Buffalo Chicken Hoagies

In February I made a Philly Cheese Mac that I found on Cinnamon, Spice, and Everything Nice by Reeni. That girl has fabulous recipes! I titled the post "How to Make Your Man Love You More". Since he is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world, I sometimes choose recipes specifically tailored to my husband's tastes. Tonight's recipe falls into that "how to make your man love you more" category. And if you're a fan of Buffalo chicken, you'll love this too. These hoagies are awesome! I know I'll make them again and again. This spicy, flavorful chicken served on toasty garlic bread and smothered in cool ranch dressing is finished off with crunchy celery, red onions, and garden fresh lettuce. I kind of want to invite friends over the next time I make these hoagies just so I can share the love!

Let's round up the ingredients: ready-to-use Southwestern style chicken strips, butter, hot sauce, barbecue sauce, chili powder, garlic, parsley, hoagie rolls, lettuce, celery, and red onion (not pictured).



First off, melt 1/4 cup of butter in a heated skillet. Stir in 2 tablespoons of hot sauce, 1 tablespoon of barbecue sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder. Now toss in those Southwestern chicken slices. So easy!



Cook over low heat, until heated through. I ended up cooking mine over low heat while I toasted the bread and cleaned and chopped the veggies to really give the chicken an opportunity to wallow in the sauce.



While my chicken cooked in that delicious sauce, I mixed together the rest of the soft butter (hey, I never said it was figure friendly), 6 cloves of minced garlic, a tablespoon of minced parsley, and about a teaspoon of kosher salt. Lay the hoagie buns on a tray and fire up your broiler.



Spread the garlic butter on both sides of the hoagies. I knew that my children wouldn't enjoy the heat of buffalo chicken, so I sprinkled some cheese onto two of the buns to make garlic bread. Heidi at Tried and True Cooking with Heidi had the brilliant idea to turn extra buns into garlic bread. She's got a ton of family pleasers on her blog. Broil the bread until lightly browned.



Here's the garlic bread which I served to the kiddos alongside ramen noodles. That's right, ramen noodles. My daughter has been begging for ramen noodles for dinner for a week!(Such a gourmet!) Tonight was the perfect night to serve that 3 minute concoction while my husband and I immersed ourselves in Buffalo chicken bliss. Oh, the garlic bread was a big hit too! What a great way to use up buns!



Once the chicken and hoagies were ready, I was set to make the sandwiches. I topped each hoagie with chicken and sprinkled with some finely chopped celery. The recipe calls for 4 hoagies, but I found that there is really only enough chicken for 2 hoagies, 3 tops. If you're cooking for a larger crowd, I'd definitely purchase more chicken. It seems there is enough sauce for another batch of chicken anyhow.



I poured on our favorite ranch dressing and added some thinly sliced red onion.



Now all you have to do is place a piece of fresh lettuce on top and put a lid on it! I served mine with some extra celery sticks and ranch and our summer staple, corn on the cob. I can't say enough good things about this sandwich. Part of me wishes I had another one right now...and part of me wishes that I could fit into my shorts from 2 summers ago!




Buffalo Wing Hoagies adapted from Taste of Home

1 package (9 ounces) ready-to-use Southwestern chicken strips
1 cup butter, softened, divided
2 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
4 hoagie buns, split
red onion, thinly sliced
4 leaves fresh lettuce
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
4 tablespoons your favorite ranch salad dressing

In a large skillet, combine the chicken, 1/4 cup butter, hot sauce, barbecue sauce
and chili powder. Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 5 minutes or until heated
through. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the garlic, parsley and remaining
butter; spread over cut sides of buns. Place on a baking sheet; broil 8 in. from
the heat for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon chicken mixture onto
bun bottoms; top with lettuce, celery, onions, and salad dressing.