We took an already pretty good thing, and upgraded the hell out of it. We made our own rub, smoked the chicken and even smoked the cream cheese - and oh holy crap. But if ur not up for the smoking, here’s a version without it.
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 - 8 ounce block cream cheese
BBQ seasoning, see recipe here
1 - 3 to 4 pound chicken
3 tablespoons mayo, Japanese if you have it
3/4 cup Franks Buffalo sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing, recipe here
8 ounces shredded Monterey jack cheese, plus a little extra for the top
2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
Stuff for serving: celery, tortilla chips, toasted slices of baguette, your fingers…whatever
Set smoker to 225 degrees
Combine cumin, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, mustard, chili powder, salt & pepper
Season all side of cream cheese with the seasoning mix, put in a heat proof skillet (cast iron is great) and smoke for 2 hours, remove
Turn up smoker to 375 degrees
Spatchcock the chicken: put it breast side down on a couple layers of paper towels, and using strong kitchen shears cut along each side of the backbone, remove & save (see the video)
Dry well and put on a rack, and season the underside, then turn over
Brush the skin side with a layer of the mayo, season with remaining seasoning mix and smoke until 165 degrees in the breast (roughly an hour) - remove and let cool slightly
Shred or chop up 2 1/2 to 3 cups of the chicken and put in a large bowl with the cream cheese, Franks, ranch and Monterey jack
Mix everything well, and put into a heat proof skillet, top with the blue cheese and smoke 25 to 30 minutes