Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Bleu Cheese & Celery Sauce (It's a Rumble too!)

I love Buffalo Wings.  Love.  I still mourn the loss of my favorite sauce at BW3.  Why in the world did they think it was a good idea to get rid of the curry?  Did they not know that years later I would still be pining away dreaming of my lost love?  But I digress. (**Correction, I mistakenly said that they had gotten rid of Spicy Garlic.  They did not...but they DID get rid of the Curry and if you didn't get a chance to try it you are missing out.  It was fabulous and I still miss it.)

I'm not the only member of my family that loves that tangy and spicy bite.  My kids even love it!  So much so that I've blogged a Buffalo Wing Soup and my version of the Buffalo Wing Dip.  But I needed something that was a wee bit healthier and something that would get dinner on the table fast.

Enter in the frozen chicken tenderloin.  I. Am. In. Love.  I only wish I could find them in an organic version.  For right now it's not an option to me (both in logistics and in budgeting) but I am keeping my eye open for them so I can use them in the future.  They can go from freezer to the table in under 30 minutes. 

Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders  
with Bleu Cheese & Celery Sauce

2 tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cup hot sauce
1.25 lbs chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup bleu cheese dressing
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tbsp hot sauce
2 tsp chopped chives (separated)
parchment paper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 and line baking sheet with parchment paper. (For those that have a compost bin you can even find parchment paper that is compost safe!  I'll be doing a post on that later this week.)
2. Mix melted butter and 1/3 cup of the hot sauce in a small bowl.  If butter starts to harden pop the bowl in the microwave for a few seconds and heat the whole mixture back up.
3.  Place chicken tenders on baking sheet and baste with sauce.  Turn over and baste again.  Use up remaining sauce.

4.  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked.  I promise, these don't take long at all!  Now it's time for the sauce!
5.  Mix bleu cheese dressing (I didn't have the energy or time to make homemade but feel free to do so if you like), sour cream, celery, 1 tsp of chives & remaining hot sauce in a bowl.  Taste to see if you need any additional seasonings like salt & pepper.  I did not.
6.  Serve the chicken with any side dish you like (we used coleslaw here) and garnish with sauce and remaining chives.

*Note - this is not an overly spicy dish so it is kid friendly.  You can make it more spicy by adding in some Tabasco if you choose.   My husband and #1 Taste Tester said he would have added hot sauce to his (because he likes to burn his mouth off) but for general consumption this was perfect.