Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Melts

Skinnytaste is about to blow your mind (again) with another fabulous — and deliciously spicy — recipe. If you don't have the Skinnytaste Cookbook, you're going to want to pick it up ASAP for the sole purpose of this Buffalo Chicken Melt. It has to be one of my favorites out of the entire cookbook. Served on a whole grain slice of bread, topped with fresh tomatoes, and oozing pepper jack cheese, it is always just what I need to take my day from an average 6.5 to a contented 10. Every time I make this low-calorie melt for lunch, it satisfies my midday cravings and leaves me dreaming of the leftovers Easton and I will eat for dinner.

I love the dash of hot sauce and cayenne pepper that gives this Buffalo Chicken Melt its heat, not to mention the fresh ingredients like carrots, celery and red onions that once again prove that healthy eating can be delicious.

In case you needed more healthy recipes, my friend Gina packed her Skinnytaste Cookbook full of nutritious, natural recipes, and I recommend it to anyone who strives to live a healthy life (and really, really enjoys yummy food). Check it out here! I cook out of the Skinnytaste Cookbook all the time, and who wouldn't? It's chock-full of fresh and delicious time-tested recipes. The Buffalo Chicken Melt has been one of my go-to recipes for a while now, and I don't see that changing anytime soon!

Yields: 4 servings | Serving size: 1 slice of toast

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups (7 ounces) convenient slow cooker shredded chicken or meat from store-bought chicken
• ¼ cup finely chopped carrots
• ¼ cup finely chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon light mayo, such as Hellmann's
• 2½ tablespoons Frank's RedHot Sauce
• pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 4 slices multigrain bread, lightly toasted, such as Arnold
• 8 thin slices tomato
• 4 slices (2.6 ounces total) reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, such as Sargento

Instructions:

1. Adjust an oven rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the broiler.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, carrots, celery, red onion, mayo, hot sauce and cayenne (if using).
3. Arrange the toast on the baking dish and put 2 slices of tomato on each. Divide the chicken salad evenly among the slices and top with 1 slice of pepper Jack. Broil until the cheese is golden and bubbling, about 2 minutes, keeping a close eye on it to avoid burning. Serve hot.

Calories: 230 | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 13g | Fiber: 2.5g | Protein: 25g | Sodium: 414mg

>> Love buffalo chicken? We have another recipe we think you might enjoy HERE!