A Housewarming Party!

A couple of weeks ago my sister and her husband threw a housewarming party.  They recently moved to New Jersey from Connecticut and wanted all of their friends to come check out their new digs.  I love their apartment, they even have a room just for me :)  It's great to be able to pop out to New Jersey for a weekend here and there and escape the hustle and bustle of the city.  Ash (my sis) and I decided bite sized things would be best as people would be coming and going.  I was able to throw in one of my all time favorite dishes, Buffalo Chicken Bites.  I absolutely adore all things "buffalo chicken" and these are bite sized perfection!

We also threw together some mini pigs in a blanket, home made pesto bruschetta, roasted corn guacamole and some pumpkin gingersnaps!  The party was a great success.  Consider their house warmed.

Buffalo Chicken Bites
adapted from Pennies on a Platter

96 "2 bite" bites

Ingredients
6 cups shredded cooked chicken
3/4 cup hot sauce
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (cheddar's best but you can use a 4-cheese blend if you'd like)
1/2 cup sliced green onion
Flour for dredging (about 1 1/2 - 2 cups)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Crushed Cornflakes (about 3 cups) or Panko

Get your oven to a toasty 350 degrees.  In a very large bowl, combine the chicken, cream cheese and hot sauce.  It's best to get down and dirty, don't be afraid to use your hands.  Then toss in the shredded cheddar  and green onions.  Once you've got everything nice and combined, give your hands a quick rinse and get your baking sheet ready.  I like to cover mine with a sil pat mat or some foil...whatever you fancy.  You'll also want to grab a plate or bowl to put your rolled balls on before coating.

Now gather a bit of the mixture and roll it into a "bite size" ball.  I like to get them a little bigger so they are about 2 bites in one ball.  You can use a scoop if you'd like but your hands work just fine.  Once you've rolled out all of the mixture you are ready to coat!

In three separate dishes, place the flour, eggs and crushed Cornflakes (or Panko).  You'll want to dip each ball in the three dishes starting with the flour, then the egg, and finish it off with the crunchy cornflakes.  Set each coated ball on your baking sheet.  Repeat until all balls are coated or until your first baking sheet is full.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

These are great straight out of the oven once they've cooled a bit.  Feel free to drizzle with blue cheese dressing!