Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Mmm...Buffalo sauce! Though I'm not the one in my house that puts hot sauce on everything (that's my husband's thing), I do find buffalo sauce to be irresistable. Toss it on some breaded chicken and that is one tasty dish. I haven't made my own buffalo sauce yet, or my own hot sauce for that matter, but when I was checking out some new dinner recipes I spotted some ideas that incorporated that awesome spicy buffalo flavor into a pasta dish, I was sold.

I used the sauce format from this recipe, but instead of cooking the chicken in the sauce decided to brown the strips first, and made a few other adjustments.

Step one was dicing the chicken and cooking it in a nonstick skillet.

I removed the chicken from the pan, then whisked together the butter and flour in the pan.  I cooked it over medium heat until the flour was slightly browned.

Then, I added in the milk and heavy cream and continued simmering for 2-3 minutes, until I had a thick sauce. I added heavy cream in to really thicken it up since I already had some on hand.

Next came the hot sauce. I mixed in some Crystal's and also added some crushed red pepper because it's just delicious.

Finally, I added the chicken back to the skillet and let it simmer on low for about 10 minutes.

Now this was some pasta with a kick!  Crystal's isn't the spiciest of hot sauces, but it was enough to make this dish fairly serious.  I am a fan of the slightly spicy--I like to toss a jalapeño in some dishes and tend to eat salsa of the "medium" persuasion--and this dish hit the spot for me.  My lips tingled a bit after eating, and I added a bit of fresh chopped oregano to the top that not only made a nice garnish but also had a cooling effect.  This is a 2 thumbs up kind of dinner, both for flavor and ease!

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup hot sauce (Crystal's)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Instructions:

In a large skillet, heat some olive oil over medium heat.  Slice chicken and season with salt and pepper, then toss in the skillet and cook for 6-8 minutes, until slightly browned.  Remove chicken, the add the butter and cook until melted.  Add the flour and whisk, cooking until the mixture is slightly browned and it is a thick consistency.  Pour in the milk and cream and whisk for a few minutes, until a thick sauce is formed.  Stir in the hot sauce and crushed red pepper to finish the sauce, then add the chicken back to the pan.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve over cooked pasta, and sprinkle with fresh oregano to cool the sauce off.