Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps + Celebrity Crushes
Today officially feels like the holidays are over. I had a truly wonderful time over the last week and a half spending time with family, lounging around with Shaun, catching up on sleep and just relaxing. Yesterday, we ended our little staycation with a viewing of Sherlock Holmes 2. Shaun has read the whole Sherlock Holmes collection and is a big fan. I was happy to go along so that I could stare dreamily at this guy...
Don't laugh at me.
Call me crazy, but I fell head over heels for Robert Downey Jr. when he starred in Only You and ever since, my love has never waivered. Shaun and I talk openly about the fact that he is probably my #1 celebrity crush.
I know...he may not be the most obvious choice to claim the #1 spot on my list, but what can I say? I like the tall, dark and handsome ones (though I supposed he's not particularly tall), not to mention that he's a little dorky with some bad boy thrown in. Oh and then he went and became Iron Man, so...you know. What more could a girl ask for?
I told you mine, now you tell me yours...dish! Who is your #1 celebrity crush?
Swoon.
Moving on.
As I may have told you, for our Christmas Eve celebration at my parents house, we don't really do a big dinner, but instead do a round of cold appetizers, followed by a wave of warm appetizers. My whole family loves to cook and so this is the perfect way for everyone to contribute a dish and no one person is stuck with all of the work. For one of my dishes, I created a buffalo chicken lettuce wrap.
I love love love buffalo chicken and I thought putting the mixture into a lettuce wrap would be a nice, light addition to the spread and would look simply gorgeous to boot.
Spoiler Alert: I was right.
Using the basic Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe as a guide, I added a lot more real, roasted chicken, subtracted a lot of the cream cheese & blue cheese, baked it off and then filled up some beautiful leaves of Boston lettuce. The buffalo chicken was just the perfect mix of spice and blue cheese while the lettuce was incredibly delicate and just looked so chic filled up and plated open-faced on a large platter.
I love this dish because it's incredibly easy. It can also be a perfect party food but is simple enough for a weeknight dinner. One thing is for certain, I will absolutely be making this again.
Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
3 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless or bone-in with skin)
1 Tbsp olive oil
kosher salt
fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 C Frank's Red Hot
1/2 C crumbled blue cheese
1/3 C blue cheese dressing
1-2 heads of Boston lettuce, trimmed and washed
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray, lay out the chicken (I used bone-in w/skin, but boneless, skinless works nicely too). Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika and thyme. Roast about 25 minutes or until cooked through. When cool enough to handle, cut into small cubes (discard skin and bone). Place in a large mixing bowl and combine with cream cheese, Frank's, blue cheese crumbles and blue cheese dressing. You can place this in a baking dish and heat for about 20 minutes, or pack it up to be heated right before serving. I made mine a day in advance and simply reheated it before serving. Once warm, place a tablespoon or more into each lettuce leaf. Place all together on a platter and serve with extra blue cheese for dressing.
These were such an easy and fun recipes. I love that using the lettuce as a wrap was a totally unexpected change up from a traditional (and heavier) wrap. I hope you give these a try and enjoy!
Questions of the Day:
Have you ever made or eaten lettuce wraps? I am a recent convert...I love them!
Who is your celebrity crush? Come on, I told you mine...
psst...Kimberly is blogging about kicking off her fitness regimen for the new year over on The Peach & The Pit! Head on over to check it out!
13 Comments | January 3, 2012 | Share Article | Email Article | tagged buffalo chicken, lettuce wraps, party food | in Recipes Print Article | Permalink
Reader Comments (13)
RDJ does it for me in a HUGE way. I have the other typical celebrity crushes (Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds) but my #1 is an oddball....it's Ewan MacGregor. I LOVE that man. There is just something about him.
Robert Downey Jr. is one of my celebrity crushes too! Ironman did it for me. New to the top of my list is Jason Segel. He's hilarious! Of course, you have to have Ryan Gosling on there too...did you see his body in Crazy, Stupid, Love?!
Kate, um yes! I just saw Crazy, Stupid Love and would definitely include Ryan Gosling on that list!!
I still love george clooney, coming from the Cary Grant age. Love Robert Downey Junior in anything. Less than Zero did it for me years ago. Ryan Gossling all the way.
I CAN'T wait to try this recipe. I find myself craving buffalo sauce but have never attempted a recipe for buffalo chicken. I like to boil boneless skinless chicken breasts and let them sit in the water until cool enough to handle. I find this method keeps the chicken nice and moist. I now know what we are having for dinner later this week! Thanks.
Ryan Gossling is my screen saver - need I say more.
You are allowed to laugh because it's Jeff Goldblum. I saw him in the "Double Helix" movie and fell in love. What can I say? I'm a total sucker for nerds.
mmm. i made buffalo chicken dip yesterday for my husband and myself for during the rose bowl. it was delicious! i love it with celery, so i'm sure it was equally (or maybe more so) delicious in lettuce wraps!
I have this weird thing with him too....I'm glad I'm not alone!! HA!
Love this twist on lettuce wraps as well!
Lettuce wraps definitely make a meal more fun!
I was just talking about how good Robert Downy Jr has been looking lately. No judging on that crush:-)
OMG! Favorite movie of the year, hands down! MEGA FAN!!!!
that buffalo chicken dish was one of my absolute favorites this Christmas. Definitely making that one soon!
I beyond love lettuce wraps! And I sort of completely smitten with Joseph Gordon Leavitt. He's not your typical 'hot' celebrity, but I don't care.