Have you ever had the magical vegetable that is spaghetti squash?  I have to admit that I wasn’t super fond of it the first time I tried it and occasionally I’m not so keen on what I’ve done with it.  I’m still learning what flavors I like when using spaghetti squash.  Sometimes it ends up coming out tasting very sweet and I’m not okay with that every time.

But this… this was magical.  This Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash.  I ate this for a few more nights afterward.  Seriously, so good.  Give it a go!  This recipe is inspired by my friend Shannon.  She posted something about this a while back and I asked for her recipe then added to it.  My version was a little more free formed, so no measurements.  Go with a proportion to taste for you.

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash
Cabbage, chopped or shredded (just get some that’s prepped for cole slaw)
Chicken Breasts
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Frank’s Hot Sauce
Ranch Dressing
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Pre-heat the oven to 400 deg F.  Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Place both halves cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet and add a little bit of water.  Bake the spaghetti sqush for about 20-30 minutes or until done.  I happened to get a huge squash so it took like 45-60 minutes to cook all the way through.  When it’s done, it should scoop out easily and the flesh will break apart into strings that resemble pasta.

While the squash is cooking, cook your chicken breasts any way that you like.  You can throw them in the oven too or pan fry or whatever.  Just so long as they’re cooked.  Then chop them up into bite sized pieces.

While the spaghetti squash is hot, toss in some of that shredded cabbage.  The heat from the squash should cook the cabbage enough to eat.  Otherwise, throw them in a pan on the stove.  Toss in the chicken, spices, and hot sauce.  Once everything is incorporated, plate the servings and top with ranch dressing, mozzarella cheese and crumbled bacon.  If you’re fancy and have oven safe dishes, pop the plate in the oven to melt the cheese down a little before adding the ranch dressing and bacon.  Otherwise you could microwave it or just hope your squash is hot enough to melt it.

If you want to try your hand at making your own ranch, I found this recipe for paleo ranch absolutely delicious and fairly easy to make.  If you’re not paleo, you could just use storebought mayo and buttermilk.  Since I’m not doing dairy this month, I used Daiya mozzarella style shreds on mine and found it to be pretty good.  Not totally convincing that it’s mozzarella, but close enough.