I love my slow cooker.  I say it every chance I get.  It makes cooking dinner so easy at least 3 days a week.  I know some people don’t like the texture of the shredded meat that often occurs with the slow cooker.  One way to combat that problem is to sear the meat prior to putting it into the slow cooker so that it holds up longer in the cooking process.  The meat will still be fall apart juicy when you remove it from the slow cooker but if you do it carefully with tongs it should retain most of its shape as long as you haven’t cooked it for more than 8 hours on low.

For this recipe though you want the chicken shredded into small fine pieces to blend with the cheese and pasta.  My family LOVES Buffalo Chicken and this recipe does not disappoint.  You can add more heat by upping the Buffalo Sauce or adding Cayenne and Red Hot sauce to the mix.

Verdict:

For our family this dish had the perfect blend of spiciness against the tangy Blue Cheese.  You could also serve it with a drizzle of Ranch Dressing or Blue Cheese Dressing over the top if it is too spicy.  My family loved this recipe and we had enough leftover for 2 lunch servings the next day.

I served this with broccoli and a green salad.

Ingredients:

• 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken
• 4 cups chicken broth
• ½ cup Frank’s Hot Sauce
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon ranch dressing mix
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• 8 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons corn starch + 2 tablespoon cold water
• 16 oz angel hair spaghetti or spaghetti noodles
• Parsley and Blue Cheese for toppings, if desired

Directions:

1. Place chicken, broth, ¼ cup Frank’s Hot sauce, ranch mix, garlic, and butter into the bowl of the slow cooker. Sprinkle the top with a salt and pepper.
2. Lay the cream cheese and 1 cup of shredded cheese over the top of the chicken.
3. Cover and cook on low at least 8 hours.
4. At least 45 minutes before serving, remove chicken to a separate plate and finely shred with two forks.
5. Add remaining ¼ cup buffalo sauce to the chicken and toss to coat.
6. Set chicken aside.
7. Whisk together the corn starch and water.  Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the cheese and hot sauce mixture.
8. Use a whisk and stir until cheese and cream cheese is all combined and smooth.
9. Break the spaghetti in half and lay it over the Buffalo Sauce mixture.
10. Top with chicken, remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese and return cover to slow cooker.
11. Turn slow cooker on high for 30-60 minutes until noodles are fully cooked. Set a timer for every 10 minutes until noodles are done to stir them well and keep them from clumping together.  If it appears that the Buffalo Sauce is being absorbed to quickly add extra chicken broth 1/4 cup at a time to the slow cooker bowl.
12. Noodles will take approximately 45 minutes to cook through.  Taste and adjust spices adding more garlic powder, hot sauce, cayenne pepper or black pepper to adjust spiciness to your taste.
13. Serve topped with Blue Cheese and Parsley if desired.