I have said it before and I will say it again, you can take the girl out of Buffalo, but you can’t take the Buffalo out of the girl. The feelings of being homesick and missing my family back home in Buffalo, NY have hit new levels after over a year of being separated. Southern California is quite a far distance. This Buffalo Style Avocado Toast is quite possibly my favorite new way to blend together the flavors of my two homes and celebrate the heritages of these two great places.
We just had our 8 year anniversary of living in Southern California and there is so much to love about our home. The weather, the ocean, the people, the fresh, local produce year ‘round, just to name a few. But being so far away from family is definitely the trade-off. So of course, I am always looking for ways to bring the flavors of back home in Buffalo out here to California.
I learned pretty early on that Californians take their love of the avocado quite seriously and even more, a classic avocado toast seems to be a menu staple at restaurants everywhere out here. To ensure you’re enjoying locally grown avocados, be sure to check for California on the label from spring through summer! So let’s give it an update, shall we?
This recipe blends my two homes together in a delicious open-face sandwich that makes my heart so happy. There is a comfort with all of these flavors independently so together it just works for me. I know you will agree.
You start with a standard avocado toast with smashed California Avocado spread across your favorite bread toasted to a perfect golden brown. Then, we build on it and turn it into a meal with shredded chicken, some hot sauce and a little blue cheese, with an added crunch from diced celery and carrots – something that often gets forgotten in the Buffalo-style inspired food.
If you wish to simplify things more, you can easily make a large batch of my Buffalo Chicken Salad and toss that on top of your avocado toast, but I prefer this visuals of this deconstructed version. Plus, if anyone prefers a non-meat version, you can easily leave off the shredded chicken.
Growing up in Buffalo the standard fare of pizza and chicken wings really is a staple celebration food. Birthday; pizza and wings. Engagement party; pizza and wings. Someone passes, baby shower, bridal shower, workplace party… you get the picture. The classic chicken wing combo of hot sauce and blue cheese dressing with a side of carrots and celery mustn’t ever get forgotten on pizza night and it’s evolved into a flavor profile all on its own that is synonymous with Buffalo. My home.
I love adding this flavor profile to the creamy, rich, satisfying Southern California staple, avocado toast because not only do they pair so well together, but I also love that the healthy fats from the California Avocado pair well with the carbohydrates from the toast and the protein from the chicken making this a nice balanced snack or even a small meal. You may not know this but the Hass avocado is actually a California native and there is a ton of really cool history about California Avocados that you can learn here.
I hope you enjoy this recipe inspired by my homes as much as I do.
Buffalo Style Avocado Toast {gluten-free}
Ingredients
- 4 pieces of your favorite bread
- drizzle of olive oil
- 2 ripe, Fresh California Avocados
- 1 ½ cups shredded or diced chicken
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
- your favorite hot sauce, to taste, we like classic original Frank’s
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 small carrots, diced or cut into rounds
- scallions, thinly sliced for garnish
- flaked sea salt, to taste
- red pepper flakes, to taste, optional
Instructions
- Lightly brush your bread with olive oil and place into a toaster oven or under the broiler in your oven. Watch carefully. Toast to your liking.
- Add sliced 1/2 avocado to each piece of toast. Using a fork smash the avocado across the toast. Alternatively you can smash the two full avocados in a bowl, first, then spread onto the toast.
- Top the avocado toast with the chicken, if using, then evenly sprinkle on the blue cheese crumbles, celery, carrots and drizzle with as much hot sauce as you’d like. Garnish with scallions and sprinkle with sea salt and red pepper flakes for extra heat, if you’d like.
- Enjoy!
Notes
This post and recipe were created in partnership with the California Avocado Commission. I am proud to work with brands that care about the health of their consumers and the planet. As always, all opinions, ideas and text are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that allow me to create new and special content like this for Tasty Yummies.
