A Squared: What's For Dinner Wednesday: Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Baked Potatoes

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

What's For Dinner Wednesday: Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Baked Potatoes

Pumpkin spice-flavored everything aside, one of my favorite fall food trends is slow cooking. This is the perfect time of year to break out the slow cooker so that you can take it easy after a long day of work and have a comforting flavorful meal at the ready when dinnertime arrives.


This recipe is one of my favorites to break out during slow cooker season. Alex loves Buffalo chicken wings and while I hate the act of eating wings (ugh, so messy!), we can both agree on enjoying the tangy heat of Buffalo sauce. And it's such an easy way to add flavor and moisture to plain boneless skinless chicken breasts. Prepared in the slow cooker, these chicken breasts become tender enough for pulling and perfect for stuffing into sandwiches and wraps, topping a salad, or even incorporating into Mac and cheese or nachos. I, for one, love stuffing this spicy chicken into a baked potato for an easy and filling weeknight dinner.


It takes about 5 minutes to put this chicken together in the slow cooker. It simmers away for hours there and then there's no more cooking needed until it's time to bake the potatoes. Pop them in oven and you've got enough time to sneak in some laundry or a workout (or an episode of The Real Housewives). Assemble, make a quick green salad on the side (if you feel so inclined), and enjoy and it's pretty much that simple...


Dinner is ready!



Ingredients:

  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
  • 2/3 cup hot sauce *I prefer Frank's Red Hot
  • 3 Tbs. butter, melted
  • 1 Tbs. white vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 large baking or sweet potatoes
  • 2-4 slices of provolone or Swiss cheese

Place chicken breasts onions in an even layer in the base of a slow cooker.

In a medium bowl, whisk together chicken broth and next 8 ingredients (through salt and pepper) until fully combined. Pour over the top of the chicken and onions in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Remove the chicken breasts from slow cooker and use two forks to shred it. Transfer shredded chicken back into to the slow cooker to keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Rise and scrub potatoes well to remove excess dirt. Pat dry and pierce the exterior of each potato with a pork in 4 or 5 places. Place potatoes directly on a middle rack in the oven and bake: 40-45 minutes for sweet potatoes and 50-60 minutes for a baking potato. Potatoes should be fork tender when done baking. Remove from oven and allow potatoes to rest until cool enough to handle and slice each potato open lengthwise.

Stuff open baked potato with the shredded chicken and onion mixture. Top with 1-2 slices of cheese and broil for 3-4 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly.


2 comments:

  1. Such a good idea!!! Rich loves wings too and I think these would be a great compromise and also perfect for when my baby arrives! Pinning for later!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, this is a perfect easy post-baby dinner-- and a good compromise for you two! :) Excited for you!!

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