Classic ooey, gooey 5-minute fudge sauce perfect for drizzling over ice cream, brownies, or pancakes and waffles.
Hey, friends. Over the last couple years, I’ve added a few quick and easy single-serving dessert sauces to the site:
- 30-Second Easy Chocolate Sauce
- Peanut Butter Sauce
- Nutella Sauce
- 2-ingredient Magic Chocolate Shell
And I have another one for you today: Hot Fudge Sauce (for one).
This is your classic ooey, gooey fudge sauce that is perfect for drizzling over ice cream , brownies , maybe even some pancakes or waffles if you’re feeling real wild in the AM.
And it’s SO GOOD.
The best part is, if you have cocoa powder in your cupboard, you can probably make some fudge sauce right now because this recipe uses just five ingredients: sugar, cocoa powder, butter, milk, and optional vanilla.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter will work in this recipe. If using unsalted butter, just add a pinch of salt.
- Cocoa powder: Both Dutch-process and natural cocoa powder (the kind you’re more likely to find in large grocery stores) can be used. Dutch-process cocoa will give you a darker-colored sauce with a more robust chocolate flavor, while natural cocoa powder yields a lighter-colored sauce with a bright, slightly acidic tang to it. I used natural cocoa powder for the sauce you see in the photos.
How to Make Fudge Sauce
- On the stove, melt butter in a small saucepan, and whisk in milk followed by cocoa powder and sugar.
- Then just whisk continuously until the mixture thickens into a sauce.
- Stir in vanilla and let the sauce sit at room temperature to thicken further while you scoop your ice cream or plate your brownies, and then drizzle away.
Totally easy, right?
What to Make With Fudge Sauce
- Blend fudge sauce with vanilla ice cream and milk for The Best Chocolate Milkshake you’ll ever taste
- Drizzle it over the top of Frozen Hot Chocolate , Hot Chocolate , or a Homemade Mocha or Iced Mocha
- Add a scoop of ice cream to One Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie and top with hot fudge sauce and sprinkles
- Make breakfast dessert by pouring fudge sauce over Chocolate Chip Waffles and whipped cream
Can I make a larger batch of fudge sauce?
Absolutely. This recipe doubles or triples with no changes except you will need to extend the cooking time for sauce to thicken. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
Can I make this sauce ahead of time?
Yes! If you make a larger batch and want leftovers or just want to make your sauce in advance, you can store the prepared sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one week.
It will become solid as it cools, but will return to its smooth, pourable state with 10 to 20 seconds in the microwave and a couple good stirs.
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 25g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 heaping tablespoon ( 8g ) cocoa powder
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 14g ) salted butter *
- ▢ 2 tablespoons milk any percentage
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine sugar and cocoa powder. Stir together and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in milk followed by the sugar and cocoa powder mixture. Whisk continuously, beating out any lumps as they form, until mixture begins to thicken and bubble 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and continue whisking for about 30 seconds to cool the sauce slightly before whisking in the vanilla. Allow to sit and thicken for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve over ice cream, brownies, or pancakes and enjoy!
Notes
This cheesy Salsa Chicken is the easiest homemade chicken dinner ever. No cutting or measuring needed and made all in one pan!
I’ve shared a lot of low-effort dinners here, like my Quick Beef Teriyaki , BBQ Chicken Thighs , and Parmesan Chicken Soup . Today I’m sharing the recipe I make when I don’t even have the energy to make those.
This is the ultimate easy dinner, requiring no measuring, no cutting, you make it in one pan, and you probably always have the ingredients on hand: Salsa Chicken.
Looks good, huh? (It tastes even better!) The salsa reduces down in the oven, making it perfect for spooning over rice on the side, and the chicken comes out moist and perfect every time. All you have to do is steam some broccoli or toss together a quick side salad and dinner is DONE.
I’ve included measurements in the full recipe below so I could give a calorie count, but the wonderful thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to measure anything if you don’t want to. Eyeballing the ingredients works just fine and means you don’t have to wash any extra measuring cups or spoons.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Small-to-medium boneless skinless chicken breasts: This recipe calls for 8-ounce chicken breasts. You can use larger chicken breasts, but you’ll need to extend the cooking time.
- Taco seasoning: If you don’t keep a taco seasoning blend on hand, substitute chili powder and cumin in its place.
- Cheddar cheese: I like to use cheddar cheese for salsa chicken, but you could also use pepper jack, Monterey, or a Mexican blend instead.
How to Make Salsa Chicken
- Sprinkle salt, pepper, and taco seasoning over both sides of your chicken breasts –don’t measure it, just sprinkle until it’s lightly coated.
- Sear your chicken on the stove in an oven-safe pan, pour salsa over the top and then bake for 15 to 20 minutes. In the last five minutes of cooking time, sprinkle cheese over the top.
- Let the chicken finish cooking, rest the meat for 5 minutes, and you’re done!
I don’t have an oven-safe skillet. What can I use instead?
If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, go ahead and sear the chicken breasts on the stove and then transfer them to a medium-sized baking dish. You want to use a dish that’s large enough to fit all of your chicken pieces without them touching (for even cooking) but not too large. If you use a dish that’s too large, the salsa can end up spread too thin and burn.
Once your chicken is transferred, follow the rest of the recipe as written.
What to serve with salsa chicken?
Serve your salsa chicken with a simple and easy side like steamed broccoli or green beans and rice. Spoon leftover pan drippings over the rice and enjoy!!
Can I make a smaller/larger batch of chicken?
Absolutely. This recipe scales up or down without any major preparation changes. To change the recipe yield, hover over the number of servings (or click if you are on mobile) and slide the slider.
More Easy Recipes
- Tri-tip in the Oven
- Homemade Carnitas
- Carnitas Enchiladas
- Asparagus-stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ Instant-read thermometer
Salsa Chicken
- ▢ 4 small (about 8-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ▢ Salt*
- ▢ Pepper
- ▢ Taco seasoning*
- ▢ 1 ½ cup salsa
- ▢ 1 cup ( 4oz ) shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Sprinkle both sides of your chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning. Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Grease with cooking spray or a drizzle of your favorite cooking oil. Once hot, add chicken breasts to the pan and cook until well-browned. Flip the breasts and repeat.
- Once both sides of the breasts are browned, remove pan from heat and pour salsa over the top of the chicken. Place pan in the oven and bake for 15 to 25 minutes (the size of your chicken breasts will have a dramatic effect on cooking time), until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the chicken reads 150°F.
- Sprinkle cheese over the top and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F. Remove from the oven and allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon extra salsa from the pan over white rice and serve with steamed green beans or broccoli and enjoy!
Notes
This BBQ Chicken Pizza is made with cubed or shredded chicken tossed with sweet and smoky barbecue sauce, sliced red onions, and a combo of mozzarella, smoked gouda, and a sprinkle of cilantro.
If you’ve never tried BBQ Chicken Pizza before, you absolutely should because it’s is a total treat. Barbecue chicken makes such a good pizza topping, especially combined with red onions, mozzarella and smoked gouda, and cilantro.
Depending on how much time you have, you can make the crust from scratch (I recommend the crust from my Margherita Pizza ) and cook the chicken yourself.
Or you can grab a rotisserie chicken and premade pizza crust at the store when you pick up the rest of your ingredients for a super easy weeknight dinner.
BBQ Chicken Ingredient Notes
- Pizza crust: Use your favorite medium-to-large pizza crust recipe or store-bought pizza crust here. If you’d like to try an alternative pizza base, scroll further down in the post for alternative pizza crust suggestions.
- Cooked chicken: This recipe calls for 1 cup of cooked chicken. As mentioned above, you can use rotisserie chicken, leftover roast chicken , or if you’d like to cook the chicken breast yourself, I recommend this method for cooking shredded chicken and this method for making cubed chicken .
- BBQ sauce: The BBQ sauce you use will have a huge impact on the flavor of your pizza, so be sure to use a BBQ sauce you enjoy. This basic sauce is my go-to for BBQ pizza.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Pizza
- To make the pizza, you’ll pre-season your cooked chicken with salt and pepper and toss it with a little BBQ sauce so it’s well-coated. Then you’ll just assemble the pizza.
- Spread BBQ sauce over the pizza crust and layer on the rest of the ingredients (minus the cilantro). Once that’s done, it goes into the oven and comes out gooey, beautiful, and delicious.
- Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro (don’t skip the cilantro–it adds a ton of flavor) and dig in!
More Pizza Toppings
The ingredients I’ve included in the recipe are the standard ones you’ll find for most barbecue pizzas, but like any pizza, you can really make this your own with a variety of toppings. Try:
- Bacon
- Pineapple (my favorite)
- Sliced jalapeños or banana peppers
- Blue cheese
Pizza Crust Alternatives
No pizza crust? No problem. Try it with one of these crust alternatives:
- French bread: (Makes 1 loaf, sliced into halves) Bake assembled pizzas at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Naan: (Makes 2-3 naan pizzas ) Bake assembled pizzas at 400°F for 12 to 14 minutes.
- Tortillas: (Makes about 4 taco-size, 2 burrito-size pizzas) Bake assembled pizzas at 425°F for 7 to 10 minutes.
- Cauliflower Pizza: Bake assembled pizza according to package or crust recipe instructions.
Can I use leftover BBQ chicken in this recipe?
Yes! If you have cooked BBQ chicken on hand like my Shredded BBQ Chicken , you can use it here. Just use 1 cup of the chicken and skip tossing it with extra BBQ sauce. Make the rest of the recipe as written.
Can I freeze this pizza?
Yes. Like most pizzas, this recipe freezes and reheats well. Store slices in a freezer bag or double wrap the entire uncooked pizza in plastic wrap and then foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, unwrap and bake in a 400°F oven until heated through.
More Easy Weeknight Meals
- Bacon Chicken Ranch Pizza
- Creamy Sausage Pasta
- Oven-baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Slow Cooker Beef Ribs
- Quick and Easy Chicken Fajitas
- Chicken in White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- ▢ Olive oil for brushing
- ▢ 1 medium-to-large pizza crust unbaked
- ▢ 1 cup ( 8oz ) chopped or shredded cooked chicken
- ▢ ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons thick and sweet barbecue sauce
- ▢ Salt and pepper
- ▢ ¾ cup ( 3oz ) shredded smoked gouda cheese divided
- ▢ ¾ cup ( 3oz ) shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ▢ ¼ to ½ red onion thinly sliced
- ▢ Chopped fresh cilantro for topping
- ▢ Ranch optional for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat oven according to crust package or pizza crust recipe instructions.
- In a bowl, toss cooked chicken with 2 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Brush unbaked pizza crust with a light layer of olive oil and transfer crust to a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Spread remaining ⅓ cup of barbecue sauce over the crust, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges.
- Top crust with half of the gouda and mozzarella cheese, followed by the prepared chicken and red onion. Sprinkle remaining gouda and mozzarella over the top and bake pizza according to crust package or pizza crust recipe instructions.
- Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, slice, serve with ranch if desired, and enjoy!
Classic ooey, gooey 5-minute fudge sauce perfect for drizzling over ice cream, brownies, or pancakes and waffles.
Hey, friends. Over the last couple years, I’ve added a few quick and easy single-serving dessert sauces to the site:
- 30-Second Easy Chocolate Sauce
- Peanut Butter Sauce
- Nutella Sauce
- 2-ingredient Magic Chocolate Shell
And I have another one for you today: Hot Fudge Sauce (for one).
This is your classic ooey, gooey fudge sauce that is perfect for drizzling over ice cream , brownies , maybe even some pancakes or waffles if you’re feeling real wild in the AM.
And it’s SO GOOD.
The best part is, if you have cocoa powder in your cupboard, you can probably make some fudge sauce right now because this recipe uses just five ingredients: sugar, cocoa powder, butter, milk, and optional vanilla.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter will work in this recipe. If using unsalted butter, just add a pinch of salt.
- Cocoa powder: Both Dutch-process and natural cocoa powder (the kind you’re more likely to find in large grocery stores) can be used. Dutch-process cocoa will give you a darker-colored sauce with a more robust chocolate flavor, while natural cocoa powder yields a lighter-colored sauce with a bright, slightly acidic tang to it. I used natural cocoa powder for the sauce you see in the photos.
How to Make Fudge Sauce
- On the stove, melt butter in a small saucepan, and whisk in milk followed by cocoa powder and sugar.
- Then just whisk continuously until the mixture thickens into a sauce.
- Stir in vanilla and let the sauce sit at room temperature to thicken further while you scoop your ice cream or plate your brownies, and then drizzle away.
Totally easy, right?
What to Make With Fudge Sauce
- Blend fudge sauce with vanilla ice cream and milk for The Best Chocolate Milkshake you’ll ever taste
- Drizzle it over the top of Frozen Hot Chocolate , Hot Chocolate , or a Homemade Mocha or Iced Mocha
- Add a scoop of ice cream to One Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie and top with hot fudge sauce and sprinkles
- Make breakfast dessert by pouring fudge sauce over Chocolate Chip Waffles and whipped cream
Can I make a larger batch of fudge sauce?
Absolutely. This recipe doubles or triples with no changes except you will need to extend the cooking time for sauce to thicken. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
Can I make this sauce ahead of time?
Yes! If you make a larger batch and want leftovers or just want to make your sauce in advance, you can store the prepared sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one week.
It will become solid as it cools, but will return to its smooth, pourable state with 10 to 20 seconds in the microwave and a couple good stirs.
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 25g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 heaping tablespoon ( 8g ) cocoa powder
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 14g ) salted butter *
- ▢ 2 tablespoons milk any percentage
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine sugar and cocoa powder. Stir together and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in milk followed by the sugar and cocoa powder mixture. Whisk continuously, beating out any lumps as they form, until mixture begins to thicken and bubble 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and continue whisking for about 30 seconds to cool the sauce slightly before whisking in the vanilla. Allow to sit and thicken for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve over ice cream, brownies, or pancakes and enjoy!
Notes
Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe for One
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ( 25g ) granulated sugar
- 1 heaping tablespoon ( 8g ) cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon ( 14g ) salted butter *
- 2 tablespoons milk any percentage
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine sugar and cocoa powder. Stir together and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in milk followed by the sugar and cocoa powder mixture. Whisk continuously, beating out any lumps as they form, until mixture begins to thicken and bubble 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and continue whisking for about 30 seconds to cool the sauce slightly before whisking in the vanilla. Allow to sit and thicken for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve over ice cream, brownies, or pancakes and enjoy!
