Buffalo Chicken Bombs

Puerto Rican Festival week again and this year I did not just attend — I cooked. The festival organizers asked me to run one of the food booths, which is the equivalent of asking a fish to swim, and I said yes immediately and then spent three days preparing enough food for two hundred people, which in Carmen math is actually enough for a hundred but I refuse to run out because running out of food is the one thing I will not allow to happen on my watch.

I made alcapurrias — five hundred of them. FIVE HUNDRED. I recruited Rosa and Sofia for the grating and forming. Rosa complained about her hands. Sofia complained about everything. I complained about their complaining. This is how Delgado women cook — we complain the entire time and the food comes out perfect. Complaining is an ingredient. Without complaining, the alcapurrias would taste different. Worse, probably.

At the festival, my booth had a line around the block by noon. Alcapurrias, pinchos, and limonada de parcha — passion fruit lemonade that I made in ten-gallon batches. The alcapurrias sold out by 2 PM. The pinchos lasted until 4. The lemonade went until 5. I stood behind that booth for eight hours in the July sun and I served every person with a smile and a Wepa because this is what we do — we feed people, we celebrate, we show Hartford what Puerto Rican food is and why it matters.

Dona Mirta was at the festival with her own booth. She was selling pasteles. I walked past her booth casually, like I was just strolling, and I glanced at her line. It was shorter than mine. I am not competitive. I am observant. There is a difference. She saw me looking and she waved and I waved and we are at peace and the peace is real but the observation stands.

Came home sunburned and exhausted and happy. Eduardo had ordered pizza, which under normal circumstances I would consider a personal insult but after cooking for two hundred people at a festival I ate three slices without complaint. Eduardo looked at me eating pizza and said, I should write this down. Carmen eating pizza. I said, Do not push your luck, Eduardo. He smiled. I ate the pizza. It was adequate. It was not pernil. But after eight hours in the sun, adequate is enough. Just this once.

After standing behind that booth for eight hours frying alcapurrias in the July sun, you would think the last thing I want to do is stand in front of more hot oil. But here is the truth — frying is in my blood, and when the festival high wears off and I’m back in my own kitchen, I still want that crispy, golden, stuffed-and-fried magic. These Buffalo Chicken Bombs are my weeknight version of that feeling — stuffed, fried, triumphant little bites that remind me why I do what I do, minus the five hundred unit production line and Rosa complaining about her hands.

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 6 (about 24 bombs)

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1/3 cup buffalo hot sauce
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 can (16.3 oz) refrigerated biscuit dough (8 biscuits)
Vegetable oil, for frying (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon buffalo hot sauce (for finishing)
Ranch or blue cheese dressing, for serving

Instructions

Make the filling. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded chicken, 1/3 cup buffalo sauce, cream cheese, pepper jack, green onions, garlic powder, and salt. Stir until everything is evenly mixed.
Prep the dough. Separate the biscuits and cut each one into 3 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a small round, about 3 inches across.
Stuff and seal. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each dough round. Pull the edges up and over the filling, pinching firmly to seal. Roll gently between your palms to form a smooth ball.
Heat the oil. In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat vegetable oil to 350°F over medium heat. Use a thermometer — consistent temperature is the secret to golden, not greasy, fritters.
Fry in batches. Carefully lower 4 to 5 bombs into the oil at a time. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Finish and serve. Stir together the melted butter and remaining 1 tablespoon of buffalo sauce. Brush over the warm bombs. Serve immediately with ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Nutrition (per serving)

Buffalo Chicken Bombs — Because Five Hundred Alcapurrias Wasn’t Enough Frying for One Week