I've indulged you in that tidbit to say this: My husband really enjoys a good buffalo wing. He especially likes the ones at a certain establishment where women hardly wear clothes and the owls sprawled across their shirts look just as shocked as I do when I walk in. There's also the chain restaurant that is a sports bar of sorts where you can get the bone-in, or extra fried with lots of sodium nugget "spun" in your favorite buffalo sauce. In either case, I'm not wild about either. Oh sure, I enjoy my share of hot, vinegar-laden wings. But, I'd rather make them at home. Even venture out, shake things up a bit. Hence, the reason for this dish! It's the pulled buffalo chicken sandwich. And, it's hatched in a slow cooker; even better.
Here's how this is going to go down in your kitchen. See this stuff, gather it.
I used four boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Half of the onion you see above and 3/4 of a packet of the ranch mix. The two bottles will make an appearance below. I'd love to tell you that this is an exact science. Actually, nothing that I do is scientific. I don't bake very often because I feel that's a little too scientific. Anyhoot....
Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in your slow cooker. Sprinkle 3/4 of a ranch seasoning packet over the top of the breasts.
Next, pour enough buffalo wing sauce of your choice over the breasts. The sauce should cover the breasts, but not completely submerge them. This equated to about half of a bottle.
Using the whipped version of the sauce, add two rounded spoonfuls. Cover the pot, set on low, and cook for approximately four hours. The trick here is to cook it until just fork tender. If you forget about it, like I've done, you end up with mushy chicken (which is not some sort of new cool ethnic dish.) It is a real life, full on, cooking flub that you don't want to make. Your chicken should flake like so....
Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place it in a large bowl. Using two forks, pull the chicken much like you would when making pulled pork. (Great, now I'm craving BBQ!)
Pour wing sauce from the bottle over the shredded chicken to your desired taste. Add a spoonful of the whipped variety, and a sprinkle of the ranch mix to taste, mix well.
Voila! Shredded Buffalo Chicken at home, no crowds, no big screen TVs inundating you with Sports Center chatter, no half-dressed women reminding you that you should be bellying up to the squat machine at the gym rather than the table. Plus, you can make enough of this dish to bring to work and enjoy with your friends. Go wild with the theme! Dress up as your favorite cowboy/cowgirl, decorate the space with tumbleweeds and bring in real live horses, or NOT. Totally your call. In either case, this stuff is delish. Coleslaw makes a great side along with the traditional celery and carrot sticks. And who could forget a nice, tall, ice cold root beer! Enjoy Partner!
*Confession, I totally forgot to add the onion. You'd clearly make that happen after pouring in the sauce.
Recipe:
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 bottle hot wing sauce of your choice
1 jar whipped wing sauce
1/2 medium to large onion, sliced in half, then slivered
Carrots, celery, ranch or blue cheese to garnish,
Fresh Kaiser roll or other bun of your choice
Wash chicken thoroughly. Add to crock in a single layer. Sprinkle 3/4 of ranch seasoning over chicken. Cover with wing sauce and two spoonfuls of whipped sauce. Add onion. Cover and cook on low for approximately four hours. Chicken should flake when done. Remove from crock. In a large bowl, shred chicken using forks or hands. Add sauce and whipped sauce along with a dash or so of ranch seasoning to taste. Mix well. Serve on a bun with condiments.
This recipe fed six adults with large helpings for each sandwich.
