Big Popper Hot Buffalo Chicken and Bacon Grilled Cheese
Try this Big Popper Hot Buffalo Chicken and Bacon Grilled Cheese recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Big Popper Hot Buffalo Chicken and Bacon Grilled Cheese recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup self rising flour
- 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
- canola oil for frying
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast tenders
- 1 cup buffalo sauce (my favorite recipe is in the notes)
- 6 jalapenos
- 4-6 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 green onions finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated*
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese sliced
- 6 slices cooked bacon
- 4 ounces blue cheese crumbled
- 4 slices thick cut bread i used whole grain sourdough
- butter for bread
- ranch and french fries for serving
- Carbohydrate 57.6324734806807 g
- Cholesterol 66.67914158 mg
- Fat 23.8932559375079 g
- Fiber 4.0010167387869 g
- Protein 26.7107425445518 g
- Saturated Fat 13.4089009633722 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (432g)
- Sodium 1629.06505440679 mg
- Sugar 53.6314567418938 g
- Trans Fat 1.79048103489638 g
- Calories 554 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot. Do not fill the pot more than 1/2 full with oil.
- Season the chicken with a little seasoned salt. Add the self rising flour to a shallow bowl or pie plate. In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs together.
- Dip the seasoned chicken in the egg mixture, and then coat well in the flour. Place the chicken in the preheated oil and fry the chicken in the oil until brown and crisp, about 6-8 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined cookie sheet. Then dip the chicken through the buffalo sauce
- Once cool enough to handle, slice the chicken into strips.
- To make the sandwiches, preheat the broiler to high. Place the jalapeños on a baking sheet (line with foil if desired) and broil the jalapeños until charred all over. Once charred, remove from the oven, allow to cool and then peel away a little of the charred skin (I like to leave some of the charred pieces on mine, I think it adds flavor). Seed the jalapeños if desired (or seed some and leave the rest with seeds). Chop the jalapeños. In a bowl, combine the chopped jalapeños, softened cream cheese, green onions, cilantro and garlic until smooth and creamy.
- Butter the outside of each piece of bread. Spread the insides of each piece of bread with the cream cheese mixture. Top half the slices of bread with a slice or two of cheddar cheese. Top with sliced buffalo chicken + a drizzle of buffalo sauce, bacon and another slice of cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with blue cheese and then sandwich with the top half piece of bread. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.
- Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add a pat of butter and 1-2 sandwiches, cook for 3-5 minutes per side or until the cheese is melted and bread is crispy. Serve right away with ranch for dipping and fries for snacking!!
How Long Should the Chicken Fry?
When frying chicken tenders in a deep pot maintained at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, visual and auditory cues replace the guesswork of internal temperature checking. The exterior coating of self-rising flour should turn a deep golden brown while the vigorous bubbling of the oil quiets down significantly as moisture evaporates from the meat, signaling that the protein is cooked through within six to eight minutes. Maintaining a heavy-bottomed pot filled no more than halfway with canola oil prevents dangerous flare-ups while stabilizing thermal fluctuations during the drop. Draining the fried strips on a paper towel-lined cookie sheet absorbs excess surface grease before the meat meets the buffalo sauce, keeping the bread from turning soggy later.Balancing Heat and Dairy
Charring whole jalapeños under a high broiler creates the smoky base for a rich cream cheese spread, but handling hot peppers requires attention to capsicum safety. Peeling away the charred skin while leaving a few flecks intact preserves the rustic flavor profile without introducing bitter ash into the softened cream cheese, green onions, cilantro, and garlic mixture. Combining sharp cheddar, pungent blue cheese, and crisp bacon alongside the buffalo-coated chicken creates a heavy-duty flavor load that relies on the cooling properties of a side of ranch dressing to balance the overall salt and fat content.Scaling Griddle Batches
Yield adjustments for larger groups simply require managing skillet capacity one or two sandwiches at a time to ensure the buttered bread achieves an even, golden crunch over medium heat. Cooking each side for three to five minutes allows the interior cheeses to melt completely before the thick-cut sourdough burns. Adjusting ingredient ratios up or down scales cleanly since individual components like the fried chicken tenders and cream cheese spread can be prepped ahead in exact proportions.
