Buffalo Chicken Paninis

One of our favorite wedding gifts was a panini maker.  It allows for such creative, yet easy, tasty, and cheap meals!  If you don't have one, I recommend getting one!  Or, you could probably use your George Foreman grill to accomplish the same thing.  Anyway, I usually find my panini recipes from the Internet.  Here's one I printed a long time ago, but we just tried for the first time tonight.  Yum!

Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
12-oz bottle Buffalo wing sauce
1 Tbsp butter
1 large, red onion
2 tsp sugar
4 6-inch pita bread (we used a whole wheat pita-wrap thing)
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles (or you could substitute Ranch dressing)

• Add chicken and wing sauce to large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

• While the chicken is simmering, heat butter in large saute pan.  Saute onions for 10 minutes until soft.  Stir in sugar and saute for another 10 minutes, or until onions are caramelized.  Set aside.

• Assemble each sandwich by placing onions and chicken on the pita bread.  Top with about 2 tablespoons of blue cheese.  Carefully fold the pita over and transfer to a panini press.  Grill for a few minutes, or until cheese is melted.  Serve hot.

Note: If you don't have a panini maker, preheat your oven to 350.  Fill and fold panini according to directions above.   Place on a baking sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted.   (Or use your George Foreman, as mentioned above!)

Craig's - with ranch instead of blue cheese and lettuce

Mine - blue cheese and no lettuce

Finished product