Buffalo Chicken Cast Iron Pizza

Par-baked cast iron crust, buttered pan, buffalo-tossed chicken, four cheeses, and the drizzle finish. The deep-dish buffalo fix.

Time: 20 min | Yield: 1 12 inch pizzas | Difficulty: Intermediate | Serves: 4 | Published: 2026-07-24

Same buffalo philosophy as the bar pie, sauce ON the chicken before, drizzles AFTER, but in the buttery, thick, crispy-edged cast iron format.

The pan gets a healthy amount of butter on every inch before the par-baked dough goes back in. That butter is what fries the bottom and edges while the cheeses melt. Cheese placement follows the cast iron playbook: low-moisture mozz lining the edges for frico, whole-milk mozz and provolone in the middle, fresh mozz chunks and the reserved shredded cheese over the chicken.

Grill the chicken to a true 160°F, it gets oven time too. And make the buffalo sauce and ranch from scratch if you have ten minutes, the difference is real. Five-minute rest in the pan before the spatula, then slice, then drizzle.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
  2. Prepare and par bake the dough per the attached "Cast Iron Pan Recipe"
  3. Cook your grilled chicken. I tend to grill the chicken to completion until the thermometer reads 160 degrees. Just using salt and pepper. 1 Grilled Chicken Breast
  4. Prep your buffalo sauce and ranch dressing. My recipes are attached and I highly recommend making from scratch, but You can buy it at the store if you want. Buffalo Sauce, Ranch Dressing
  5. Once the skillet and parbaked dough has cooled, apply a healthy amount of butter on every inch of the pan. butter
    You'll know it's right: Butter every inch of the pan, bottom and sides. This is the frying fat for the crust, thin spots become pale spots.
  6. Place the par baked dough in there. If you want a flatter surface you can flip the dough upside down.
  7. Line the edges with the low moisture mozzarella.
    You'll know it's right: The low-moisture mozz ring against the pan edge builds the frico crown, press it into contact with the metal.
  8. Use 1 cup of the whole milk mozz (save half a cup) and the shredded provolone in the middle.
  9. Toss your grilled chicken in two tablespoons of the buffalo sauce, then evenly spread on top.
    You'll know it's right: Two tablespoons of buffalo sauce coats the chicken glossy. The heavy saucing happens at the end where it can't soak in.
  10. Evenly sprinkle the remaining whole milk mozz and chunks of fresh mozz on top.
  11. Toss into the oven for 10 minutes or so. And finish with 1-2 minute broil.
  12. Pull out of the oven and let it rest in the pan for at least 5 minutes.
  13. Use a spatula to remove from the pan.
    You'll know it's right: The 5-minute rest in the pan is when the edge cheese releases from the metal. Early spatula attempts tear the crown.
  14. Slice it first.
  15. Drizzle your buffalo sauce and ranch on top.
    You'll know it's right: Slice first, then drizzle, the sauce lands in the cut lines and every piece gets its own.
  16. Finish with green onions and enjoy!

Troubleshooting

Stuck to the pan

Not enough butter, or pulled too early. Butter every inch, and give it the full 5-minute rest before the spatula goes in.

Edges pale, no frico

Cheese never touched the pan wall. Line the edge with the low-moisture mozz pressed against the metal. Contact makes the crown.

Chicken was rubbery

Overcooked twice. Grill to 160°F, no further. The oven and broil finish the job.

Buffalo flavor was weak

All restraint, no finish. The two-tablespoon toss is the base note. The post-slice drizzle is the flavor, don't skip the bottles.

Middle undercooked

Skipped the par-bake. This build needs the par-baked cast iron dough. Raw dough under this load steams.

Nutrition (1 slice (1/6 of the pan)): 460 calories, 27g protein, 33g carbs, 25g fat.