Having a Blast (Buffalo, That Is)!

Sometimes you just have to make a wrong turn!  Case in point…my attempt at making the Cheesecake Factory’s Buffalo Blasts.  Have you ever had them?  They are THE BOMB.  Seriously, they are awesome.  Their menu, which is the size of a small novel, describes them as such: Chicken, Cheese, and our Spicy Buffalo Sauce all Stuffed in a Spiced Wrapper and Fried until Crisp.  Served with Celery Sticks and Blue Cheese Dressing.

We ordered these the last time we were at the restaurant, and my sister-in-law said that these reminded her of the buffalo chicken dip I make.  We talked about it, and figured that the appetizer was basically deep fried dip.

I set out this past weekend to try to replicate the blasts, but ran into a small snag when I discovered the grocery store was out of wonton wrappers.  I picked up the egg roll wrappers, and decided that when life give you lemons, you make lemonade.  Instead of making the blasts, I decided to make Buffalo Chicken Egg rolls instead.  

Here’s what you need to make them yourself:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast; cooked and shredded

**you could probably use canned chicken, but that stuff freaks me out so I avoid it

**I cook the chicken in a crock pot for 2 hours.  I found this makes the chicken super tender, and easy to shred

1 cup hot sauce

1 (8) oz. block cream cheese, softened

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Egg roll wrappers

**these can be found in the produce section of the grocery store

Panko crumbs (totally optional)

Cup of water

Oil for frying

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and hot sauce.  It will look like a clumpy mess, and that’s a good thing (just like Martha).

Add the shredded chicken and shredded cheese to the mess, and mix well. 

Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a flat surface.  Add a spoonful (eyeball it) of the chicken mixture to the middle of the wrapper.  Bring up the bottom end of the wrapper to cover the mixture.  Fold in the two sides of the wrapper, and then bring down the top of the wrapper.  Wet your finger with water, and gently blot the seals of the wrapper.  This will help to seal the roll.

Optional: You can coat the egg roll in panko seasoning to add a little extra crunch to things.
 

Heat the oil to 350 degrees.  Carefully add the egg rolls to the hot oil, and cook on each side for three minutes.

Remove from oil, and drain on a paper towel.

Serve hot, with blue cheese dressing and celery on the side.

I was able to make 20 normal size egg rolls with this recipe.  My husband and I ate them for dinner (so not healthy!).  You could easily cut these in half, or into threes, and serve them at a party.

I apologize for the funky pictures.  I took these using my iPhone, and no matter how hard I try, I can't rotate them.  So, just turn your head ever-so-slightly, and admire the beauty.

Until next time.....