Buffalo Chicken Chili

Colder weather means it’s time for chili!! 

Heartier than a soup but different from a traditional chili, this is a twist on White Chicken Chili. Lots of flavor from green chiles and fire-roasted tomatoes plus a little heat from the buffalo sauce are balanced out with some sweet corn yogurt, and cream cheese. Top it all off with blue cheese crumbles! This is great to serve at a party, take to a tailgate, or a potluck. Oh, and the best part this is all made in the crock pot- a fix it and forget meal!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 sweet onion, diced 
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 14.5 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
• 4 ounce can diced green chiles
• 2 15 ounce cans cannellini beans
• 1/2 cup Franks Buffalo Sauce
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 4 ounces low fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• Blue cheese, for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

Add the chicken breasts and all of the other ingredients except the cream cheese and Greek yogurt to the slow cooker. Stir everything together then cover it with the lid. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours or until the chicken breasts are cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and onto a plate. Use forks or your hands to shred it. Add the cream cheese into the slow cooker and whisk it in until there’s no lumps. 

Add the shredded chicken back in and cover with the lid. Cook on low for another 30 minutes.

Turn off the slow cooker and quickly stir in the Greek yogurt. Don’t let it sit or it may curdle. Taste for seasoning. 

Top the chili with blue cheese crumbles and extra hot sauce if desired.

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Beer Cheese Dip

Let’s get ready for some football!! This Beer cheese dip is perfect for any game day party. 

A combination of your favorite beer, a variety of cheeses, and ranch seasonings this recipe is a welcome addition to any appetizer spread! Serve with pretzel bites, tortilla chips or even veggies!

What kind of beer do you like best? Then that is the beer you should use!

• Dark Beers like stouts, and malts will produce a deep and bitter flavor.
• Light Beers like ales and IPA’s will give a lighter kind of flavor (this is my personal favorite).
• Non-Alcoholic beers work just fine in this recipe too!

Think about what you are dipping into this gooey cheesy dip and choose the flavor from there! The darker beers are best with pretzels, pretzel sticks, tortilla chips, and bread. 

For the lighter side, use carrot sticks, broccoli and cauliflower or zucchini.

I use a combination of cheddar, gruyere and cream cheese. The cheddar and gruyere add flavor while the cream cheese adds a creamy texture. Choose any cheese you like! 

This Beer Cheese Dip is super easy to make ahead! All you need to do is cool it and keep it covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to reheat it!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Pkg. Hidden Valley Dry Ranch Dip 
• 2 Pkg. Cream Cheese 8 oz. each (softened)
• 8 Oz. Beer about (1/3-1/2 Cup) 
• 1 1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese Shredded
• ½ cup Gruyère Cheese, Shredded 
• 4 Green Onions (optional) Diced

INSTRUCTIONS

In a bowl, mix the dip mix, cream cheese, beer, and cheddar cheese. Mix together.

If you want to serve this dip warm, bake in the oven at 350 until bubbling. 

Top with chopped green onion.

Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Nachos

Crispy tater tots with layers of spicy buffalo chicken and melted cheese, topped with ranch dressing, crumbled blue cheese and green onion.  These tater tot nachos are fully loaded and perfect as a meal or as an appetizer for sharing.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bag (2 LBS) frozen tater tots
• 2 boneless chicken breast, shredded
• 1 cup bacon, crumbled 
• 1 cup plus Frank’s Red Hot Wings sauce, 1 tablespoon  for garnish
• ½ cup blue cheese crumbles, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
• ½ cup ranch dressing, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish 
• 1 block cream cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese
• 2 green onions, garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil.

Bake the bag of tater tots for 30 minutes, flipping them halfway through the cooking time.

In a large bowl, Stir together the shredded chicken, bacon crumbles, ranch dressing, wing sauce and blue cheese crumbles.

In a medium bowl, Mix together the two cheeses.

Place the cooked tater tots in a cast iron skillet. Spoon half the chicken mixture on top of the tots. Sprinkle half the cheese. Repeat the layers. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Garnish with the remaining dressing, wing sauce, green onions, and blue cheese. 

Serve immediately.

Buffalo Chicken Pull apart Roll ups

I love a good tailgate!

These Buffalo Chicken Pull Apart  Roll-ups are just the recipe you need for game day! 

It’s a great appetizer that is made in minutes and always a hit. If you love buffalo chicken dip, these will be your new favorite. 

If you love Buffalo chicken recipes, make sure to try my Buffalo Chicken Rolls with Blue Cheese Frosting. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 lb ground italian chicken sausage
• ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce
• 1 packet Ranch seasoning packet
• 1 tablespoon EVOO
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounce cream cheese
• 8 ounce blue cheese crumbles
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tubes Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust

INSTRUCTIONS 

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Add the ground meat and sauté for 5 minutes and break it up with the back of a wooden spoon. Add all the ranch seasoning and stir to combine. Continue to cook the ground meat and break it down with the back of a wooden spoon until it’s fully cooked and no pink remains.

Once cooked, add ½ cup buffalo sauce and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

In the same skillet, saute the red onion and garlic. Sprinkle the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. 

Pour onion mixture and cooked meat in a large bowl, stir to combine. 

Add the cream cheese to the bowl and mix until well combined. 

Place parchment paper on the counter for your workspace. 

Unroll one pizza crust dough out onto the prepared parchment paper, I like to work with one at a time. 

Spread chicken mixture evenly on dough to within 1/4 inch from sides. 

Sprinkle ½ of the blue cheese and ½ of the mozzarella cheese over the chicken mixture.  

Starting with one long side, roll up dough; spread a thin layer of ranch dressing along one side to help it seal. 

Repeat with the other dough and place both in the refrigerator for one hour or overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a 9 inch springform pan.

Place seam side down on cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 equal slices; place cut side down in the prepared pan. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until deep golden brown. 

Top with green onions and a drizzle of ranch dressing and if desired, additional Buffalo sauce.

Beef Short Rib Sliders

Short rib sliders with spicy slaw are the perfect make-ahead dishes for any party.

You can make these on the smoker like we did or in the crock pot! I include both method instructions below.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: food is the best thing about football season.

For years, that’s all we had as Buccaneers fans…Our tailgates! We never gave up on our team but it’s tough to watch your team lose on an empty stomach. 

Our friend, John, each season makes a tailgate game menu based on the home game schedule. We all would cook something that matches the theme. 

For example, when we play the Saints, our tailgate is New Orleans food theme- jambalaya, cajun chicken wings and so on. 

The best game-day eats are ones that are easily assembled and eaten whether you’re parked on the couch or tailgating outside the stadium! 

These short rib sliders are perfect for that – compact and easy to eat. Tender, fall-apart shredded short ribs piled on toasted sweet Hawaiian rolls and topped with cheddar, onion rings, & Spicy and Sweet Coleslaw – they’re so full of flavor, I promise, they will be a huge hit. 

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Ingredients

Short Ribs

• 2 pounds beef short ribs
• 1 teaspoon paprika 
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt and Black pepper

Barbecue Sauce

• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cheddar Cheese

Sweet Hawaiian Rolls

Instructions

Crockpot Method

Season the ribs with salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper. 

Transfer the ribs to a slow cooker combine the short ribs, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic, brown sugar, ketchup,, mustard, Worcestershire, vinegar, and 1 cup water. Turn the slow cooker on low and cook for 6 to 8 hours until the ribs are tender and falling apart. Use two forks to shred up the meat.

Big Green Egg Method

Scatter hickory chips over the preheated charcoal. Using mitts, place the grid in the EGG.

Place the ribs on the grilling grate bone side down and let smoke for an hour before checking

Look to see if the rib surface is drying out and spray with a mist of water (you can use a mix with cider vinegar if you wish)

After 3 hours in the smoke the meat should measure 165° and it is time to wrap

Place the ribs in an aluminum pan with 1 cup of red wine (or beef broth) and seal with foil

Let this cook for another 2-3 hours until the meat is probe tender and measures 204°

Wrap and place in cooler for another 1-2 hours

While the beef is in the cooking make the sauce. If you are doing the crockpot method, then the sauce is already in the crockpot so you can skip this step. 

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium saucepan situated over medium heat. Allow to come to a bubble and then reduce the heat to low. Allow to simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. 

Serve immediately or allow to cool slightly and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Assemble the sliders

Place the cheese and beef on one side of the roll and top with my Spicy & Sweet coleslaw.

Spicy & Sweet Coleslaw

Tangy, sweet and spicy in taste, this coleslaw is far from bland or boring!

Coleslaw is such a budget friendly, versatile side dish, or salad! This crisp, sweet and spicy coleslaw is a perfect way to round out any barbecue or dinner!

Crisp, shredded cabbage mixed with crunchy carrots, parsley and  fresh green onions, then tossed with a slightly sweet, tangy mayonnaise based coleslaw sauce. This slaw is fresh, fabulous and the perfect addition to any Barbecue or try it on my Beef short rib sliders!

While the recipe below calls for small heads of green and purple cabbage, plus carrots, you can absolutely substitute a bag of pre-prepared coleslaw mix from the grocery store!

Ingredients

• 1 small head cabbage, washed, peeled and shredded
• 1 small head purple cabbage, washed, peeled and shredded
• 2-3 large carrots, washed, peeled and shredded
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons Sriracha
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½  teaspoon celery salt
• ¼ cup chopped parsley 
• salt and black pepper

Instructions

In a food processor with a grating blade, shred the cabbage and carrots. Process in batches. Set into a large bowl. Add the parsley and toss.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sriracha, vinegar, sugar, celery seeds, salt, and black pepper. 

When adding the coleslaw dressing to the vegetables, start with 1/4 cup of dressing, toss and then continue to add the dressing a little bit at a time until desired level of creaminess is achieved. Chances are, you will not need all of the dressing, so it is best to err on the side of caution! I only used 1/3 cup on my coleslaw and I used the rest for dipping my homemade beer battered onion rings!

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Smoke Spicy Meatballs

These smoked meatballs are slowly smoked on the grill, and then finished with a homemade spicy & sweet BBQ sauce glaze. The ultimate game day food or appetizer for your next party.

I start with the meat. In this case I combined ground Italian turkey and pork for added flavor. You can  also use chicken or ground beef. Then added flavor and binding with Panko bread crumbs, garlic and egg. For the cheese, I used blue cheese but there are plenty of options (cheddar, mozzarella, fontina, provolone, anything that melts well). 

Here’s my little secret to help the meatballs stay moist, I use butter. I know Paula Deen would be proud! 

Just form your ball and make a little well in it, and place a small square of butter in the well, then cover it up and reshape the ball.

I made this recipe on my Green Mountain smoker, but you can make it on your grill or in the oven.

Once the meatballs are cooked, add the homemade BBQ sauce. Gently toss the meatballs around (or use a large spoon) to get the balls fully covered in the sauce.

Make sure to dig in while they’re still warm!.

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ lb Italian ground chicken or turkey sausage
• ½ lb ground Pork 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 3 teaspoon of Frank’s Red Hot Ranch Dip seasoning packet 
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 cup Blue Cheese crumbles 
• ½ stick of butter, cut into tiny pieces- about the size of your pinky finger nail. 

The Sauce:

• ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes – you can add more or less depending on your spice preference
• Pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Makes about 28 medium sized meatballs

Prepare the meatballs: 

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs. 

Use your hands to mix all the ingredients together. Shape the meat mixture into balls, about 3 tablespoons per ball. I like to use my medium size cookie scooper. 

Now here’s my little secret to help your meatballs stay moist, once your meatball is formed poke one piece of butter into the center and roll back into the meatball shape. 

The Smoker Method:

Preheat the smoker to 225ºF

Place the meatballs on your smoker at 225ºF. After 20 minutes of cooking, brush each meatball with the sauce. Continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 155ºF (one hour).

Turn the smoker up to 350 for 15 minutes to finish them off! You will know they are done when the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.

The Oven Method:

Preheat the oven to 475ºF. 

Place shaped meatballs on a baking sheet.

Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the meatballs are completely cooked- internal temperature reaches 165ºF.

Brush each meatball with the sauce. 

Place back on the baking sheet and bake for an additional 1-2 minutes. 

Place on a serving tray and drizzle with additional sauce.

The Sauce:

In a saucepan, combine the ingredients of the sauce over medium high heat, allow it to come to a boil, reduce the heat so it simmers. 

Let simmer for 8-10 minutes. 

Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool. 

The sauce will thicken as it cools so don’t worry if it looks thin.

Gently toss the meatballs around (or use a large spoon) to get the balls fully covered in the sauce.

Serve and eat them while they warm!

Buffalo Chicken Rolls with Blue Cheese Frosting

It’s my best friend, Jason’s Birthday and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first home game of the season! I wanted to make something special for our tailgate to celebrate Jason’s birthday. 

Jason doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth so I wanted to create something that looked like a cupcake but was savory! He loves Buffalo chicken dip, so I created these Buffalo Chicken Dip Rolls with Blue Cheese frosting! 

Think Cinnamon Rolls but with Buffalo Chicken Dip flavor! You basically are making cinnamon rolls but instead of cinnamon and sugar you are using chicken, onions, cream cheese, mozzarella and hot sauce.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 8 ounce Whipped Cream cheese
• 1 packet Ranch Dressing mix
• 1 tablespoon Ranch dressing
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano 
• 1 cup favorite Buffalo Sauce (I used Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Sauce)
• 2 cups fresh mozzarella
• 1 Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza dough 

BLUE CHEESE FROSTING INGREDIENTS 

• 10 ounce cream cheese room temperature
• 3 tablespoon butter room temperature, cut in small pieces
• 1 cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
• 1 teaspoon Ranch Dressing mix
• ½ teaspoon Powdered Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS 

Heat a pan over medium heat. 

Melt the butter.

Saute chopped onions in butter over medium heat. Once onions are cooked, add the garlic and sauté for one more minute. 

Add the chopped chicken to the same pan. 

Sprinkle half of the Ranch dressing mix and oregano over the chicken and stir. 

When chicken is done, add ½ cup of the Buffalo Sauce and heat for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside.

While the chicken is cooking, mix the cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, the other ½ cup Buffalo sauce, rest of the Ranching dressing mix and the one tablespoon of the Ranch dressing in a medium sized bowl. 

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Roll the pizza dough out. 

Spread cheese mixture evenly across rolled out dough. Then spread the chicken mixture over the top of the cheese mixture.

Starting from the long side of the dough, begin rolling the dough up like a cinnamon roll. 

Pinch ends when done. Wrap in the parchment paper and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400.

Slice into 1 1/2 to 2 inch rolls. 

Place in a muffin pan each 1 1/2 roll into a muffin pan, using a muffin pan will keep the roll together.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the dough is lightly browned. 

Carefully pop the rolls out of the muffin pan and cool on a cooling rack while you make the frosting. 

BLUE CHEESE FROSTING INSTRUCTIONS 

Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix together until there are no lumps left.

Spread the frosting on top of the cupcakes or pipe it out using an icing nozzle and pastry bag.

Serve!