Buffalo Chicken Nachos
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
- Total: 1 hr 20 min
- Active: 1 hr
Ingredients
Buffalo Sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 jalapeno, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups hot sauce, such as Frank's RedHot
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dry Rub:
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Three 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise into 3 strips
Pita Chips:
Canola oil, for deep-frying
8 pitas, each cut into 8 wedges
Kosher salt
Blue Cheese Topping:
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup crumbled smoked blue cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons finely sliced fresh chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella
Garnish:
1/2 cup finely sliced celery
1/2 cup finely sliced radish
1/2 pickled jalapeno, drained and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, optional
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- For the Buffalo sauce: To a medium saute pan over medium heat, add the oil, butter, jalapeno and garlic. Allow the butter to melt, and lightly saute the garlic and jalapeno for about 2 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce, chicken broth, lime juice and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm until ready to use.
- For the dry rub: Combine the smoked paprika, cayenne, celery salt, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix to blend.
- Combine the chicken and 1/4 cup of the Buffalo sauce in a bowl; toss to coat. Transfer the chicken to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and sprinkle with the dry rub. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool a bit, then chop the chicken into bite-size pieces. Set aside. (Leave the oven at 350 degrees F for the nachos.)
- For the pita chips: While the chicken is baking, fill a deep, heavy pot with 4 inches of oil and heat the oil to 350 degrees F over moderate heat. In batches, fry the pita wedges until golden brown and crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and immediately sprinkle with salt.
- For the blue cheese topping: To a small saucepan over medium heat, add the milk and 1/2 cup of the smoked blue cheese. Allow the cheese to melt into the milk, then transfer the mixture to a bowl along with the remaining blue cheese and the mayonnaise, sour cream and chives. Season with salt and pepper.
- To assemble: In a large roasting pan, spread out half of the pita chips in an even layer. Top with half of the chopped chicken, half of the remaining Buffalo sauce, half of the blue cheese topping and 1/2 cup of the shredded mozzarella. Repeat, ending with a generous helping of the shredded mozzarella. Place the roasting pan on the center rack of the oven and bake until the cheese has melted and the pitas have crisped and soaked up some of the hot sauce, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle the nachos with the celery, radish, jalapeno and Parmesan. Serve immediately.