There’s nothing better than a great recipe with a connection to someone you love. Every time you make it – you remember the person who’s important to you. And every time you pass on the recipe, you’re sharing that love with someone else.

One of those special recipes in my life is the creation of a dapper gentleman named Dave Hammergren (he’s in red on the top right of this old school TCL staff photo – I don’t remember why they were all wearing their Team John t-shirts but I promise we were all on the same team, ha. And gosh do I love all of these people!). Dave was a television director at KSTP for decades and started Twin Cities Live with the original crew. When I joined the team, he welcomed me with open arms and became a mentor and a dear friend. He also supplied me with the best buffalo chicken dip known to man. Dave is a terrific cook and I’d request this dip for every staff potluck or evening gathering because it is just that good.

So in honor of the big football extravaganza happening this weekend, I thought it’s time to share this recipe with the world so I made it for Chris, Megan and all of our viewers on my weekly Minnesota Live appearance.

Here’s Dave’s recipe – he says the real “secret” is the chicken and how you prepare it.

Hammers Buffalo Chicken Dip

Gather this:

20 ounce package of boneless skinless chicken breasts

        2-8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened

        ¾ cup of crumbled blue cheese

        ¾ cup of Franks Wing Sauce (make sure you use Franks “wing” sauce)

        1 ½ cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Do this:

Season the chicken breasts with a spicy rub of your choice. Dave has his own secret rub but you can do as I do and use any spice rub that you like but make sure that it has a good kick to it.

Dave grills the chicken – I cook it in a little bacon fat in a skillet on the stove. Either way – be careful not to overcook it. It can even be a little on the rare side as it will cook through in the slow cooker later. t

Let chicken rest after cooking, it needs to reabsorb all of it’s moisture. Then dice the chicken.

Heat the chicken and the hot sauce in a large skillet just until heated through. Stir in the cream cheese and blue cheese, stirring until blended and warm. Mix in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese and pour the mixture into a slow cooker.

Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top and cook on low until it’s hot and bubbly.

Serve with celery sticks and taco chips. Try not to eat all of it yourself!