Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites #SundaySupper

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites are healthy, spicy little mini muffins made with quinoa, cheese, vegetables, and shredded chicken soaked in a lighter, seasoned buffalo sauce. {gluten free}

With tailgating season upon us, bring on the tasty munchies!  While I am not necessarily a game watching fan, I am definitely a fun food fan! I especially love coming up with bite-sized finger foods that are a bit healthier yet super tasty (like these Jalapeno Popper Quinoa Bites)  With this in mind, I wanted to come up with a fun recipe combining another tailgating favorite, buffalo chicken.  As always, it was a natural transition to come up with Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites.

For this Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites recipe, I combined elements from two favorite recipes – Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites and Buffalo Chicken Lasagna Cups.  I followed the general base recipe for the Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites and kicked it up a notch with a buffalo chicken twist from the lasagna cups. The shredded chicken with the lighter, seasoned buffalo sauce is spicy good.  When combined with some cheese, vegetables and quinoa, these Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites become a perfect tasty little bite!

As with the original recipes, there is a lot of flexibility to customize the vegetables or cheeses to your liking, so have fun mixing it up! Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites would be delicious served with a blue cheese dipping sauce.  They also pair beautifully with the Pinot Grigio wine from Gallo Family Vineyards.  Because the bites are so flavorful with a spicy kick, I like the balance with delicate yet bright citrus notes from the Pinot Grigio.  For a red wine pairing, I recommend the Gallo’s Merlot.  Their Merlot is a universal pleaser that goes well with almost everything.

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites

 

Print

Yields: 36 bites

Ingredients

Chicken:

• ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

Sauce:

• ½ cup buffalo sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder

Quinoa:

• ¾ cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1½ cups water (or vegetable broth or chicken broth)

Remaining ingredients:

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup broccoli florets, finely diced
• 4 green onions, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• Crushed red pepper (optional) to taste

Instructions

1. Poach chicken: Place chicken in sauce pan and add enough water to cover chicken. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer; cook for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let chicken stand, covered until cooked through (about 12 to 14 minutes). Remove chicken from liquid and shred with 2 forks. [Note: You may want to move shredded chicken to a cutting board to give a rough chop for smaller pieces in the bites.
2. Cook the quinoa: Meanwhile, combine quinoa and water and cook according to package instructions.
3. Make sauce: Whisk hot sauce, lemon juice, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Pour over warm, shredded chicken, stirring to combine.
4. Combine: In a large bowl, combine chicken, cooked quinoa, eggs, broccoli, onion, garlic and cheese.
5. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray mini-muffin tins with cooking spray.
6. Put a heaping tablespoonful of quinoa mixture into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes and then gently remove from pan to cool completely.

3.5.3251

The theme for Sunday Supper this week is tailgating.  We are partnering with Gallo Family Vineyards, sharing recipes featuring one of nine varietals of their mini wine bottles (187ml size).  These little bottles are perfect for tailgating!   And so are all of these wonderful recipes from the Sunday Supper group, listed below. Enjoy!

• Bacon, Onion and Cheddar Sliders by The Redhead Baker
• Basil and Sundried Tomato Hummus by Ruffles & Truffles
• Braided Stromboli by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Braised Brats with Apples and Onions by Flavor Mosaic
• Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites by Alida’s Kitchen
• Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Cakes by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Chicken and Chorizo Nachos by Family Foodie
• Chicken Cordon Bleu Sliders by Life Tastes Good
• Greek Style Grilled Wings with Yogurt Dill Sauce by Supper for a Steal
• Meatball Subs with Garlic-White Wine Sauce by Foxes Love Lemons
• Mini Caprese Polenta Pizzas by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Mini Chorizo and Cheese Quiches by Magnolia Days
• Pizza Rolls by Momma’s Meals
• Ricotta Toasts with Tomatoes by The Messy Baker
• Slow Cooker Beef Chili by Jelly Toast
• Spicy Grilled Clams in Foil by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Strawberry Mint Red Moscato Sangria by Feed Me, Seymour
• Sun-dried Tomato and Feta Dip with Za’atar Chips by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Ultimate Stadium Nachos by Melanie Makes
• Veggie Pizza with Cauliflower Crust by Take A Bite Out of Boca

Also be sure to visit the Gallo Family Vineyards blog for even more tasty Wine BBQ pairings!
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Use this Where To Buy Tool to find where to buy Gallo Family Vineyards near you.  Gallo is offering a $1 off coupon {available in select states}.  Enjoy!