Wonderful Wingless Hot Wings

The FoodTV blog is hosting its first Cooking Club blogging event where one recipe is chosen for anyone who wants to participate to make. To kick things off, a Chef at a Home recipe for Buffalo Chicken Salad has been selected. I’m a fan of Michael Smith. Some people object to the fact that it’s not actually his home that he cooks in, but I don’t care, I like his food. Some people complain that he’s way too big for the kitchen, but that’s not his fault! Leave us tall people alone, kitchens are usually built for midgets! Counter tops are always too low unless they’ve been custom built and this results in daily back aches from having to lean forward so much. I think Michael Smith is charmingly goofy and as far as kids go, his son Gabe is pretty darn cute, (the fact that he’s not a picky eater gains him massive points in my book). I also like his philosophy of cooking without a recipe, (although I do find the repetition of that line annoying, not nearly as much as some other peoples’ catch lines… you know who I mean). Some people also object to the structure of his recipes, which don’t always have precise quantities. I’m ok with that because, as you may have noticed with me, I’m the same way, (a handful, a dash, a scoop, they’re all valid measurements). So quit picking on Michael Smith and go pick on someone your own size!

Now that we’ve cleared that up, I’m really happy with the way this recipe turned out, it’s just like eating hot wings, but not as messy. It has all of the flavours you love from neighbourhood pub chicken wings, complete with blue cheese and celery sticks and it’s really quick and easy to make too. I’m giving this recipe a gold star and will definitely be making it again.

Buffalo Chicken Salad (Adapted from Chef at Home)

4 chicken breasts, cut into strips

1/4 cup flour

Salt and pepper

3 African devil chilies

1/4 cup oil

1 batch Spicy Chicken Sauce (recipe follows)

1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and sliced

2 ribs celery, washed and chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup Franks hot sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Toss chicken with flour, salt, pepper and chilies until well coated.

Pour oil into pan and add the chicken.

Cook on one side until it's golden brown and then flip and cook the other side until the chicken is cooked through. Drain on a paper towel and pat dry.

Make Spicy Chicken Sauce by combing butter, Franks and ketchup, heating it in the microwave or on the stove top and whisking to combine.

Pour Spicy Chicken Sauce over hot chicken, toss well to coat.

Plate the lettuce and celery and top with chicken, blue cheese, a squeeze of lemon and some dressing if you’d like, ideally Blue Cheese dressing or Ranch.

I’d also suggest serving it with some garlic bread.

Technorati Tags:

Chicken + Salad + Chef at Home + Buffalo Wings