Definitely a mess-free appetizer — easy to eat in two bites (or one big one)

I blogged last week about these yummy mini wonton tacos and had some leftover wonton wrappers from that recipe. I actually forgot I had them in my fridge for about two weeks. I thought I had the wonton wrappers sealed in an airtight bag, but it turns out I had left the package partially open. One corner of the wontons was exposed to the air and hardened as a result. I figured I could rescue the wontons by cutting off the hardened bits and still use them for this pin I saw on Pinterest for buffalo chicken cups. Turns out I was right.

Rescued wonton wrappers sans crusty corner

The pin links to a blog post by a very happy-looking woman who shares this yummy recipe.

Uncooked wonton wrappers

That might be too much seasoning

Ingredients

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. chili powder

24 wonton wrappers

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 cup cayenne hot sauce (I recommend Frank's "Red Hot")

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

3 scallions, sliced thinly

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F degreess.

Brush chicken breasts with olive oil, and then sprinkle evenly with the smoked paprika and chili powder. Place in a baking dish and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the center is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Remove chicken and let cool, then shred. 

Nice and cooked, ready to shred

Meanwhile, fit a wonton wrapper into each of 24 mini baking cups, pressing the wrappers carefully but firmly into sides of cups. (Be careful to keep the corners of each wonton wrapper open; otherwise you will not be able to fill them!) Bake for 5 minutes or until very lightly browned. Keep wontons in baking cups. 

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the melted butter and hot sauce. Add the chicken and stir until well coated. Then fill each wonton cup with a tablespoon or two of chicken, and then top with a pinch of blue cheese. Return wonton cups to oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is soft and melty. Remove and top with sliced scallions, and serve warm. These are best served immediately.

Shredded chicken mixed with the melted margarine and hot sauce

How it went

“Preheat oven to 350F degrees.” My oven runs hot, so I went with 325 degrees. 

“Brush chicken breasts with olive oil, and then sprinkle evenly with the smoked paprika and chili powder.” I actually don’t own a pastry brush (or really any type of brush, except my hairbrushes). So I washed my hands really good and dropped a spoonful of oil over each chicken breast and used my hands to coat the chicken as evenly as possible. I mixed the paprika and chili powder together beforehand in a ramekin then sprinkled them over both sides of the chicken breasts as evenly as possible. I ended up adding more paprika and chili powder than the recipe called for because I thought the chicken didn’t look thoroughly coated. (Spoiler alert: My heavy hand here was not called for.)

Lightly baked wonton wrappers

“Place in a baking dish and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the center is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Remove chicken and let cool, then shred.” This part is simple, particularly if you’re a frequent baker of chicken breasts like myself. I pulled the chicken breasts out onto a cutting board where I used a knife to shred the chicken.

A heaping spoonful of chicken

“Meanwhile, fit a wonton wrapper into each of 24 mini baking cups, pressing the wrappers carefully but firmly into sides of cups. (Be careful to keep the corners of each wonton wrapper open; otherwise you will not be able to fill them!) Bake for 5 minutes or until very lightly browned. Keep wontons in baking cups.” This probably would have been easier for me if my wonton wrappers weren’t missing a corner. It actually turned out easier than I would have thought though. I followed the instructions to the letter, and this step turned out perfectly as possible given the damaged wrappers with which I started.

“In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the melted butter and hot sauce. Add the chicken and stir until well coated.” I used melted margarine and Frank’s RedHot sauce. I got heavy-handed here again, adding some extra hot sauce.   

Sprinkled with slices of pepper jack cheese

“Then fill each wonton cup with a tablespoon or two of chicken, and then top with a pinch of blue cheese.” I doled out a spoonful of chicken into each wonton wrapper and topped with bits of pepper jack cheese, because, frankly, blue cheese kind of grosses me out.

“Return wonton cups to oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is soft and melty.” I baked mine for about 6 minutes and pulled out cups with ooey-gooey cheese.

“Remove and top with sliced scallions, and serve warm. These are best served immediately.” This part is nice and easy.

Results

As I may have mentioned earlier, I kind of over-seasoned these. I really enjoyed them, they were crunchy and very spicy — something I love. The friend I shared them with described the buffalo chicken cups as sinus-clearing and over-seasoned. 

Ooey-gooey

At every chance I got I opted to add heat and spice. I used extra paprika, chili powder and hot sauce and subbed out blue cheese for pepper jack cheese. Had I followed the directions to the letter, I think they might have been more crowd-friendly.

Sprinkled with scallions

I will definitely be adding this one to my keeper list (and sticking closer to the recipe next time). I’ll probably repeat this easy-to-make appetizer with mozzarella cheese on my second attempt.

Turns out pretty good and very tasty

— Nicole Franz | NiFranz@News-Herald.com | @FranzOrFoe
Follow my Mission: Pinpossible board on Pinterest.

I’ve seen a lot of nifty easy-to-eat appetizers, but those using wonton wrappers as a base seem so easy to eat and make. I’ve been dying to try them for ages, but haven’t been able to find wonton wrappers in my local grocery stores. I had been all over the Giant Eagle closest to my home and several other grocery stores (Heinen’s, Marc’s, etc.) looking for the wrappers to no avail. One of my co-workers (I believe it was Theresa Audia) happened to mention seeing them in the Giant Eagle by the Great Lakes Mall. I made a trip and sure enough found exactly what I needed in the refrigerated section on the wall by the produce.

Having procured the wonton wrappers I went through and found one of the appetizer recipes I wanted to try: Mini tacos. The pin has all the instructions and links to a Flickr page.

Instructions

“Mini tacos: Won ton wrappers in muffin tins filled with taco seasoned ground meat, cheese & bake for 8 minutes at 350. Top with favorite taco toppings! Perfect for entertaining!”

How it went

These instructions are ridiculously easy to follow. Honestly, you don’t even need instructions to repeat this recipe.

I browned some ground turkey and added a packet of taco seasoning while my oven preheated (325 degrees for my oven — it runs hot).

I elected to spray my muffin tray before arranging the wonton wrappers.

I added the seasoned taco meat and sprinkled some shredded cheddar cheese on it. I filled my wonton wrappers pretty full, but you may want to fill yours less if you’re planning on adding more toppings later.

I baked mine for about seven minutes, pulling them out when the edges started to brown. Once they were finished baking they were easily removed from the muffin tin using a spoon. 

I topped half of mine with green onions and served them up for a small group of friends.

Results

They were a total hit with the group, earning rave reviews and clean plates. 

This recipe is endlessly customizable. Serve with sour cream, salsa, tomatoes, onions, guacamole, whatever you want. Use different meat or cheese. This would be very easy to prep for ahead of time as well (brown the meat and season it beforehand). This is definitely making it onto my keeper board. 

— Nicole Franz | NiFranz@News-Herald.com | @FranzOrFoe
Follow my Mission: Pinpossible board on Pinterest.