Buffalo Chicken Meets Its Match With A Canned, High-Protein Swap

Name something more American comfort food than Buffalo chicken. Whether you're eating it as a dip on game days or at a bar in wing form, it never fails — just thinking about that meat in tangy hot sauce makes your mouth water. But if you don't eat meat or are looking to recreate the same iconic flavors with things sitting in the back of the pantry, there's a protein-packed legume that steps in for chicken easily. Chickpeas are an incredible and cheap source of protein (14.5 grams per cup) that can take the place of chicken with very little flavor payoff. No, you won't have the same texture as classic Buffalo wings, but with the right tweaks you can whip up a nutritious and affordable alternative for weeknight dinner.

Buffalo chickpeas have a flexibility that can extend beyond your home kitchen as well: I've seen them show up in wraps in countless cafes, and I even had a Buffalo chickpea melt on my own sandwich business menu that was a bestseller for years. Beyond chickpeas, white beans, butter beans, and even lentils can be used as they are all neutrally flavored and textured protein sources that carry and absorb the unmistaken Buffalo sauce flavors perfectly.

Getting canned chickpeas to work in a Buffalo dish is very possible, but there are a few things you'll need to do. Firstly, if they're coming from a can, the legumes will need to be rid of all the extra moisture. You can simply drain and pat them or you can give them a quick roast. Either way, make sure they're dry enough to grab onto the Buffalo sauce and not dilute it. From there, quickly pulse the chickpeas in a food processor for a loose texture that can be stirred through the Buffalo sauce. However, you can also roast them whole until crispy if you want more bite, or just mash them up a little with a fork for a smoother, Buffalo dip-like texture, whatever you prefer.

Next, the sauce is important. Traditionally, a Buffalo sauce has both hot sauce and butter, so if you're going fully plant-based, it isn't much of a swap outside of simply changing butter for a dairy-free alternative (don't use olive oil or any fat with a more prominent flavor though). And don't use too much liquid — you want to coat your legumes in sauce, not drench them, and too much liquid will make the whole thing soup-y instead of sauce-y. 

You can load your Buffalo chickpeas or legumes into sliders, wrap them into taquitos, or top a salad with them — the world is your Buffalo-drenched oyster. It's a familiar flavor, the one you crave, just built a little different. And of course, don't forget to serve the dish with some store-bought ranch to balance the heat.