Recipe Wednesday: Buffalo Chicken Bites

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Buffalo Chicken Dip (and the many, many variations of it) is one of my very favorite things to bring to parties and holidays.  Over the past few years, it has become increasingly popular as more people have realized how delicious it is, and more importantly, how easy it is to make.  Over the past few months, J and I have tried to switch things up at parties and bring a variation on the traditional BCD baked dip + tortilla chips. I absolutely love spicy things, but many people are sensitive to the amount of spice that I can tolerate. I think that the crispy nature of the tortilla chip actually tends to accentuate the spice in the dip.  In this variation, wrapping the dip in a Pillsbury Roll and baking it tends to mellow out the spice and really add a sweet twist to the regular version of this appetizer.  Try this recipe for yourself- I dare you to eat just one!


Buffalo Chicken Bites

Ingredients:
2    Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2    Sticks cream cheese
1.5 C Ranch Dressing*
1    C Hot Sauce
1    Pkg ranch seasoning
1    Pkg sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2    Pkgs Pillsbury Flaky Grands Biscuits or Croissant Rolls
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Marinade the chicken breasts in olive oil for a half hour in the refrigerator.  Slowly pan fry the chicken breasts over medium-to low heat, flipping occasionally to cook thoroughly (15-20 minutes).
   
2. Once chicken is cooked, remove from pan and allow to cool for 10 minutes.  Once cooled, shred chicken into bite-size pieces.  Place pieces in Ziploc bag and add enough hot sauce to allow the chicken to appear pink in color.  Let the chicken absorb the flavor for 20-30 minutes.
   
3. On the stovetop, spray a medium-sized sauce pot with cooking spray.  Place both sticks of cream cheese in the pan, and slowly melt over low-medium heat, stirring constantly. Add 3/4 C of the ranch dressing to the cream cheese once it begins to melt. Continue stirring this mixture until it is no longer lumpy.
   
4. Add 1/2 of the package of ranch seasoning to this mixture.  Continue stirring for 2-3 minutes.
   
5. Pour the hot sauce into the sauce pan, mix until uniform in color.  The amount of hot sauce that you use varies depending on how spicy you would like your dip.  A dip that is less salmon in color will be less spicy.
   
6. Add 1 C of sharp cheddar cheese into this mixture and stir over low heat until fully melted (7-10 minutes).  Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
   
7. Next, stir hot sauce-marinated chicken into the melted cheese dip.  The dip should be quite lumpy.  This is good.  Remove dip from heat, stirring it every few minutes to ensure that it has not bunt on the bottom of the pan.
   
8. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Open both packages of biscuits and space them out on the cookie sheet(s). Place a small scoop of the dip on the inside of each roll. Re-assemble the rolls as directed on the outside of the Pillsbury packaging.
   
9. Brush a small amount of hot sauce on the top of each roll, and sprinkle about a teaspoon of the remaining sharp cheddar cheese on the top of each roll.  Bake dip and rolls according to the directions on the package of the rolls that you have chosen to use.

Allow rolls to slighty cool before enjoying- cheese stuffed inside will be hot! (Read: don't burn the roof of your mouth.)  Enjoy!

*If you would like to make buffalo chicken dip without the rolls, omit the ranch seasoning and add the full amount of Ranch dressing that is recommended in the recipe. Place the dip in a casserole dish, cover with the remaining shredded cheese, and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.


Cheese and cheers,