Baked Buffalo Chicken Strips

I was never one for super spicy things.  That gene must have skipped me, because my dad has plenty of hot sauce, hot salt, hot relish, etc. on hand to spice up his meals.

I do like a hint of hot ... a little "kick," if you will... but nothing that's going to make your eyes water.  Personally, I think when a dish is too spicy you can't taste anything else.

But Mr. Vittles tends to disagree.  He likes things that are going to set your mouth (and potentially other parts of your body) on fire.

No bueno.

So thankfully we have come to somewhat of a happy medium in Frank's Red Hot.

This was a staple in his household long before I came into the picture, and although its tame for him, he does seem to really enjoy the taste.

And its a "hot" sauce I can handle.

So when I noticed this in the store the other day, I could not resist:

The little spice-o-meter picture on the bottle suggests that its actually hotter than Original Frank's Red Hot ... but after tasting a dab on my finger I disagreed.  So I decided to use this in a recipe I saw on the Active Foodie for Lightened Up Boneless Buffalo Strips that I bookmarked to try.

That particular recipe called for the Original Frank's, both in the marinade and for brushing on the strips after cooking. 

But I wanted to try the new chili sauce in place of the original Frank's + "chili garlic sauce" that the recipe called for in the marinade.  Also, I brushed half the strips with the original Frank's and the other half with the sweet chili variety.

Both were delicious.

This one got not only an eyebrow raise but a "really good" rating from Mr. Vittles.  I'd have to agree, especially considering the strips were baked rather than fried.

And I won't eat buffalo wings anyway since, as you read in About Me, I don't do "bones."  Eww.


Baked Buffalo Chicken Strips

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 2 t. salt
• 3 T. Frank's red hot sweet chili sauce
• 1 C. buttermilk
• 1 t. garlic, minced
• 1 T. apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 C. panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 C. flour
• 1 1/2 t. paprika
• 1 t. cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• cooking spray
• 1/4 C. Frank's Red Hot sauce

Whisk together buttermilk, salt, chili sauce, garlic, and vinegar.  Add chicken & marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray rack with cooking spray & place over baking sheet.

Combine panko, flour, paprika, cayenne & salt in a large bowl.  Dredge each piece of chicken in flour mixture and place on wire rack.

Spray chicken breasts with cooking spray, making sure to hit all parts of the chicken.  Cook for 10 minutes. Then turn pieces over and cook an additional 5 minutes, or until all pieces are golden brown.

When chicken is done, use pastry brush to coat each strip with Frank's Red Hot sauce.  Serve with blue cheese or ranch salad dressing as dip.

Recipe Adapted from The Active Foodie