Not Quite Chicken Pad Thai

I've recently become obsessed with pad thai. I have a great friend, who is currently very far away riding a motorcycle back home (please, get home safe!), who first introduced me to pad thai. We were getting carry out to take to a friend's house before a St. Patrick's Day party earlier this spring and couldn't decided what we wanted. He usually gets chicken pad thai and I get red curry with tofu and vegetables. But, we both got a little bored. So, we went halfises. Best choice ever.

Now, I order pad thai with tofu and vegetables at from our local thai restaurant. It feels so indulgent. It's sweet and tangy and savory. And with tofu and vegetables it's even a little healthy. I've been meaning for a long time to try my hand at pad thai, so I could have it whenever I want. But, there's usually a bit of a skirmish over who gets to cook, but I found an opening - so I grabbed it.

Grilled Chicken Hummus Wrap

My second week working in the city I went to eat lunch with a coworker to a small restaurant in Midtown where I had the best wrap  and hummus I've ever had. Nanoosh's grilled chicken hummus wrap is literally one of the best things I've ever had. A warm whole wheat wrap, creamy yummy hummus, crunchy onions and organic greens and perfectly cooked chicken. Since I can't spend $10 for lunch every day, I tried to make my own.

Ingredients
1 c. chopped grilled chicken
1/4 c. diced onions
2 T. sliced green onions
2 t. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 T. hummus
1 whole wheat wrap (I think Nanoosh uses a pita, but all I had were tortillas...)
1 c. greens (I only had lettuce)

Directions

1. Place oil in a small fry pan over medium heat. Lightly saute onions and scallions (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper
2. Spread 2 T. hummus on wrap. Spread onions and scallions. Top with chicken and greens. Wrap. Eat.

Buffalo Chicken Pretzel Bites

So, one night during my spring semester of college I was so very hungry and googled chicken and pretzels hoping to find a recipe for pretzel crusted chicken. Instead, I found this little nugget, which I've used several times since. It's delicious for dinner or as an appetizer. 

Chewy, salty pretzel. Hot, creamy buffalo chicken. Dip it in some cool ranch. Ridiculous.

Recipe adapted from FontyFast

Buffalo Chicken Pretzel Bites 
*Makes about 2 dozen bites

Pretzel Dough
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 cup  very warm water

In a large bowl mix the flour, salt, brown sugar sugar and yeast. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky. Spray the bowl with cooking spray, place dough in the bowl, spray with cooking spray & cover with saran wrap, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

Buffalo Bites
1 1/2 cups cooked, finely diced chicken (I pan seared a frozen chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder & garlic powder, and then finished it in the oven)
6 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozarella cheese
2 tablespoons Frank's hot sauce
1 recipe Pretzel Dough
2 tablespoons butter, for brushing
6 cup warm water
4 tablespoons baking soda

Make the pretzel dough according to the recipe. As the dough rises, mix the filling (first 4) ingredients.
Preheat oven to 475
Boil the 6 cups water with the 4 tbsp of baking soda, and reduce to a simmer. When the pretzel dough is ready to roll out, split it into two sections. Working with one section at a time, press or roll the dough into a long, thin rectangle – about 12-inches by 4-inches or so.
Spread half of the chicken filling on the middle third of one of the long edges. Roll the dough tightly, pressing the seam to seal well. Cut the dough into about 1 1/2-inch pieces. Drop bites 4 at a time in the simmering water for roughly 20 seconds or until bites float to the top. Place on lined and greased baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Cook with filling facing down.
Bake the buffalo bites for 8-10 minutes, until they are golden brown and the filling is bubbly and hot. Brush (or drizzle) the hot bites with the melted butter and sprinkle with corse Kosher salt (or regular salt if you're broke like me). Let them cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with ranch dressing.

*These can be made in advance. Cook through and reheat in the oven when ready to eat.

So, so good.

dry ingredients for dough

knead the dough for 5 minutes

let it rise 30 - 60 minutes

Mix the filling

Spread over the middle of the dough and roll

CUT. BOIL.BAKE. Drizzle with butter, sprinkle with salt. Let it cool if you can and then nom.