Easy App! Buffalo Chicken Puffs

No, I don’t mean a 1.99 iPhone game about puffy chickens, I mean a simple and delicious party appetizer (Bad joke alert)! Scott and I made these savory bites for our friends’ holiday party this weekend. We came up with the idea because about a year ago we made buffalo shrimp wrapped in puff pastry- which were an immediate hit, but a little messy. So we decided to try shaping cups out of the puff pastry instead, using my mini silicone muffin cups, and putting the blue cheese on top, instead of as a dip. We opted for chicken instead of shrimp simply because we happened to have some boneless chicken breast in the fridge. All you need for these delicious little buddies are a few ingredients and mini muffin cups, which are sold at most kitchen supply stores.

• 1 lb. boneless chicken tenders
• 3/4 Cup your favorite wing sauce (we used Bonfatto’s “Fire in the Hole” sauce- which may be too spicy for most!)
• 2 TBSP Butter
• 1 Box Frozen Puff Pastry (2 sheets)
• Crumbled Blue Cheese
• 1/2 Scallions, chopped
• flour, for rolling out dough

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the chicken tenders. Lower heat to a simmer and poach until chicken is cooked through- about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the pot and, using two forks, shred the chicken. Add to a mixing bowl.

Combine the butter and wing sauce in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 2 minutes. Stir to combine and pour the mixture over shredded chicken. Mix until well-coated.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Thaw puff pastry for 30-40 minutes. Place on a floured silpat or another clean, floured surface. Roll the dough out a bit, until it’s about 1/8 inch thick. Using a drinking glass, cut out circles from the dough. Fit the dough rounds into the silicone muffin cups, pressing the bottom gently to form a base. Fill each dough-cup with about 1 tsp of the shredded chicken. Bake for 15 minutes, until the edges of the pastry are golden brown. Remove from the oven and carefully remove from silicone cups.

Top with crumbled blue cheese and chopped scallions. Makes about 45 puffs. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!