Like That? Try This: Buffalo Wings

10.11.10

They look delicious, but these fried favorites can cost you an entire day’s worth of fat!

Besides all of the other very wonderful things fall brings with it, one of my absolute favorites is football. Go Bucks! Okay, team gloating aside, I love spending my Saturdays watching football with a beer in hand and a wing in the other. Wings are one of those bar and weekend staples that are nearly impossible to replace, but the inner nutritionist in me has been desperate to find a skinny version of these fried favorites. Why not just enjoy the original? A basket of 5 chicken wings has over 500 calories and 35 grams of fat. And that’s without the ranch/blue cheese dipping sauce container, which has 200 calories and over 20 grams of fat! Add the two and you are at the recommended grams of fat FOR AN ENTIRE DAY in just one meal.

After a few failed attempts at recreating this football favorite (grilled chicken tenders marinated in buffalo do not even come close), I came across a recipe that sounded too, well, weird not to try on Eating Well. They took everything we love about buffalo wings, like the flavor, crispy skin, celery, carrots and blue cheese, and baked it all into a casserole! One serving of this casserole saves you 150 calories and over 20 grams of fat! I know it sounds weird, but it tastes great and is a good substitute to the real thing. (My camera died, of course, and I couldn’t get photos of it finished. But it turned out great!)

Buffalo Wing Casserole

Ingriedients

12 ounces whole-wheat noodles (I used regular shells)
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 medium carrots, sliced
3 medium stalks celery, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup cornstarch
4 cups low-fat milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons hot sauce
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 4 ounces)

Preperation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Bring a Dutch oven (or large pot) of water to a boil. Cook noodles until barely tender, about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain, rinse and set aside.

Heat oil in the pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add chicken and cook until no longer pink on the outside, 5 to 7 minutes.

Whisk cornstarch and milk in a medium bowl; add to chicken/vegetable mixture with salt.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often, until bubbling and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in hot sauce.

Spread the noodles in a 9-by-13-inch (or similar 3-quart) baking dish.

Top with the chicken mixture; sprinkle with blue cheese. Bake the casserole until it is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.