 10 minutes before eating.  Serve with tortilla chips.