Buffalo Chicken Nachos

My friend and I have a long-standing tradition of Taco Tuesday. This semester it had to change to Taco Thursday because of her busy Tuesdays, but nonetheless- still amazing. Last night she changed it up and made buffalo chicken nachos. I am kind of intimated by spicy stuff, but this recipe is amazing. The ranch and sour cream tone down the spice of the buffalo sauce, and make it creamy and delicious. Her roommate made up the recipe, so she didn't have exact measurements, but it is so good.

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Nachos

2 lb chicken, cut into chunks
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's buffalo sauce
1 cup chopped onion
1 dry ranch packet
4 oz diced green chilies
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can refried beans
1 can pinto beans
Cilantro
Olives (optional)
Tortilla chips
Sour cream (for garnish)
Guacamole (for garnish)

Place chicken in crock pot, cover with buffalo sauce, onion, ranch packet, green chilies, and garlic.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Just before serving, stir in 1 cup sour cream. Place a layer of tortilla chips in a 9 x 13 baking dish, then spread 1/2 can refried beans over the top and cover with 1 cup of shredded cheese. Ladle the chicken mixture and sauce on top, then put a layer of pinto beans and sprinkle with chopped cilantro and olives (if desired). Place another layer of chips, and repeat. Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and guacamole.

The best chips to use are Juanita's. This is my personal opinion but they are the best chips in the whole world.

Seriously, so good. I was too excited and hungry to take a picture, but I am making them next week for husband and I will take one then. I had to eat mine with a fork, but it's worth it. She also said that if you eat it leftover, add in some fresh tortilla chips right before you eat it to give it the crunch.

Chicken Scampi

Husband and I went to Olive Garden a few months ago to celebrate my grandma's birthday, and they had Chicken Scampi as a special. We both ordered it and it was so good! It had a light white sauce (not nearly as heavy as an Alfredo) with lightly breaded and seared chicken pieces and sauteed onions and peppers tossed with angel hair pasta. It is one of my new favorites, but they don't have it anymore. So I found a copycat recipe on a blog, but when I calculated the WW Points Plus, it was really high (although probably not even as high as the restaurant version....).

So, I adjusted the ingredients a little bit to get it low enough that I could make it on a day when I did a good workout :)

Chicken Scampi (serves 4, 1 serving = 15 WW Points Plus)

6 chicken tenders (I use the frozen ones from Costco, which are 3 PP each)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 red onion, sliced into thin rings or slices
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thin
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
1/2 lb angel hair pasta, cooked
3/4 cup chicken broth (original recipe calls for white wine)
3/4 cup half and half
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

Mix flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Place milk in a separate shallow dish. Dredge chicken in  flour first, then  milk, then flour again. Place tenders on a rack and allow to rest for 10 minutes. While chicken rests, saute peppers, onion, and garlic in a skillet with 1 Tbsp of olive oil, until peppers begin to brown. Place on a plate, then add second Tbsp of olive oil to hot skillet. Cook chicken for 5-7 minutes per side, until chicken is browned on both sides. Place chicken on a plate, then add chicken broth (or white wine) and scrape the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan, mixing with liquid. Add half and half, then add vegetables and stir. Add cooked pasta to the skilled, mix well. Put the coated pasta and peppers on plates, adding 1.5 chicken tenders to each serving.

Cranberry Meatballs

I went to a Christmas party at the home of one of the doctors I work for, and his wife made the most amazing meatballs I have ever had. I got the recipe and realized that they have cranberry sauce in them, so they are a perfect holiday appetizer. But I think I want to eat them year round. Seriously, so tangy and spicy and delicious. Can't wait to eat them again.

Meatballs

2 pounds ground beef
2 large eggs
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp thyme

Combine in large bowl, shape into 54 one-inch balls. Cook in large skilled over medium heat until browned (about 5 minutes), remove and drain on paper towels.

Or if you are lazy (like me) you can buy a bag of frozen meatballs from Costco. The recipe calls for 54 meatballs.

Sauce

16 oz canned cranberry sauce
12 oz jar chili sauce
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes

Stir ingredients together in a large pan and cook, whisking occasionally, for 5 minutes or until smooth. Add meatballs, reduce heat to low and cook (stirring occasionally) for 15-20 min until meatballs are cooked through. If you are using the frozen meatballs, they are pre-cooked, so you can just warm them in the sauce. I put mine in the crock pot and heated on low until ready to serve.