Buffalo Chicken Sliders — The Parole-Approved Saturday

Late May. Twenty-four weeks pregnant. Cody’s probation officer Marcus approved his out-of-state travel request Saturday. Cody had asked the previous week for permission to drive to Memphis for a four-day stage at a small Italian restaurant whose chef Cody had met at a Tulsa industry event in March. The stage will give Cody hands-on experience with a wood-fired-oven technique he wants for the cafe in Sapulpa he has been planning since the certificate program at TCC.

The probation-out-of-state-travel approval is the small bureaucratic event that nobody warns you about until you are inside it. Cody had filed the request through Marcus with a complete itinerary, a letter from the chef confirming the stage, and a letter from the Tulsa food bank confirming Cody’s good standing. Marcus had reviewed and approved within a week.

Sunday I made buffalo chicken sliders because the apartment had Dustin’s low-carb diet on hold for the Memorial-Day-weekend (it had been the Saturday-cheat extended into a long-weekend-cheat) and sliders are the right indulgence format. Buffalo chicken (shredded poached chicken tossed with hot sauce and melted butter) piled on small slider buns with blue cheese crumbles and a small celery-and-carrot slaw on the side. Twelve sliders. Six for Dustin, four for me, two leftover.

The recipe is the small Sunday-anchor in a small year of recipe-anchors. The Sunday-publish has been the small constant since I was fourteen and a freshman at Sapulpa High. The constancy is the small discipline. The small discipline is what makes the small kitchen-life sustainable.

The cafe’s small weekday-rhythm continues. Mama runs the small breakfast-and-brunch rotation. Cody runs the small lunch-and-dinner rotation. The small staff is the small extended family the cafe has built across the years.

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 4 hours | Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning mix
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 8 slider rolls or Hawaiian rolls
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
• Sliced green onions, for topping (optional)
• Ranch or blue cheese dressing, for serving

Instructions

1. Load the slow cooker. Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour buffalo sauce and chicken broth over the top. Sprinkle with ranch seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir briefly to coat.
2. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork.
3. Shred and mix. Remove the chicken and shred it using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker. Add the cubed cream cheese and shredded cheese, stir to combine, and let sit uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes on LOW until the cheese melts into a creamy, saucy mixture.
4. Taste and adjust. Stir well and taste for heat — add a splash more buffalo sauce if you want extra kick, or a spoonful of ranch dressing to mellow it out.
5. Assemble the sliders. Pile the buffalo chicken onto slider rolls. Top with sliced green onions if using, and serve alongside ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 720mg