Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
One thing I write almost daily as a goal for the day is “be productive.” Be productive when it comes to my personal life - staying on top of my workout goals + house cleaning + writing in this blog every now & then. I admit there’s room for opportunity when it comes to being productive in my life, because truly this is my pattern - finding myself in position where I have so many small things I want to accomplish, and then analyzing which items are the most important, & questioning if the tasks I’m allocating time to really make a difference. Throw in getting overwhelmed by that “so much to do, so little time” feeling, and you have my internal struggle. Now throw in being part of a family business, a to-do pertaining to it, and a feeling of not knowing what the f*ck I’m doing - the anxiety is a little real.
I take the job of managing the cider house well seriously(operative word being well), and my mind is constantly processing thoughts of how to make this business run well, run smoothly, and how to make sure our employees are confident & able to function in alignment with the practices and policies we’ve developed. Literally, a new thought relating to this pops in my head every 5 minutes, and the result is then me becoming paranoid I’m not doing enough. Literally I’ve asked my husband like 5 times in the last 24 hours how he thinks things are going totally with the intention of eliciting him to tell me re-assuring things about everything being great. But still, my mind goes down this rabbit hole where I become worried that I’m not doing enough, and then the list of things I want to accomplish at the cider house becomes a little more overwhelming. I mean here’s my extremism getting the best of me - actually playing out the scenario of my family thinking I’m not doing a good enough job, replacing me with a more experienced bar manager, and giving me the boot. I mean what a horrible thought, and I literally went through those motions in my own head. When I told that to my husband, I’m sure he thought I was insane.
But this worry and stress, and heavy fixation of what I want to get done at work comes from a place of wanting this business to succeed, and for us to do really well. Our sales haven’t been what we’ve hoped, our location is still in the midst of a construction zone, and we are spending far too much on paying other people to be there. These are all the things I want to fix, and fix right now. & also the factors that make me feel like I’m not starting this thing on the right foot.
I am thinking about this stuff (now obviously because I’m writing about it), and I so badly need to shift my mindset to “why not me.” I have a bad habit of thinking I’m doomed in many scenarios, and as it relates to this family business, worrying that we’re doomed to fail or I’m doomed to get cut from the team. & I had the realest wake up call when my husband very sweetly said “don’t let that be a self fulfilling prophecy.” It sounds harsh, but really I’d classify it as sweet and the dose of tough love that I needed. Since we’ve had that talk, I’ve tried to shift gears to why not me, and in this scenario why can’t I be a positive force in this business, and why can’t I succeed. So as I started my Sunday off, I’m making a promise to ask myself why not me even in the times when I feel most doubtful.
& as a proper reset while my mother-in-law manned the bar, Jordan & I took a step back from work & indulged in our first ever Football Sunday of the season, and my first time dusting off the ol’ Seahawks gear in 2019. I took a break from worrying about all the things we could be doing differently, or better, and directed all my energy towards Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches. Specifically pull apart chicken sandwiches, because let me tell you there is nothing I love more than cutting a sheet of sweet hawaiian rolls in half and stuffing them with my favorite things - buffalo chicken being high up on that list.
We have literally not had one typical game day this season to just dedicate a few hours to watch the Seahawks just do their thing. & we LOVE football season. We moved in together in the midst of football season in 2013, and year after year we’ve planned our weekend around the Seahawks game. That largely entails making copious amounts of wings + cheesy finger foods, and to have just a day to get back into that routine feels pretty f*cking great. & I woke up bright eyed and ready to conquer game day food - en route to Trader Joe’s with Lizzo playing by 7:45am, and it was great.
So with this being our first official game-day, it means that no buffalo chicken has been had. & we used to literally survive on buffalo chicken dip when Seahawks games rolled around. An ooey gooey, cheesy, and warm sandwich seemed like the perfect way to get reacquainted with the spicy treat.
You need a couple things to have the full buffalo chicken experience - Frank’s Sauce + a crockpot. Also two things that make this recipe really easy so enjoying the game during cook time is totally feasible. The key to a delish buffalo chicken pull apart sandwich is time, a pre-made sauce (because why mess with a good thing), and a kitchen invention that is the original “set it & forget it” miracle. What I’m really trying to establish here is this is a Sunday treat that is more about assembly than actual cooking, so for a quick & delish bite - this is a good go-to.
Moral of the story: revelations about how to have a more stress free life + delish snacks is a recipe for enjoying a day off, and re-affirming that some old habits have no need to die hard.
For the buffalo chicken sandwich
2 chicken breasts
1/2 c. Frank’s Redhot (plus a couple extra tablespoons for drizzling)
1 sheet of sweet Hawaiian rolls kept in tact (I got mine at TJs)
2 tbsp mayo
1/2 c. shredded white cheddar or gruyere (something sharp & creamy)
1 red onion, thinly sliced (use a mandolin)
1/4 c. crumbled blue cheese
1 heaping tablespoon chives, chopped
Salt & pepper
Place the chicken breasts in a crockpot on high, and let them cook for 2.5 - 3 hours, or until they’re fully cooked and easily shreddable with a fork. They should literally fall apart when pulled apart by two forks. Shred the pork in the crockpot, and drain any extra cooking liquid. Pour in the hot sauce in and mix until the chicken is coated in sauce. Keep over low heat.
Preheat the oven to 350. Slice the Hawaiian roll in half, toasting cut side up in the oven for just 3 minutes. On the bottom half, spread the mayo in the single layer. Sprinkle with the cheddar and a few of the sliced red onion pieces. Place just that half back in the oven for 5-6 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Spread the chicken over the melted cheese, and drizzle with an extra tablespoon or two for some extra heat. Sprinkle with the blue cheese & chives. Place the top layer of bun on top, and pop the sandwich back in the oven for another 5-6 minutes. Just enough for the top bun to get a little toasty.
Serve on a large board with any other game day favorites - potato chips, dip, wings, coleslaw. Place them all on the large platter so it looks nice and full. Pull apart the sandwiches by ripping off individual rolls from the whole back, and get a little messy/