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!
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.
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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.
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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.)
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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.
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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.
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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?!
Alyssa 06.10.2012
I love your recipes and these were AMAZING!!! I also made the cheesecake strawberries for desert and had leftover ranch cream cheese that we used to dip celery in. delicious!
brittany 03.12.2012
These sound wonderful! I’ve been making something similar, but instead of the rolls I use egg rolls. Can’t wait until I try this version! Thanks for sharing.
TB 03.06.2012
Sorry, to clarify my previous post, Frank’s adds Canola Oil to their “Buffalo Wing” sauce. It’s in the ingredients list but doesn’t show up under the nutritional information because the serving size is so small and companies don’t have to label in milligrams, just grams. There is <1g of Canola per serving, thus '0g fat'.
TB 03.06.2012
Just a fine point from a Buffalonian: If you are trying to avoid the chicken & butter approach, you should probably use Frank’s Red Hot ‘original’ since the ‘buffalo style’ variety is the former with added fat to dilute the flavor, which is basically how it’s done in Buffalo. On the other hand, there’s no real way around the health issue. Cream cheese isn’t exactly healthy…
Jake 03.06.2012
I found that poaching the chicken breast, then shredding it and mixing with the sauce and ranch mix, provided a nice texture and was a little easier to close the poppers. Just a personal preference I suppose. Delicious either way though! Great recipe and thanks for sharing!
Brian 03.06.2012
Oh man, it’s 9:52 AM Tuesday morning and I’m starving. This is just cruel and unusual punishment. I’ll definitely be trying this recipe. You should thank Frank’s for sharing on FB. I’ll be keeping an eye on your blog, always keen on good places to snag recipes!
Cheers
brian
aka NorCalWingman
Buffalo Chicken Poppers « table for two 02.15.2012
[…] better the second time, buffalo chicken poppers. Share this:SharePrintEmailFacebookTwitterLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. […]
Theila 02.11.2012
I can’t wait to try these. Great for a card party
Sierra Kelly 02.09.2012
had to share! thanks for the inspiration! :)
New Foods « The Runner's Plate | Bread Recipes Tips 02.07.2012
[…] Buffalo Chicken Poppers with Avocado Bleu Cheese Dip […]
New Foods « The Runner's Plate | Bread Recipes Tips 02.07.2012
[…] Buffalo Chicken Poppers with Avocado Bleu Cheese Dip […]
Jennifer 02.06.2012
OMG! This looks amazing! The super bowl is over, but I have bookmarked this recipe for sometime soon. I don’t need a football game to make something that looks this good.
New Foods « The Runner's Plate 02.06.2012
[…] Buffalo Chicken Poppers with Avocado Bleu Cheese Dip […]
Superbowl leftovers « table for two 02.06.2012
[…] in a combination of pizza sauce and Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce.  We also had a couple of Buffalo Chicken Poppers.  K has requested those make it  to the weekly menu for next week. Share […]
Shannon 02.06.2012
I made this last night (for the Super Bowl) and it was such a HUGE hit! I did avocado ranch instead of blue cheese. Thank you for the recipe it was just awesome!
Naree 02.05.2012
I’ve previously made your green monster smoothie, and loved it (tweeked it a bit to my taste) and I saw your recipes for Super Bowl Sunday and HAD to try them. I made the BBQ chicken poppers along with the caprese skewers tonight. They were both delicious! What a hit! Thanks for all your delicious recipes. I’m a huge foodie and love to try new recipes, so it’s been great to read your blog. I tell all my friends about your blog all the time! and can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thanks again!
Angela 02.05.2012
Thanks for this recipe!! Made these tonight and they were a hit! Definitely going to make them again…btw I love your blog!
Morgan 02.05.2012
I made these and they were a HUGE hit! Thanks for the recipe! I will definitely be making them again!
Superbowl Sunday « table for two 02.05.2012
[…]  the food and the commercials.  We had a tremendous layout for a small gathering.  We made: 1) Buffalo Chicken Poppers 2) Pizza Bites 3) Pretzel Bites 4) Veggie platter with cucumbers, carrots, and grape tomatoes […]
Kelly 02.05.2012
I just made these and they are amazing! I love the combination of the avocado and the blue cheese! I will definitely be making these again!!