Heathlier Take on Buffalo Wings

Adam and I love anything with buffalo sauce, and I mean anything. I think we would even eat a piece of Styrofoam if it was covered in buffalo sauce. Obviously, deep fried chicken wings are not part of a healthy weekday diet (but we do indulge on the weekends on occasion) so I have to figure out ways to get that delicious buffalo taste without all the fat.

While I was looking up recipes for Super Bowl Sunday, I found all things buffalo. From wings to salad to chili, it seems that we aren't the only people in America who are having a love affair with buffalo sauce.

I stumbled upon Rachel Ray's recipe for Buffalo Sloppy Joes. We love her original Sloppy Joe recipe so I thought this would be a slam dunk. And, boy was it?! The combination of ground chicken, buffalo sauce and all the fixing's was perfect until the last bite. It was so good, that Adam even ate the leftovers the next night. Now that means it must have been good.

Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes
Adapted from Rachel Ray

1/2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 lb. ground chicken, white meat only
1/2 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 Vidalia onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 tbs. red wine vinegar
1/2 tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 hamburger rolls
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
dill pickle chips

Heat skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it up, cook for 5 minutes. Add in carrots, celery, onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, cook 7 minutes more. In a bowl combine vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, Frank's, tomato sauce and stock. Pour into pan and stir. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until thick. In the meantime, put blue cheese crumbles on the bun tops and toast tops and bottoms for 4 minutes. Pile sloppy joe mixture onto buns and top with pickle slices. Serve with blue cheese coleslaw (recipe to come later) and oven roasted potato wedges.