Buffalo Chicken Strips

Sometimes I feel like my real job starts when I walk through the door in the afternoon from the job I have that helps pay the bills. The county public schools have been closed since Tuesday afternoon due to "illness" and girlz are bored. It has been too cold and wet to go outside and work off their excess energy. Yesterday when I arrived home, they seriusly pounced on me. We had to make an emergency run to the mall. On the way home, I was thinking how tired I was, had a slight headache and really didn't feel like cooking. My youngest must have been reading my mind because she said she was in the mood for buffalo chicken, basically, she was in the mood for buffalo sauce to mix with ranch dressing. You're probably thinking right now that I let these girlz walk all over me. Maybe I do at times if it keeps peace. Anyway Kaitlin wanted to help and we nailed the buffalo sauce, here goes...

Buffalo Chicken Strips - Use one pack of chicken strips or slice up boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Note: This recipe works for wings too). Rinse the chicken with cold water and pat dry with papertowels. Salt and pepper the strips and lightly dust them with all-purpose flour - do not use an eggwash. Using a high sided, heavy frying pan, gently place the strips in 300 to 325 degree peanut oil and fry until golden borwn. Be careful not to over crowd the pan so the oil temperature will not drop. Doing this in batches is fine. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from pan using tongs or a slotted spoon and place on a platter lined with papertowels to absorb the oil.

While the chicken is frying, melt one stick of butter (not margarine) over low heat in a 2 quart sauce pan. Once the butter is melted, add 8 ounces of Crystal Hot Sauce or Frank's Hot Sauce (do not use Tabasco), 1-1/2 tablespoons apple cidar vineager, 3/4 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, blend well and remove from heat so the sauce won't breakdown because of the butter. Taste the sauce and depending on your stamina, you may need to add a little more hot sause and/or a pinch more cayenne.

Once the chicken is fried and the sauce is complete, place the strips in a large bowl and pour the sauce over the chicken (you may want to reserve a ladle or two sauce for dipping). Toss the chicken to evenly coat with sauce. Place the coated strips on a baking sheet and put them in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 5 minutes to cook the sauce onto the chicken. Remove from oven and serve with a side of carrots, celery and your favorite bleu cheese or ranch dressing.

Note: Some bake or grill the chicken and this is fine. I find the sauce adheres better to fried chicken and we like the crunch that goes along with the taste.