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The Buffalo Chicken Pretzel Bites Everyone Wants for Game Day

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Soft pretzel bites stuffed with a molten buffalo chicken and cheddar filling, boiled in a baking soda bath for real pretzel flavor.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie works great)
  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
  • 1/3 cup buffalo hot sauce, plus more for serving
  • 1 tbsp ranch seasoning mix, divided
  • 2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water (110°F)
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, divided
  • 2 tsp fine salt
  • 2/3 cup baking soda
  • 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water
  • Coarse pretzel salt
  • Blue cheese or ranch dressing, for serving

Instructions

  1. Stir together chicken, cream cheese, cheddar, buffalo sauce, and 1 1/2 tsp ranch seasoning. Scoop into 24 tight balls, place on a lined tray, and freeze at least 20 minutes, until firm.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk yeast, warm water, and brown sugar; let sit 5 minutes until foamy. Mix in flour, 2 tbsp melted butter, and fine salt until a smooth dough forms. Knead 5 minutes, place in an oiled bowl, and let rise 45-60 minutes until doubled.
  3. Preheat oven to 425°F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and slowly whisk in the baking soda (it will foam).
  4. Punch down dough and divide into 24 pieces. Flatten each piece, place a frozen filling ball in the center, and pull the dough up and around to seal completely, pinching hard to close.
  5. Working in batches of 5-6, boil the sealed bites for 20-25 seconds, flipping once. Remove with a slotted spoon and place seam-side down on the baking sheets.
  6. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse pretzel salt. Bake 12-15 minutes, until deeply golden brown.
  7. Whisk remaining 2 tbsp melted butter with remaining 1 1/2 tsp ranch seasoning and brush over the hot bites immediately. Serve warm with blue cheese or ranch and extra buffalo sauce.

Notes

Freezing the filling isn’t optional — soft filling causes blowouts in the baking soda bath, so give it the full 20 minutes. Pinch seams hard and place seam-side down so they can’t pop open in the oven. For milder bites, cut the hot sauce with a tablespoon of ranch dressing in the filling. Leftovers reheat best in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes; the microwave turns the crust soft.

Find it online: https://www.receipster.com/the-buffalo-chicken-pretzel-bites-everyone-wants-for-game-day/