What could be better than fries?  Buffalo Chicken Bacon Ranch Cheese Fries!

Have you ever been asked, “If there was only one food you could eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?”  Without hesitation, mine would be fries!!!  Add buffalo chicken and you have my two favorites.

I love fries.  All different ways, shapes, forms… except I don’t like potato skin on fries.

I love you Chick-fil-a, but those fries with all the skin get tossed.

I’ve been wanting to make fries with toppings like nachos so I came up with these Buffalo Chicken Bacon Ranch Fries.

They were sooooo good.  My husband, who doesn’t really care for fries, has asked for me to make them again.

I will admit that I went all out for these.  I know not everyone has time to spend two hours in the kitchen making these scrumptious fries homemade so I will include hacks to make them a lot quicker.

For the chicken, I am obsessed with this All Purpose Buffalo Chicken from Carlsbad Cravings.

I found their recipe on Pinterest and we have made it several times already.  I’ve been making this chicken in bulk on Sunday and we eat it over the next 3-4 days.  It’s great on salads, flatbread, tacos, by itself… or on french fries.

Photo courtesy of Carlsbad Cravings. www.carlsbadcravings.com

The chicken isn’t as spicy as you’d think it would be from the marinade.  If you want to keep the heat down, I recommend not adding the additional sauce while cooking.

Since I was cooking this for the week anyways, I went ahead and used it for these cheese fries.  I know this chicken takes a little extra time since it has to be marinated, but I highly recommend it.  If you are cooking these last minute, any chicken will do, but I highly recommend trying this recipe at some point.

Cut your potatoes into any fry shape you like.  I chose long, thin fries.  Place the cut pieces into a bowl of ice water for 15-30 minutes.  This removes some of the starch, keeps the fries from sticking together, and prevents some of the browning before cooking.  Once they are done soaking in the ice water, place them on a paper towel and try to dry them as much as possible.

Then, in a fryer or large skillet, heat up oil to 350 degrees.  Place small batches of fries carefully in the hot grease without overcrowding the pan.  Cook until a golden brown color, or you’ll notice mine are a little darker because we like them more crispy and done.  Take them out of the hot oil and place on a paper towel to soak up some of the grease.  I like to go ahead and give them a little salt and pepper while they are still hot.  Repeat this process until your entire batch of fries are cooked.  Spread the fries on a baking sheet.

Next, dice the buffalo chicken into small pieces and spread it out all over the fries on a baking sheet.  After I made these I realized I should’ve added more chicken, so feel free to add more than what is pictured.

While I was cooking the chicken, I fried up a few pieces of bacon.  Once the chicken was on the fries, I chopped up the bacon and sprinkled it over the top.

My mix of cheeses that I spread over the fries was sharp cheddar and Mexican blend.  Make sure all of the fries are evenly covered.

We’re almost finished 😉

Bake at 350 degrees until all the cheese is melted.  Drizzle ranch dressing over the top of the melted cheese.  Serve hot!

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Buffalo Chicken Bacon Ranch Cheese Fries

Crispy fries with buffalo chicken, bacon, ranch, and melted cheese on top.

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 4 medium potatoes
• 2 cups canola or vegetable oil
• 3-4 ea chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 strips bacon
• 3 cups shredded cheese cheddar or a cheddar blend
• 4 Tbsp ranch dressing

Instructions

1. Cut the potatoes into fries, any shape you want.  I did long, thin fries.  Soak the fry pieces in a bowl of ice water for 15-30 minutes.  Place on a paper towel to dry.  

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Heat oil to 350 degrees in fryer or large skillet.  Place small batches of fries carefully in the hot oil.  Do not overcrowd the skillet.  Once golden brown, remove from the grease and rest on a paper towel.  Add salt and pepper if desired.

4. While the fries are cooking, in another skillet, add 2 Tbsp of olive oil and heat to medium-high.  Add chicken breasts and cook through.  Usually 5 minutes per side.  Once they are completely cooked, chop into small pieces or shred.  Set aside.

5. Spread the cooked fries on a large baking sheet.  Keep them close together but not piled on top of each other.  Sprinkle the chicken pieces all over the top of the fries.    

6. Cook 4 pieces of bacon until crispy.  Chop into small pieces and sprinkle over fries and chicken.  

7. Spread the shredded cheese all over the fries.

8. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 7-12 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted.  Take the fries out of the oven and immediately drizzle with ranch dressing.  Serve hot/warm. 

Recipe Notes

If you can cook more than one thing at a time, that will save time and keep things warmer. The fries take the longest so I did the chicken and bacon while they were cooking.