Transform your next gathering or weeknight dinner with an unexpected twist on a classic comfort food: Buffalo Chicken Soufflé. This dish takes the bold, tangy, and spicy flavors of traditional buffalo chicken and folds them into a light, airy, restaurant-quality soufflé that’s surprisingly easy to master at home.

Serves 4

Preheat oven to 400F/204C/Gas Mark 6

6 cup/1.4 liter souffle mold or (4) 5 ounce/142g molds

3 tablespoons/45ml butter divided

1 teaspoon/5ml finely grated parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons/45ml/23g flour

1 cup/250ml boiling milk (I used a non-dairy product, but classically it is cow milk)

½ teaspoon/2ml sea salt

⅛ teaspoon/1ml ground pepper (white or black)

⅛ teaspoon/1ml cayenne pepper

⅛ teaspoon/1ml nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon/2ml cream of tartar

4 egg yolks (keep cold)

5 egg whites (keep at room temp)

pinch of salt

8 ounces/227g boneless/skinless chicken breast or thighs (diced and cooked)

3-4 ounces/85-115g crumbled blue cheese

Butter your souffle mold and sprinkle with the grated parmesan cheese and put in fridge.  Melt remaining 2 tablespoons/30ml of butter in a saucepan. Sprinkle flour over the butter, stirring to mix well.  Cook over medium heat until the butter and flour foam for about 2 minutes (do not let brown). Remove from heat and pour in the boiling milk after the butter foam subsides. Whisk vigorously to combine.  Add salt pepper, cayenne and nutmeg, stirring to combine. The sauce will get very thick after about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and whisk in the egg yolks one at a time. Let cool.  In a separate metal bowl whip the egg whites and salt.  Whip foamy then add the cream of tartar, and whip  until stiff peaks form.  Take ¼ of the stiff egg whites and fold into the cooled  sauce as a liaison.  Add all but 1 tablespoon/15ml grated cheese and cooked chicken.  Fold in the remainder of the egg whites making sure to not over mix and deflate the whites.  Pour the mixture into the prepared souffle mold. Smooth the top with a spatula and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  The mold should be ¾ full. If you have a shallow dish, wrap it with either an aluminum or parchment paper collar to allow the souffle to rise and climb. Place the mold on a baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven.  Drop the temperature immediately to 375F/190C/Gas Mark 5. Bake for 25-30 minutes the top should have risen about 2 inches/5 cm and be brown. If you want a more firm souffle, bake for an extra 5 minutes. Serve immediately.