Easy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

We have gotten pretty creative the last few weeks with our limited kitchen abilities. One of the things I have grown to love is the Crock Pot. Most people associate a Crock Pot with warm hearty meals in the winter. I am here to tell you that the Crock Pot is just as good in the summer. Hello no oven heat.  I made Slow Cooker Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches last week.  Now I have some good old buffalo chicken sandwiches. 

This recipe is so easy. You simply put some chicken breast into the slow cooker with buffalo sauce. We used Frank's.  You could the chicken for 4-8 hours depending on your settings. Then you shred the chicken and mix with a bit of butter and ranch seasonings. That's all. We had sandwiches but this would also be great for a pizza topping or nachos. The really are so many possibilities. This recipe feeds a crowd. Mr. J and I had plenty of leftovers which was just what we were going for. 

Our kitchen still needs a lot of finishing details but we are pretty much back up and running. That doesn't mean I am going to give up on our Crock Pot meals though. They are too good and easy to not have at least once a week. 

Easy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours, plus

Keywords: slow-cooker entree chicken Super Bowl

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Ingredients (serves 6)

• 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 12 oz bottle Frank's Buffalo Sauce
• 1 package Hidden Valley Dry Ranch Mix
• ½ stick of butter

Instructions

Put the chicken and the buffalo sauce in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

Remove the chicken from the crock pot and shred it, using two forks.

Add the shredded chicken back to the crock pot, add the ranch mix and the butter, and stir until the butter is melted and ingredients are well-mixed. Cook for another 15-30 minutes.

Serve on a roll and your choice of cheese. We prefer blue cheese.

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Browned Butter Snack Mix

Browned Butter Chex Mix-browned butter makes this Chex Mix better than the traditional and simply irresistible.

How is it Monday already?  I need another day.  I never want the weekends to end but this was was great.  Sunday evening came way too fast.  

I had big plans this week to finish the baby room. My role was actually to sit in the glider and direct Mr. J to finish the baby room.  However all those plans went out the window when Mr. J discovered (at 9 am Saturday morning no less) that this weekend we had a free Showtime preview.   Two of his favorite shows are on Showtime and they had just completed a season.  

What this means is that there was exactly 24 hours worth of viewing.  Plus the football games.  The good news is he totally manned up and got to work. We were able to get the crib and the closet done. All that is left is some basic cleaning and the changing table. 

Don't worry though. He was still able to fit in an awful lot of TV time. This meant couch time. And of course the snacking time came too.  I had all the ingredients for Chex Mix on hand and I thought I would whip some up for all of this TV watching.   

The browned butter and paprika take this mix up a notch. Plus I only added our favorites. Reason number 103 why homemade is always the better option.   A bit of cheesy flavor with the Cheddar Goldfish and some cashews for an extra treat.

Needless to say the huge container I put the finished product in for storage is already half gone.  We packaged up little baggies for each day of the week as well. If this keeps Mr. J from raiding my snack drawer I am all for making mix like this every week. 

Browned Butter Snack Mix

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Keywords: bake snack

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Ingredients (Makes 12 cups)

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 cups Corn Chex cereal
• 4 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 2 cups pretzels
• 1 cup Cheddar Goldfish
• 1 cup cashews (or any other nut of choice)
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until butter turns golden brown and has a nutty aroma. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a small bowl.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the Chex cereal, pretzels, Goldfish and cashews. Stir to combine.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika to the brown butter. Stir until combined. Pour butter mixture over the cereal mixture and stir until evenly coated.

Pour the mixture on a large baking sheet and place in the oven for one hour. Stir every 10-15 minutes to ensure even baking. Remove from the oven and cool before eating.

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Super Bowl Eats

I am not a huge Super Bowl fan.  The Patriots didn't make it so I am kind of out of the ball game. Even the commercials don't get me going.  

I can and will get excited for any event that means food and celebration.   Besides brothers are involved this year.  It could be interesting. 

The other day Mr. J request chicken wings (my job with this is only to get raw wings), 7 Layer Bean Dip, and brownies (we are going with peanut butter swirl).  Enough food for two people?  I think so.  I might have to throw in some broccoli. 

For other Super Bowl Eats check out:

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Baked Feta

Cheddar Ale Dip

Pizza Dip
Baked Brie

Crescent Roll Pinwheels
Jalapeno Popper Pockets 

 Hot Wings