Buffalo BBQ Chicken with Mango and Bleu Cheese

What. A. Day.  In my thirties, it was fun to be all round and glowing and have someone ask, “Are you expecting?” Let me tell you, when you are 44 and ABSOLUTELY AND TOTALLY NOT PREGNANT it is an entirely other feeling altogether. To make matters worse, I was asked this question by TWO different people, in two different zip codes, two hours apart. Sure, one of them was my own adorable girl and she is as fresh as a monkey and is totally jonesing for a baby sister. But the other was an actual adult with good manners and [so I thought] excellent eyesight. Seriously, what is going on? Did I step into some unkind lighting? Am I slouching? Is this outfit too clingy? Is my fiber-filled diet filling me with air? OMG somebody pop me.

What do you do when that happens? Run to the scale? No. Okay — yes, but only because I was truly curious if it would somehow show me a sudden 10 pound weight gain that I can neither see nor feel (it didn’t).  Punish myself with a brutal workout? Nope. Go on a diet? Puh-leeze, no thank you. 

I’m going to keep doing what I do every single day because it’s good for my body. I’ll eat a healthy, whole grain breakfast cuz I know it’s important to fuel up after 10-12 hours of fasting overnight. I’ll move my muscles and break a sweat because it’s great for me mentally and physically. I’ll take care of the million things I need to do tomorrow with barely a fleeting thought of whether my body is “OK.” And, most importantly, for lunch I will be enjoying this awesome concoction below because it was easy to make, fun to build, and an adventure to eat 🙂

This buffalo twist on my usual BBQ shredded chicken was inspired by the gals at hungry cupcakes. Their buffalo chicken sammies looked AMAZING. But, I couldn’t very well dump a whole bottle of hot sauce into a recipe meant for this family. I would have a food mutiny (a footiny, if you will) on my hands! So, I made my basic BBQ sauce, then started adding the hot sauce bit by bit until it seemed just mildly spicy. You can definitely double what I did here — if you dare. As is, this is a sweet/spicy combo yet mild enough that the kids enjoyed it.  The mango and bleu cheese were great compliments to the kick, and the red onion added great crunchy texture and flavor.

I can’t wait to eat it for lunch (again) tomorrow! Right after I make a trip to Goodwill with that outfit…

Buffalo BBQ Chicken with Mango, Red Onion, and Bleu Cheese
Serves 6

2 pounds chicken tenders
1 and 1/2 cups ketchup
1 and 1/2 tablespoons EACH of soy sauce, Worcestershire, and cider vinegar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons hot sauce (I used Frank’s Chile ‘n Lime)
1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
Bleu cheese crumbles
Whole grain tortillas, like Joseph’s

Put chicken tenders into crock pot. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire, vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, and hot sauce. Adjust seasoning as desired. Pour sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours. Remove chicken pieces to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir to cover with sauce.

To build the perfect sandwich:

Start with a layer of greens (to prevent the sauce from soaking through — I forgot this part!)
Add 1/2 cup of chicken
Layer with red onions
Add 2-3 mango slices
Sprinkle with bleu cheese crumbles
Drizzle with additional hot sauce if desired

Eat as a tostada (i.e., with a fork and knife) or roll it up and snarf it down! it would also be delish on one of my fave Flatout breads. So, so good — is it tomorrow yet? 😉