Buffalo Chicken Braid

Kiddo and I devoured this spicy chicken braid. It was as though we could not get enough. Hubby was a different story.  He felt the bell peppers were too much. But then again, Kiddo and I like bell peppers, while Hubby is not a big fan. He thought instead of bell peppers, we could have used some of the garden peppers from the freezer.

As it was, I used mini bells from the freezer. My feelings were, if we could freeze Jalapeno Peppers and Cayenne Peppers and Habanero Peppers from last summer’s garden harvest, why not do the same with those mini bell peppers from the produce section? For one thing, mini bells don’t have much in the way of seeds. Freeze them whole, pull out a few whenever the need arose. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending upon how you wanted to look at things, freezing mini bells does the same thing as freezing any pepper. The ice crystals intensify the flavor. With hot peppers, it means more heat. With mini bells, in means more of that bell pepper sweetness. I would not recommend substituting hot peppers for the bells. I suppose that would work fine if you were to use regular chicken strips. But with Buffalo Chicken Strips, that would be a heck of a lot of fire in every bite. I know, coming from me that’s a surprise. So if you aren’t a fan of sweet bell peppers, just skip them. It’s your dish, make what you like.

Buffalo Chicken Braid
6 frozen Buffalo Chicken Strips
1 (8 oz) can Refrigerated Crescent Dough Sheet
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small Yellow Onion
1/2 cup Sweet Bell Peppers (about 5 mini peppers)
1/2 cup Thick Salsa
2 cups shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
1 egg white, beaten

Heat oven to 400-degrees. Place Buffalo Strips on a baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes in the heated oven. Remove, set aside.

Lower oven to 375-F. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Unroll dough onto cookie sheet; press to an 8-inch by 12-inch sheet.

Cut onion into thin slices, set aside. Core, seed and cut bell pepper into strips. Set aside.

In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper strips; cook 2 to 3 or vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from heat.

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Add to the vegetables, stir to blend. Add 1/4 cup of salsa and 1 cup of cheese. Stir, allowing cheese to melt into the chicken.

Spoon chicken mixture in 4-inch strip lengthwise down center of dough. Top with remaining salsa; sprinkle with cheese. With scissors or sharp knife, make cuts 1 inch apart on long sides of dough within 1/2 inch of filling. Alternately cross strips over filling; press edges to seal. Brush with egg white.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices. Serve with a nice salad for a complete supper.

Author: Rosemarie's Kitchen

I'm a wife, mother, grandmother and avid home cook.I believe in eating healthy whenever possible, while still managing to indulge in life's pleasures. View all posts by Rosemarie's Kitchen