While you might think of Monkey Bread as a sweet treat, the basic concept lends itself to savory fare, too. My Buffalo Chicken Monkey Bread recipe is an appetizer you may want to double. The little pull-apart pieces of flaky, stuffed rolls disappear pretty quickly. This is an ideal offering for tailgating or other outdoor gatherings. 

I am a huge fan of chicken wings, as most people know. But my love affair with chicken goes beyond that. The whole bird provides thousands of potential menu items, from my injected “green” chicken to my mom’s Dorito chicken, and everything in between. Now we’re rounding it up Buffalo style!

Preparation:

Get out a mixing bowl, a bundt pan, and a kitchen knife, and set your smoker to 225. A good wood to use for this endeavor is hickory. 

Buffalo Chicken Monkey Bread Ingredients (Chicken)

• 2 chicken breasts
• Olive oil
• Cuso’s Smoky Garlic Buffalo Rub 

Instructions

1. Rub the olive oil all over the chicken as a binder. 
2. Sprinkle the barbecue rub liberally on all sides.
3. Place the chicken in the smoker until it reaches 155 F.
4. Pull it out, and let it rest.
5. Dice

Ingredients (Stuffing)

• Diced chicken
• ½ cup green onion
• ½ cup minced celery
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• Hot sauce
• 1 can – 10 buttermilk biscuits

Instructions (Stuffing)

1. Place the chicken with all other ingredients (but for the biscuits) in a mixing bowl. Add just enough hot sauce so everything is evenly distributed, creamy, but not “wet.”
2. Open the can of biscuits and cut each in ½.
3. Take each half and begin making rounds (like mini pancakes but bigger and thinner).
4. Fill the center of each round with the chicken blend.
5. Don’t over-fill, or they will bust open during cooking.
6. Lightly dampen the edges of the rounds to seal them.
7. Spray your bundt pan with oil.
8. Layer the rounds evenly in the pan until you reach about ½ way up.
9. Pour any remaining stuffing on top.
10. Bake for 55 minutes at 320 degrees F.
11. Cool slightly.
12. Turn out onto a serving plate.
13. Garnish with blue cheese dressing, hot sauce, and chives.
14. Put celery and carrot sticks in the middle for a side snack. 

PitMaster’s Memo 

How did the name “monkey bread” come about? In Hollywood from the 1940s-the 60s, actresses made the dish to serve hungry party guests. Pillsbury called it Hungarian Coffee Cake in the 1970s. Nancy Regan introduced it to the White House as part of Christmas festivities. Suddenly, monkey bread was a national sweet treat. 

Historians feel that there is a tie to Hungary for this recipe. Apparently, Hungarians immigrants brought it to the US as a dish called aranygaluska. Bakers gobbled up the tasty recipe and begin making it regularly.  

Side Dishes

Butternut squash

Edamame salad

Fried cauliflower

Soft pretzels

Steak fries

Steamed green beans

Stuffed Mushrooms

From The Bar

American Pale Ale

Coconut water

German Pilsner

Muscato

Reisling

Strawberry lemonade with club soda