When I first made the jump to vegetarianism, buffalo chicken dip was definitely something I thought I would never be eating again. And it made me sad. Not so much the part about not eating chicken, but not having a proper vessel to deliver the tangy, spicy, orange deliciousness that is buffalo sauce? I wasn’t okay with that in the slightest. So, I found new vessels for buffalo sauce: celery sticks, cucumber rounds, scrambled eggs, pita chips, etc (odd but delicious combos if you’re brave enough to try). However, none of these quite hit the sweet spot; that spot nestled between heart and cravings was simply unappeased by the shallow depth of flavor that buffalo sauce and {insert bland vessel} delivered. But in emptiness, there are answers…
Over the past month, I had dreams of making this typically meat-eater-only dip a vegan reality, and with a tiny bit of creativity this multi-layered loveliness came to be.
And I’ll never again be able to say that I miss buffalo wings because this dip is all that and a bag of pita chips. In fact, it’s so good that Dan and I may have eaten all 6-8 servings in one sitting. Hey, I said may have so don’t judge. Or do judge because we did and it was delicious.
- 10 ounces "chicken" strips or breasts (I use Gardein Chick'n Scallopini), grilled or cooked according to instructions
- 8 ounces Tofutti cream cheese
- 6 ounces mozzarella cheese substitute (I use Daiya)
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce of choice, plus more for garnishing
- 4 scallions, chopped for garnish
- Celery sticks, whole wheat pita chips, or tortilla chips for dipping
- Heat oven to 350º F.
- Shred or chop "chicken" strips.
- In a small baking pan, spread tofutti evenly over bottom. Top with chicken, buffalo sauce, and mozzarella.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.
- Top with scallions and serve immediately.
Looks really yummy !
This looks great! And I think I would have joined you eating it all…
Made this for a small get together yesterday and it was a HIT! Everyone ate it up while stating how good it was. Thanks for the recipe! I’ll be archiving this one to make again.
Hi Kim! I’m so glad to hear it was a hit! Thanks so much for commenting with feedback!
Hi Kim! Thanks so much for commenting! I’m so glad to hear this recipe was a hit at your get together. I need to add this into the notes, but if you use daiya or another melt-able vegan mozzarella you can even make this right in a crockpot. Just grill the “chicken” up as the recipe states and then add everything to a crock pot and heat on low or medium. It makes it even easier to prepare for a group!
Thanks Ashley!
It looks good! I was wondering if it’s a gluten-free recipe as well? A friend of my is allergic to gluten :(
Hi Sean! As long as you use a gluten-free vegan chicken substitute then this recipe is gluten-free. Unfortunately, the one I usually use “Gardein” does contain gluten, but I know there are other brands out there that are gluten-free. I hope this helps!
Hi! So just to clarify… You cook the Gardein chicken first, and then you also include it in the baking or crockpot process? That doesn’t overlook it? Just want to make sure I’m reading this right :)
Overcook* it
Hi, Lauren! Yes, that’s correct. You’ll cook the Gardein first, then shred it, and then add it to the dip as directed and bake or cook the dip in the crockpot.
Did you mix together the chickn, buffalo sauce, and mozzarella and put that mixture on top of the cream cheese? Or layer it all? Thank you! I’m trying out this recipe tomorrow!
Hi, Leanna! You can layer it all or mix everything together! Works well both ways, and sometimes I even just toss everything into a crock pot and let it all meld together.