Buffalo Chicken Poppers with Avocado Bleu Cheese Dip

I pray you never have the displeasure of seeing Ben and me tackle a plate of buffalo chicken wings together.

We make quite the tragic team.

Ben dives in like he’s scarfing the last wing from the last chicken on earth. That is to say, buffalo sauce usually ends up on his forehead, earlobes and everywhere in between by the time he’s finished.

Me? I hate eating buffalo wings the way buffalo wings were intended to eat for fear of looking like, well, Ben, when I’m done, so I cut the meat off the bones with a knife and fork. I just…no, there’s no excuse.

See? Quite the pair.

No matter how we go about eating them, the flavor of buffalo wings is something we both adore. And while we rarely indulge because they’re fried chicken wings tossed in (basically) butter, buffalo wings are the ultimate game watching grub, and no Super Bowl spread would be complete with out ’em.

So for the third day of Super Bowl Recipes Week, I ditched the bones and butter, and packed all the intense, mouthwatering flavors of buffalo chicken wings into baked Buffalo Chicken Poppers! Buttery crescent rolls surround a ranch-flavored cream cheese and spicy buffalo chicken filling forming a tiny, 2-bite delight. Whee!

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Start the poppers by getting the fillings ready. First things first is the cream cheese center. What would a popper be without a cream cheese center?

Combine softened cream cheese with powdered ranch dip mix. You can use any kind of cream cheese – whipped, reduced fat, regular – I just wouldn’t advise fat-free as it tastes like plastic, and Buffalo Chicken Plastic Poppers just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Next prepare the buffalo chicken. Chop one chicken breast into small pieces, season it with more ranch dip seasoning, then cook it in a hot pan with non-stick spray. Toss with a few Tablespoons buffalo wing sauce, and let the chicken cool.

BTW, I like Frank’s Buffalo Wing sauce the best. It’s just spicy enough, with that awesome, unmistakable buffalo flavahhh.

Finally, turn your attention to the crescent rolls, which will envelope the popper fillings in flaky goodness. You’ll want a package of 8.

Lay the rolls out on a flat surface, then cut each triangle in half, so you have 16 triangles total. (Picture below shows half the package.)

Lightly flatten each triangle so you have a little more surface area to work with, and spoon 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese filling in the center.

Add a spoonful of buffalo chicken on top.

Finally, bring all three sides of the triangle up to the top, and pinch the side seams together. It’s fine if a little buffalo sauce leaks out.

Finish the remaining poppers, and bake on a parchment paper or non-stick sprayed baking sheet according to package directions.

Try not to dive into these babies the second you pull them out of the oven. The smell of browning crescent rolls and bubbling buffalo sauce is intoxicating!

Serve the poppers with a cool and creamy twist on the standard ranch or bleu cheese dressing that usually accompanies buffalo wings, Avocado Bleu Cheese Dip. Simply mash one avocado until smooth, then stir in bleu cheese dressing. Easy, and ultra-refreshing. Is it Sunday yet?!