Buffalo Chicken Arancini

A couple of weeks ago, Christopher and I went to the Taste of Buffalo; it is local festival that celebrates the restaurants and food trucks in the area. Each participating restaurant makes samples of their favorite dishes for purchase at the festival. It is one of our favorite festivals in Buffalo. We are so blessed to have so many each summer.

For $10, we tasted 5 items:
1) Buffalo Chicken Arancini from The Black Market Food Truck
2) BBQ Pot Roast Egg Roll from Alex's Place
3) Mango Smoothie from The Clarence Center Coffee Co
4) Garlic Pan Bread from Jack Astors
5) Crab Cake from Miller's Steak & Seafood Restaurant

All were delicious, but we could not shake our craving for the Buffalo Chicken Arancini, so we decided to make them! They are a labor of love, but ended up coming out delicious! I attached the recipe, which I have to say is my best guess since this was our first time making them. I am sure we will make them again and when I do, I will be sure to write down the recipe that time!

Buffalo Chicken Arancini
Time: About 1 1/2 hours

1 cup risotto or arborio
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup chicken broth
salt & pepper to taste
1 can of shredded chicken
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp onion powder
bread crumbs to coat
Canola Oil for frying

In a medium sauce pan, bring the water to a simmer (not boil). Once the water is simmering, add the risotto noodle (or arborio). Cook the risotto until the water is absorbed and the noodle is tender, there maybe extra water, if there is, drain the water from the pot. Add the chicken broth and cook the broth into the risotto. Once the chicken broth is cooked through, add the salt, pepper, chicken, wing sauce, cheese and onion powder. Continue to cook the risotto under all of the added ingredients are cooked through, cheese is melted, etc. Remove the sauce pan from the heat and let cool. Once the noodle is cooled enough to handle with your hands, it is time to make the arancini! Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and fill a shallow bowl with the bread crumbs. Scoop up a ping pong ball sized amount of the risotto mixture and form into a ball. It will be very sticky!!! Roll the ball around in the bread crumbs and then place the ball on the prepared baking sheet. Do this until all of the risotto is used. Continue to cool the risotto down by placing the prepared pan into the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Heat about 1 cup of canola oil in a deep frying pan. Once the oil is hot, place the arancini in the hot oil and fry for several minutes on each side, until the outside turns a gold brown. It is best to work in batches doing several arancini at a time. When it is cooked through, place the fried arancini on a paper towel lined plate to absorb the excess grease and voila the arancini are ready to eat!