Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Photo by Katie Kay

As Matt is chowing down on this scrumptious feast, "Mmmm.  I love health food."
Matt thought he needed more buffalo wing sauce to make this spicier, so I poured about a half cup of extra wing sauce over half of this casserole before I put the Panko bread topping on it.  Matt ate it and loved it!  Then I made him taste the other half, and he loved it in a completely different way.

The side with extra wing sauce was spicy, of course, and the wing sauce is delicious, but it disguised the flavor of the potato/cheese/ranch mixture.  The other half with less wing sauce was still flavorful without being too spicy (the kids ate it) and the cheesy potatoes actually had taste rather that just being a filler.
Bottom line, I'd make recipe as stated below, and if you want an extra kick, shake on Tabasco after you serve it.
Buffalo Chicken Casserole
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs), cut into small strips 1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce 30oz bag frozen hashbrown potatoes, thawed (shredded or cubed, I've used both) 1 cup light Ranch dressing (or full-fat, whatever!) 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (or a handful because really, who's measuring?) 10oz can cream of celery soup 1 cup Panko bread crumbs 4 Tbsp butter, melted 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 and spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.   In a bowl, stir together raw chicken strips and wing sauce.  Set aside.  
In a large bowl (the biggest you have) combine potatoes, Ranch, cheese, and soup.  Stir, and spread in the bottom of the 9x13 pan.  Place a single layer of chicken strips over potatoes, and drizzle any remaining wing sauce on top.  
In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and melted butter.  Sprinkle evenly over top of chicken.  Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.  Uncover with foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until chicken is done.   Serve topped with green onions and a beer.
Source:  Somewhere online several years ago.