Buffalo wings. Is there anything else more quintessentially American? (Well, probably, but that doesn’t matter at the moment.) At least when it comes to game time there’s not much else we’d put above our love for buffalo chicken wings. So much so, in fact, that we’re always looking for new ways to incorporate the flavor and essence of the classic bar food into other areas of our life, outside of the big game. One caveat of the classic recipe is that chicken wings are so darn small and you really have to work to get all the meat off the bones.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (32 oz.) low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 ( 8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 ribs celery, finely chopped, divided
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup buffalo-style hot sauce (we used Frank’s Red Hot)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• crumbled bleu cheese, garnish

PREPARATION
Whisk hot sauce into softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Set aside until ready to use.
Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium-high heat and sauté 2 ribs celery, potatoes and onion until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
Add tomato paste and cook, stirring until it mixes in with the vegetables, 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and stir in hot sauce cream cheese mixture, mixing until smooth and combined.
Add chicken to soup and stir in heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Cook on low for another 5 minutes, or until heated through, then ladle into serving bowls.
Serve hot with crumbled bleu cheese and celery. Enjoy!