Healthy Crunchy Buffalo Chicken Bites

I had this idea the other day, while reading all the great posts on Super Bowl Party foods. I really don't do appetizers these days. I used to do The Nudge's friends party every year, from soup to nuts, since he opened his house.
He's in Iowa now and no one we know does a party. Let's face it, we don't enjoy the noise at our local bar on Super Bowl Sunday and The Nudge would rather eat in. I don't blame him, it's cheaper, it's comfortable and it's not driving after drinking. What's not to love about that?

My idea was to create a healthy but crunchy non-fried version of Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Sauce. I would use phyllo dough. At only 57 calories a sheet and all the crunch of fried, they are a great way to indulge and not feel guilty.
Since there is more phyllo in a package than one appetizer could use (for two of us), I also had leftover Asian Sloppy Joe mix that I would also roll.

There were many things wrong with my attempts and only a few that were good. Let's start with what I learned NOT to do if I make these again.

Cook the meat before wrapping in the phyllo dough. Plan on using a whole sheet, don't even try to cut them.
NEVER use water to moisten them.....lol (and that is a definite NO NO). Putting cheese of any kind will burst them no matter what you do (it melts and sinks to the bottom and it's just a mess).

Make sure you have plenty of landing pads because you will make plenty. Never make the dough wait for you. Always have everything right in front of you. Once you lift that towel the phyllo is under, do not let out the cat, answer the phone or go to potty.

The good.....
These were delicious and exactly what I was going for. After eating all the bad ones, I ate the final prep after taking their picture. Dipped into a Kefir Blue Cheese Dressing, I could make a meal out of them. They were still crunchy, even after 3 hours of baking, good at room temp (so they can be baked ahead) and relatively simple to make.
The Nudge thought they were excellent and when he ate them, they were 8 hours old and still crunchy. If you don't do what I did, once you get the rhythm going, they are easy to make and can even be frozen to portion out as needed. He insisted on taking them to work for lunch today.

Now for the recipe.

Buffalo Chicken Phyllo Bites
1 breast makes 12 bites

* 1 boneless chicken breast, cut into 2" fingers
* 1/4 cup Franks Wing Sauce
* Olive Oil or butter flavored spray
* 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
* 1 cup Kefir Blue Cheese Dressing
* 12 sheets phyllo dough, under a damp kitchen towel

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°.
2. Stir the chicken with the wing sauce.
3. Bake the chicken for 10 minutes.
4. Remove 1 sheet of dough, spray both sides and fold it in thirds.
5. Place one piece of chicken in the middle bottom on the dough.
6. Fold right and left sides over ends of chicken. Roll to the edge and seal with a touch of eggwash.
7. Place on a broiler rack and bake for 15 minutes.
8. Serve on a platter with small condiment containers of blue cheese dressing mixed with the crumbles.
(for a low fat version omit the crumbles)

I also rolled 12 sheets the same way but with a sloppy joe filling. Serve those with a guacamole sour cream and salsa.
You could also roll a slice of chicken sausage, little piggy or kielbasa in the dough and serve with a good mustard.

Enjoy your game!!