Every year for New Year’s Eve, my friend Jill and I get together with our families over at her house. We make as many appetizers as we can possibly fit on a table, mix up some drinks and get comfy for the night. The kids play until way too late, and in turn, we stay up way past our bedtime too, but we all have the best time anyone can possibly have on New Year’s Eve.
I have been ringing in the New Year with her as long as I can remember. It wasn’t always comfy clothes and appetizers in the kitchen though. We had our days of parties and swankier nights at events in the city. We had a blast those days too, but something about the comfort of a home with food and friends, when you know of all the craziness going on around you because it is New Year’s Eve, is the most fun thing I can possibly think of.
Every year, we try to create new appetizers. There have been many amazing ones, and a few ones we said, never again, but it’s fun to try something new and different each time. This appetizer is one that I have already made for a few parties, but will surely be a hit at any event you bring it to. The flatbread is cracker thin, with a slight chew to it, the perfect crust for the tender, spicy chicken and the gooey melty cheese. Dipped in a homemade blue cheese sauce and paired with crunchy celery sticks? This could not be any better! Did I mention easy? It is pretty easy considering you are basically making a homemade crust. This is a no rise crust, so you won’t have to make it way ahead of time. Leftovers? This freezes great and heats up in a hot oven as if you were making it fresh for the first time.
Check out the home page for some other appetizer recipes great for ringing in the new year!
Happy New Year to you and yours!
- Crust:
- ½ cup warm water
- ½ tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tsp honey
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp canola oil
- Topping:
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed small
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 bottle (about 1½ cups) Hot Wing sauce
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Blue Cheese Sauce:
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
- Celery sticks, for serving
- Mix all sauce ingredients together, adjusting ingredients to your taste preferences. Chill.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- In a small bowl, mix yeast, honey and water.
- Let sit for about ten minutes until it gets foamy.
- While you are waiting, grease a rimmed baking sheet with about two tsp canola oil.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, Add flour and salt.
- Pour in yeast mixture.
- Mix with a paddle until combined
- Transfer the paddle for the dough hook.
- Knead for about 5-7 minutes, adding more flour little by little if dough is too sticky.
- Dough should have a smooth, elastic appearance and feel.
- Let dough sit for about 10 minutes
- Flour a workspace and knead dough with your hands on the workspace for about a minute
- With a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a thin 10 inch rectangle.
- Place dough onto the 13x9 cookie sheet stretching it to the edges
- Bake crust for about 15 minutes.
- While crust is baking, toss together chicken and melted butter.
- Stir in hot wing sauce until chicken is coated.
- Take out crust, spread chicken mixture on top.
- Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese
- Put back in the oven and change the oven to broil.
- Broil the top until the cheese is bubbly and browned, about 5-7 minutes depending on your oven.
- Let cool slightly
- Slice into strips or squares with a pizza cutter and serve with blue cheese sauce and celery sticks.
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