Buffalo Chicken Bites with Blue Cheese Slaw

The Best Football Food made Bariatric Friendly! The key to healthier eating is to pull the flavors you love and create a better dish.

Everyone loves the flavor of deep fried hot wings - but truthfully, we savor the vinegary hot sauce against the cooling blue cheese dressing and crisp chicken. Do not serve bottled Blue Cheese dressing. The homemade blue cheese dressing is made with Fage Greek yogurt and is absolutely amazing!

Ingredients

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (or breasts but thighs are better)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bottle Franks Hot Sauce
• 3 tablespoons cold butter

• 1 bag shredded cabbage mix
• 1 head celery, use tender center hearts, very thinly sliced, almost shaved
• 1 cup blue cheese dressing or dip - my homemade recipe is best but Marie's Light Blue Cheese is good

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 4 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 cup Fage Greek yogurt
• 4 ounces blue cheese, room temperature, crumbled

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange chicken on a sheet pan - season with salt and pepper and roast for 40 to 50 minutes until very tender. Cool the chicken and cut into bite sized pieces.
• Heat sauce and cold butter in a small pot over low heat swirling as the butter melts. You do not want to boil as the sauce will separate and you will have a terrible red oil slick in the pan. The idea is to slowly and gently heat the hot sauce so the butter melts INTO THE SAUCE and its all one beautiful color. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat.
• While chicken is roasting, make the dressing. Sauté shallots in butter until deep golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes, set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and yogurt; add blue cheese mashing with rubber spatula to blend until smooth. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in the caramelized shallots. Cover and chill before serving.
• Toss the cabbage and celery with about 1/2 cup of blue cheese dip; add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Chill for about 30 minutes so vegetables wilt slightly and flavors will blend.
• Serve on small plates - a scoop of chicken with extra sauce, a pile of slaw and dollop of extra blue cheese. Absolutely delicious!