Last night I had the distinct pleasure of cooking for a lovely group of women in my community. I was both excited and nervous to put together a presentation for these women, and the evening went off without a hitch, and I daresay, some of the best morsels of food to come out of my kitchen were on display.
I was challenged to come up with a few appetizers that both looked and tasted good, and for my part, I also wanted it to be something completely new and different. As you go around to people’s homes or potlucks or whatnot, you notice that within a community, the same foods are usually on display. Oh, the recipes pass from one person to another, but in general, it’s the same things over and over. Good things, but the same nonetheless. I also really wanted to come up with a few things that were easy to put together- things that had the potential to be made ahead, and were crowd pleasers across the board. I think it was a success, and today I really want to share with my blog readers the single best munchie I think I’ve come up with.
There is something truly special about a real Buffalo Chicken Wing. A few weeks ago, Andy went to Buffalo to visit family for a few days, and while there, went to the original Anchor Bar for a bowl of wings. When he got home, he reiterated what we already knew. That while you can get a respectable chicken wing all over the country, no one, and I mean no one, makes the exact same chicken wing that Anchor Bar is famous for. There is just nothing like it, and any attempts that I’ve made at hot wings have fallen far short of their mark. But it occurred to me not long ago that while I can’t duplicate the wing, I could do something to duplicate the flavor. It seemed to me that if I could create a dish that was reminiscent of a real Buffalo Chicken Wing, that I could at least satisfy my husbands cravings, without the disappointment of the chicken wing just not being the same.
So I created these Buffalo Chicken Toasts. Once upon a time I had made a rather phenomenal Buffalo chicken wing dip. While it was extremely tasty, it left a little to be desired in the appearance department. Ingredients separated, and scooping it up with chips just didn’t seem quite the right way to eat it. I thought about that dip, and how I could improve it, and decided to play around with the concept of cheesy bread. What I came up with is a literal chop-and-drop affair, and oh my gosh, is it good.
Cream cheese, mayo and shredded cheese form the base of our toast spread. Mixed together until creamy, I then added chopped celery, chicken, green onions, black pepper, and a shot of hot sauce. The hot sauce is important to talk about, as I want to make sure that no one makes the mistake of using Tabasco sauce. Frank’s Red Hot works perfectly, Crystal works well too, but you want a nice vinegary hot sauce, not an uber-concentrated shot of heat. The Frank’s adds just a touch of heat, but the important essence is really the tang that it brings as well. Everything is mixed together in one bowl, and then the mixture is smeared on slices of French bread that have been lightly toasted. The mounded toasts are then slid under the broiler for just a short while. You want the mixture bubbling and melty, and just beginning to brown. And that’s it. It’s all done. Start to finish, this takes less than ten minutes if you have the bread pre-toasted ahead of time. And really, the toasting isn’t totally necessary, but I like the crunch it adds.
So how good are these? Well, they are so good, that it is 8:30 in the morning, and I just toasted a few up to take a picture of. The smelled so ridiculously fantastic, that I just had two pieces of Buffalo Chicken Toast. For breakfast. This mixture can be made ahead- up to two days, and just held in the refrigerator to spread on bread at will. If you’re feeling particularly lazy, this mixture could also be spread on a whole loaf of French bread, broiled, and then sliced after broiling. Shoot, you could probably smear this on pizza crust and call it pizza. Seriously. This is nothing short of fantastic, and you can make it as fancy or as rustic as you’d like. This doubles and triples effortlessly, and I promise, every single one of your guests will love this take on the decadent Buffalo Chicken Wing.
Buffalo Chicken Toasts
Serving Size : 20
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 ounces cream cheese — softened
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 stalk celery — finely chopped
2 green onions — chopped
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon hot sauce — such as Frank’s (not tabasco)
1 can cooked chicken — drained and diced
1 loaf Italian bread — cut into 1/2-inch thick slices and lightly toasted
1/2 cup bleu cheese, crumbled — optional
Preheat the broiler.
In a small mixing bowl, beat together the mayonnaise and cream cheese until smooth. Add the cheddar cheese, celery, green onions, pepper, hot sauce and cooked chicken. Stir together.
Spread the chicken-cheese mixture on the toasted bread slices.
Broil about 3 inches from the heat source for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
Sprinkle each piece with bleu cheese crumbles before serving.
Serves 20 as an appetizer.