Buffalo Stampede

Sometime in the past year I've become kind of a fanatic about buffalo chicken recipes. Which is weird, because I've never really liked buffalo wings. They're too messy to eat and they involve too many bones. I never really saw the point of them. But I do love me some Frank's hot sauce. And I love the cool, tarty tang of blue cheese crumbles.

It started with this twist on a classic. Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Blue Cheese. Oh so delicious. Comfort food with a kick, gussied up, made exciting.

Then I moved on to Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Which, again, is a classic comfort food from a new angle.

And then it was Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip. Perhaps my favorite of all. Equally delicious with chips or sliced veggies. Red bell pepper is a particularly fitting complement to the creamy, sharp flavors. Are we seeing a pattern here? Apparently I can no longer resist any recipe that's a take on buffalo chicken.

Case in point, our dinner last night: Buffalo Chicken Soup. When I discovered the recipe I wondered if I might be taking things a little too far. Could it possibly be delicious? Or just one of those novelty things, more interesting than tasty? One way or the other, I just had to find out. And oh my goodness, can I just say you should get to the grocery store right now and get all the ingredients so you can make yourself a big old pot of this soup without wasting any more time. Seriously, it's that good.

This soup is creamy and rich and oh, so flavorful. It tastes like a more complex version of the chicken noodle soup you crave when you're sick with just the right kick and zing and I love it! I lightened it up a tiny bit by subbing reduced fat for regular cheese and using a little less cheese than was called for. I also cut the Frank's to 1/2 cup instead of 2/3 and it still had plenty of kick. When I make it again (I will definitely make it again) I'll probably double the yellow onion and carrot and add a couple ribs of celery too, because I would have enjoyed more veggies in it. Do with that what you will, the soup is so good I don't really think you can go wrong.

Click any of the recipe names above for links back to the originals. Enjoy!