Buffalo Chicken Dutch Babies

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Servings: 12
Yield: 12 servings

Description

Everybody's favorite savory pancake has been combined with Buffalo chicken in Chef John's easy and fun appetizer. This new party snack will be a hit while you're watching the next football game, or any night of the week.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
3 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce (such as Franks®)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon butter, softened
nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
6 stalks celery, halved crosswise

Directions

1 Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs with the smoother sides facing down and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other sides. Turn off the heat and remove chicken to a plate. Let sit until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
2 Cut chicken into ½-inch pieces and transfer back to the plate.
3 Pour chicken and any accumulated juices back into the saucepan. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stir in hot sauce, turn heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
4 Meanwhile, combine eggs, salt, flour, and milk for Dutch babies in a bowl. Whisk for a few minutes until batter is smooth and thin. Let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
5 Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with 1 tablespoon butter, then spray the cups with nonstick spray.
6 Transfer the rested batter into a liquid measure. Pour into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about halfway full. Spoon some Buffalo chicken into each cup then sprinkle blue cheese over top.
7 Place in the center of a cold oven. Set a baking sheet on a lower rack to catch any drips. Turn the heat to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) and set a timer for 30 minutes, at which point the Dutch babies should be puffed up and browned.
8 Remove from the oven and let sit until the centers collapse, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool in the pan for another 5 minutes, then use a fork to carefully remove them to a wire rack. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature with a celery stick in each one.