This is mighty special and is always a BIG hit!

Buffalo Chicken Dip
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
1 12oz. bottle Frank's Hot Sauce
2 8oz pkgs. cream cheese
1 16oz. bottle blue cheese salad dressing(or Ranch if you prefer)
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar, Mont. Jack or a combo
Boil chicken until cooked through, shred with 2 forks.
Preheat oven to 350. In a 13x9, combine chicken with hot sauce and spread evenly.
In a large saucepan over med. heat, combine the cream cheese and dressing, stirring until smooth and hot. Pour evenly over chicken. Bake uncovered for 20 min., then sprinkly with shredded cheese and bake uncovered for another 10 min. Let stand 10 min. before serving.

You might also perk up the "chips" by using fresh veggies.

Carrots and celery stalks are standbys, of course. But pretty them up. For instance, if you cut the celery in pieces 3-4 inches long, then feather one end, you have a much better looking presentation. Cutting carrots on the diagonal makes larger "chips." Even better: use a corrugated cutter for a prettier look that also holds the dip better.

In addition, try thin slices of kohlrabi and/or jicama as the platform for your dip. Radish roses also brighten up the platter. And be sure to include green onions as well.

As for the dip itself, keep in mind that anything which can be pureed can serve in a dip. So let your imagination flow. Hummus and Baba Ganough, for instance, are both dips. Other beans can be ground and used too. Indeed, even a can of refried beans, thinned slightly and presented nicely, makes a heck of a dip.

Tired of the onion soup mix thing, why not try caramelizing onions and mixing them in instead. Try those with half sour cream and half ricotta for a change of pace, and sprinkle the top with chopped raw red onions. Or try the same thing with roasted red peppers.

There are no end to the dip platters you can create that are far from boring.

This is the best onion dip I have ever had....

ONION DIP FROM SCRATCH Alton Brown
Source: Alton Brown (People who reviewed this recipe said to increase the amount of onions called for.)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onions
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

In a saute pan over medium heat add oil, heat and add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the cooled onions. Refrigerate and stir again before serving.

Thank you all! These do sound wonderful. Someone else has been asked to bring a veggie platter and someone else cheese & crackers so unfortunately I'm limited to potato chips and therefore a dip that wouldn't demolish the chips. I'll work with the above - I've still got a couple of days to try them out. And I'll enjoy having them in my recipe file for other occasions, too. Thanks again!

Caliloo, I'd say the reviewers were right. Given the amount of carrier (2 1/4 cups) I would up the onions. I'd likely cut down on the salt quantities as well.

When I make my version I start with two large onions, which, after caramelizing, get mixed into only a cup of sour cream cut with a dollop of mayo. A spoonful or so of red horseradish perks up both the flavor and color.

Here are some that I like, most of my dip recipes are warm and maybe too thick for potato chips, but these might be okay:

Posted by: woodny (My Page) on Sun, Jul 21, 02 at 21:16
Baked Artichoke Appetizer
30 minutes (10 min prep, 20 min cooking) 12 servings
2 (14oz) cans artichoke hearts, well drained
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise (for best results, don't use Miracle Whip, it's too
sweet)
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon garlic salt or garlic powder
Tabasco sauce, to taste (or any hot sauce)
1 Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
2 Spray a 4-cup casserole dish with Pam, or lightly grease it; set aside.
3 Chop drained artichokes and place in a mixing bowl.
4 Add all other ingredients and combine; put mixture into casserole dish.
5 Bake in preheated oven until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
6 Serve with crackers, Melba toast, or your favorite dippers.

CRAB DIP

TO BE SERVED HOT

1 BAR CREAM CHEESE
1 CAN LUMP CRAB MEAT
1 C MAYONNAISE
SPRINKLE OF GARLIC POWDER

GENTLY MIX TOGETHER AND BAKE IN
400 DEGREE OVEN UNTIL BUBBLEY!

Hot Beef Dip

4 oz dried beef, shredded
8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
small can of chopped chilis

Bake at 350* until hot and bubbly.....about 20-25 minutes

This one is good , we like it with the "veggie" potato chips "

Diane's Home Cookin Chapter: Dips

Spinach-Feta-Cheese Dip
=======================
2 cups Low fat plain yogurt
1 small clove garlic
2 tablespoons Chopped fresh dill or 2
teaspoon dried
1 package frozen leaf spinach,
Thawed and squeezed out
4 ounces Feta cheese, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon Grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
. Set coffee filter or double thickness of paper toweling in strainer
over small bowl. Spoon yogurt into filter. Refrigerate; drain for 2
hours. Chop the garlic and dill in a food processor. Add spinach, feta,
rind, salt and pepper. Whirl until cheese is finely grated, scraping
down side of bowl as needed. Add drained yogurt. Pulse with on/off
motion just until mixture is combined. Scrape into serving bowl. (can
be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated

And don't forget taco chips and toasted pita triangles to dip with...both are stronger than potato chips.
I make my onion dip woth cream cheese thinned with a bit of milk or cream and lots of caramelized onions and a squeeze of lemon to perk it up...Oh yes and a generous dash of worchestershire.
Linda C

K right up front I'm telling you not to make this recipe for the party, but I couldn't help sharing it because it is the best P(re)MS, MS, or P(ost)MS chip dip recipe. Just a real "it's all about me and a bag of chips" recipe.

Actually, I got this recipe a million years ago, my roomates and I would stuff our face with chips and dip and listen to each others sad tales of the men in our lives. LOL !!! To this day when I am feeling sorry for myself I make a batch of this, grab the chips and go watch a chick flick!

Sadly I can't do exact amounts.

Cream cheese, lets say 1/2 package so 4 oz. softened
1/4, or a bit less depending on size, of a sweet onion chopped finely
Mayo and ketchup, enough of each to give it a dippable consistency, a nice rosy colour and a bit of zing (how's that for exact)...... sometimes I add a shot of tabasco.

Process it all in a food processor or whip by hand , which is of course what we used to do. Eat with ripple chips, saltier the better....it is just sooo good yet sooo bad...a closet recipe.

I've been reading Rosemary Barron's "Flavors of Greece" (I read cookbooks the way others read novels). In it there is sort of a Greek version of hummus that might work:

Rivithosalata
(Garbanzo Beans & Garlic Salata)

1 1/2 cups dried garbanzo beans, soaked overnight in water to cover
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander or 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
5 tbls Kalamata olive oil
Strained juice of 2 lemons

for serving:
Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbls dried rigani (Greek oregano) crumbled
1 tsp paprika

Drain the beans and place in a large saucepan with cold water to cover. Bring slowly to a boil, drain, rinse. Rinse out the saucepan, return beans to pan, and add cold water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, recuce the heat, cover, and genly simmer for 50 minutes or until so0ft. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and a few whole beans for garnish.

Place the beans, garlic, coriander, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender container. With the machine running, gradually add 1/4 cup of the olive oil and most of the lemon juice. Add more salt and pepper and the remainign lemon juice if desired and process until smooth and creamy. For a thinner consistency gradually add some or all of the reserved liquid (if you plan to store the salata add all the reserved liquid---it will thicken on standing).

Spread on a platter and sprinkle with the parsley, regani and reserved whole berans. Combine the parprika and remaining tbls olive oil and sprinkle over the salata.

To store, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two days.

I have tried several kinds of home made versions of onion dip, and I hate to say it but I love just plain old fashioned made from dried soup and sour cream.

I like the crunchiness of the dried onions and the saltiness of the soup base and the creaminess of the sour cream.

Recipes that call for carmelized onions? They are too sweet for me. Although I once strained out the bits of shallot from my roasted mushroom recipe and mixed that with sour cream (you know, in a moment of weakness when I really NEEDED 'chips and dips' and didn't have soup on hand LOL) and it was pretty good. Still missed the crunch though.

I wonder, chopped onions sauteed with wine and beef broth then stirred into good sour cream.....

Who LOVES chips and dip but potato chips make her sick so she only has it about once per year.

Here is our fav dip for chips. We make some chili and add the rest...
3 lbs hambuger
1 can refried beans
1 large tomato pureed
1 onion diced well
1 large can tomato soup
1 small jalepeno diced
1/2 pound longhorn cheddar cheese
mix the browned hamburger and refried beans and fry lightly then add the tomato and onion and tomato soup along with the jalepeno. mix this well and cook in crockpot till light boil then reduce and add the cheese and stir untill melted. put on low and serve all evening long.....makes a very good dip.

take package of onion soup mix and 16 ounces of sour cream,mix together. there's your chip dip. inexpensive and great tasting