Chicken Soup and Buffalo Joes

So the boyfriend has been hearing about all of my buffalo chicken adventures, but he hasn't had the opportunity to taste any of my creations because he lives a few hours away from me. I was visiting him this weekend and I decided to make him a few things that he can eat throughout the week. He's an anatomy instructor at the University of Illinois AND at a community college so he runs back and forth between campuses all day and usually just ends up grabbing fast food or something. So sad.

He requested buffalo chicken, but his oven was broken so I was pretty limited. He wanted something quick, easy, and mobile so I decided to make it Sloppy Joes style and he can pile it in a bun and eat on the go. I started calling them Buffalo Joes. I assume the name and idea already exists somewhere else on the internet, if not: dibs.

Buffalo Joes

Ingredients:
3 Chicken Breasts, poached and shredded
1-2 Cups hot sauce
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium bell peppers, diced
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
Hamburger Buns

 Directions:

While the chicken is poaching, combine onions, peppers, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a pre-heated pan. 

 

Cook until just softened. I cooked until the onions started to caramelize because the boyfriend loves grilled onions so I wanted to add that taste into the mix.

 

Combine shredded chicken with hot sauce. (shout out to the bf for taking over the chicken shredding duties when my delicate lady hands got tired!)

Ideally, you would add the buffalo chicken to the onions and peppers and cook it together for a couple of minutes, but his biggest pan barely fit the onions and peppers so I just mixed it in a big plastic container.

Pile it on a bun and enjoy! Some blue cheese crumbles or cheddar might be a nice addition, if you're so inclined.

Chicken Noodle Soup

The boyfriend also requested some of my "famous chicken soup." There's nothing really famous about it, especially because his oven is broken so I had to use rotisserie chicken instead of making my own. It's basic chicken noodle soup. 

Ingredients:

Rotisserie Chicken (store-bought or make it yourself!)

64 Ounces Chicken Stock (again, store-bought or homemade)

1 bag of carrots, washed and chopped

1 bag of celery, washed and chopped

1 large onion, diced

1 large bag of egg noodles

Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper

Lime

Directions:

Add stock and vegetables to a large pot. Add chicken and bring to a simmer. Season to taste. Add noodles and simmer until noodles are cooked.

 

The boyfriend likes to squeeze a lime wedge over his soup. I've never done it, but if you enjoy citrus it's probably a refreshing addition!

If you want to play with the wishbone, make sure you dry it out first. I just set it on the surface of the stove while the soup is heating.

Okay, after this I PROMISE to take a break from buffalo chicken recipes.
PROMISE.
Tracy