Here in Charlotte we definitely have game—and we live for it. We work hard, but after hours and weekends, it’s all play. No doubt you’ve watched the Carolina Panthers on many a Sunday and are hopeful, like the rest of us, that the Bobcats are truly on the mend. If you’re after hard-hitting action and want to cheer for a team that’s on top—then you’ve got to get your crew to a Charlotte Checkers game. TICKETS AND INFO www.gocheckers.com
CHARLOTTE CHECKERS
AT
HOME
Your Charlotte Checkers are winning. Catch the hockey madness at their new home at Time Warner Cable Arena in uptown Charlotte. Here’s a look at the November and December schedule. 11/24/12 11/25/12 12/01/12
7:00 PM 3:00 PM 7:00 PM
Oklahoma City Barons Oklahoma City Barons Rockford Ice Hogs
12/02/12 12/06/12 12/07/12 12/09/12 12/11/12 12/14/12 12/15/1 12/20/12 12/21/12
3:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 3:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 12:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM
Rockford Ice Hogs Lake Erie Monsters Lake Erie Monsters Milwaukee Admirals Milwaukee Admirals Houston Aeros Houston Aeros Peoria Rivermen Peoria Rivermen
C H E C K E R S P H O T O S B Y S C OT T W I L L I A M S
ON THE PROWL
| QUEENS COLLLEGE BASKETBALL
CONFERENCE CHAMPS
Coach Will Long believes the Royals can go all the way again this season.
QUEENS RUNS STRONG
T
he Queens University of Charlotte Royals prepare to tip off the 2012-13 season amid a lot of excitement. The Royals, led by head coach Wes Long, have won 40 games over the past two seasons, including two regular season conference championships. And they believe they can rise to the top of Conference Carolinas one last time before departing for the South Atlantic Conference in 2013-14.
Queens enters this season having suffered the heaviest graduation losses in Long’s tenure, as his first full recruiting class has moved on. But the Royals signed five newcomers who comprise the best class Long and his staff have inked at Queens. Make no mistake about it, the Royals will be athletic and talented. And they may have the best frontcourt in the conference. Antonio Stabler and Brent Evans are both all-conference caliber players, and they are joined by 6-10 Sam Johnson, 6-5 David Mason and freshmen Justin Hollimon and Tre McLean. Queens should also be solid on the perimeter, with senior sharpshooter Nate Blackburn joined by newcomers Griffin Shaw and Ben Richter as well as defensive ace Brandon Nichols. The biggest question facing the Royals will be point guard, where sophomore Trey Ervin and freshman Joby Glymph will be asked to lead the team. While both are talented, athletic and quick, they are short on experience. “Even though we aren’t necessarily young on paper, we are young in the sense that the guys who need to be leaders have never had to fill those roles,” Long said. “The good news is that the newcomers are probably the most talented group of freshmen that we’ve had. But they’re new and inexperienced so we will have to get them to mesh with our upperclassmen.” The Royals have won two straight regular season championships while undergoing several drastic changes with facilities and conference affiliation. For the past year and a half, Queens has called the Grady Cole Center home. This season will mark the final year the Royals will compete there before moving into their brand new on-campus facility, The Levine Center. But with the excitement of a new athletic facility, different challenges arose for Queens. “We’ve always been cognizant of staying in the moment and preparing for where we are right now,” Long stated. “We’ve had to temper our excitement internally and focus on where we are this BY WILL LONG
|
SPECIAL TO CHARLOTTE PROWLER MAGAZINE
year. The truth is that Antonio, Sam, Maurice, Nate and Brandon won’t play in that building. This is their senior year so it wouldn’t be fair to just focus on what’s coming down the road. Those guys have contributed great things and gotten us to a championship level. Externally, we can sell the Levine Center to recruits and it’s going to be a really exciting future.” The Levine Center will have a first-class weight room that men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball share. The arena itself will seat over 2,000 fans and include nicely appointed locker rooms, lounge areas, and training rooms. It will also contain brand new offices for the coaches. With the start of the 2013-14 basketball season, the Royals will have a new home. The 2012-13 season will also mark the final one for Queens in Conference Carolinas before the Royals jump to the South Atlantic Conference next year. While Queens will keep up its long-standing rivalry with Belmont-Abbey, the Royals are excited about their new opportunities. “We’ll always be appreciative of our 15 years in Conference Carolinas,” said Long. “But the South Atlantic Conference seemed to fit better institutional-wise as far as the missions of the schools. We also thought the stability of those universities was on a little better footing (budget-wise, dollar support). Those schools also have larger alumni bases so there is more interest in athletics. There’s a great balance between athletics and academics.” Long went on to add: “I’m not sure it changes us much basketball-wise. We’ve played a lot of these teams in the past and we compete with them for recruits. One thing that will happen is more recognizable teams will come play us (after the Levine Center opens and the team joins the SAC). People in Charlotte and Myers Park will recognize the teams that come play us and we should have greater exposure. It’s a great move for men’s basketball, but more importantly, for Queens athletics in general.” The Royals open the season Nov. 9th at Wingate and will play their first home game Nov. 17th against Lees-McRae at the Grady Cole Center. Info at QueensAthletics.com
CAROLINA PANTHERS MATCH-UPS
PHILADEPHIA Game Date: November, 26 2012 Game Location and Time: Lincoln Financial Field, 8:30 PM Preview: The Panthers are back on prime time television for the second time this season against another NFC East opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles. This game could be a defining moment for both teams and Head Coaches. The Eagles head coach Andy Reid has had a tough year, with the loss of his son before the season started and also the Eagles struggles on the field. Unfortunately, if the Eagles do not scramble into the playoffs, this could be Reid’s final year in Philadelphia. Quarterback Michael Vick has struggled this season, as has the Eagles offense to find a rhythm. The Eagles offensive line has struggled to protect and keep pressure off Vick and when pressured he has turn the ball over. The Eagles need to rely on their running game and take the pressure off
EAGLES
Vick to make the spectacular play. The Eagles defense also has struggled, and the defensive coordinator was fired earlier in the year, but is still ranked as the 12th best defense overall in the NFL. What to Watch For: If the Eagles have quit on head coach Andy Reid. The weeks before this game will go a long way in determining how the Eagles play. If the Eagles are still in the playoff hunt, they are a very dangerous team with plenty of talent. If the playoffs are out of the question they may mail it in. The Panthers will need to put pressure on Michael Vick and keep him contained in the pocket to force him to make the correct reads and throws, much like they did with Redskins RGIII a few weeks earlier. Prediction: Eagles 27 – Panthers 24
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Game Date: December 02, 2012 Game Location and Time: Arrowhead Stadium, 1:00PM Preview: This game will be a barometer of the Panthers season and the improvement made with five games left in the season. The Chiefs, who many thought might be a contender in the AFC West this season, have been just awful. They are giving up 30 points a game and only scoring 16 points a game. The Chiefs quarterbacks, Cassels and Quin both have been injured at some point this season and that has hurt the offense, but it’s not like the offense does not have any play makers. It does with running back Jamaal Charles, and wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Dexter McCluster, but things have just not worked out for
some reason or another. What to Watch For: This is one of those text book trap games in the NFL, and if the Chiefs are still stuck on one win the Panthers better look out. The Panthers will probably be a slight road favorite in this game, but Arrowhead Stadium is still a tough place to play. The Panthers and Chiefs have met only four times, and the Panthers have won the last 2 games easily. However, every year a team in the NFL goes and plays one of the worse teams in the league on their field thinking they have an easy win, and for 3 hours that team plays like a Super Bowl contender. Don’t think that happens this year though, the Chiefs are really bad team. Prediction: Panthers 31- Chiefs 17
AT FA C E B O O K . C O M / P R O W L E R M A G A Z I N E A N D C L I C K O N T H E G A M E DAY P I C S TA B TO W I N B I G P R I Z E S .
CAN THEY BE REBUILT? Bobcats look to rebound after setting NBA record for worst record. It would be safe to assume the Charlotte Bobcats will win more than the seven games they won last season in the lockout-shortened 66-game season. But how many more? Team owner Michael Jordan made a series of changes in the offseason in hopes of changing the team’s recent fortunes. There’s a new top basketball official (Rich Cho), a new coach (Mike Dunlap) and five new players. Perhaps the biggest news is that Jordan has announced that Cho, considered an architect of successful rebuilding projects in Portland and Oklahoma City, will be the chief basketball decision-maker. Does that mean Jordan won’t have the final say on personnel matters? That remains to be seen, but it’s also fairly clear that the competitiveness that made Jordan a six-time NBA champion and six-time NBA finals MVP hasn’t carried over to his moves as a league executive. Only in 2010, can Jordan take any credit for on-court success as his decision to hire veteran Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown and their decision to acquire the emotional
but talented Stephen Jackson in an earlyseason trade brought the franchise its only postseason appearance. In the years since, Jordan has orchestrated transactions that have sent away key figures from that 2010 team; Brown was fired, Raymond Felton was allowed to leave through free agency, Jackson, Gerald Wallace, Nazr Mohammed and Tyson Chandler were traded and Boris Diaw was released. Those moves and the failure to get back comparable talent in return have drawn criticism – and led to the franchise slipping last year’s historically-bad 7-59 record. Shooting guard Gerald Henderson, a rookie who was a deep reserve on the 2010 team, is the longest-tenured player on the team. And he understands why there has been such a roster churn. “It’s my fourth year and we’ve only made the playoffs one time,” said Henderson, the team’s leading scorer at 15.1 points per game last season. “You look at that and you’re going to have new coaches and new players. That’s part of the business if you don’t get it done.” After last season’s disastrous finish – which included a 23-game losing streak the team will take into opening night on Nov. 2 against Indiana this season – the Bobcats have made many changes. Youthful players like recent first-round draft picks Kemba Walker (2011), Bismack Biyombo (2011) and Michael Kidd-
AFTER THE WORST SEASON IN NBA HISTORY, THE BOBCATS HAVE MADE SWEEPING CHANGES. A NEW TOP OFFICIAL, COACH, TEAM COLORS, AND A FEW KEY PLAYERS.
Gilchrist (2012), 2012 second-round selection Jeffery Taylor and veteran returnees like Henderson, Tyrus Thomas and Byron Mullens will be joined by offseason veteran acquisitions Ramon Sessions, Ben Gordon and Brendan Haywood to form the nucleus of this year’s team. That hardly sounds like a playoff contender, but Dunlap is comfortable with the team he has – no matter the expectations. He assessed that issue when asked what he expected from this year’s team. “When people watch us play and our opponent in particular feels us in terms of our work ethic and the fact that we play ‘We basketball,’” said Dunlap, picked by Jordan as head coach after a coaching search that included interviews with former NBA head coaches Jerry Sloan and Nate McMillan and veteran NBA assistants Patrick Ewing and Brian Shaw among others. “I hope that we pressure the heck out of the ball. And I hope that when we get deflections or steals, we run. But we have to run smart. We can’t turn over the ball after working that hard to get it.” Clearly, just playing up-tempo basketball won’t solve the shortcoming the team had last season. But Dunlap’s reputation as a teacher is considered imperative for the development of the kind of team Cho is constructing. That should mean lots of playing time for the younger players in hopes of force-feeding them the chance to develop quickly into pro-
NAIL BITER The Charlotte Bobcats had owner Michael Jordan in angst on the sidelines last season.
NBA LEGEND MICHAEL JORDAN MAY HAVE TO PROVE HE CAN WIN WHEN HE IS NOT IN CHARGE. IS HE UP TO THE TASK?
b y R IC HAR D WA LKER
ductive pro players. To his credit, Dunlap recognized that his somewhat surprising hire would be better received by his players if he reached out to each and every player on the roster. “Our communication has been ongoing since the 22nd of June,” Dunlap said of the date he was hired. “The key has been getting in touch with all the players and ask them good questions and letting them talk about role declaration and a myriad of things. I think they feel pretty good about that. “But I also think there’s trepidation and anxiety because there’s a new coach and a new staff and you have five new players. So we have some variables that make it exciting for our team. We’re going to have an open competition for all spots. There’s nobody who has their spot locked down going into training camp.” Once that training camp ends and the season begins, the Bobcats will look to snap their long losing streak and show im-
provement with each and every practice and each and every game. Kemba Walker, the projected point guard, probably have as much or more expected from him as any player on the roster. A 2011 NCAA champion at Connecticut, Walker endured going from first-toworst as a Bobcats’ rookie while also going through the difficult challenge of learning to become a NBA point guard. “It’s tough trying to be a point guard in the NBA,” said Walker, who averaged 12.1 points, 4.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 36.6 percent from the field in 66 games (25 starts). “Coming in at 21 years old and trying to lead guys much older than me and getting their respect is a challenge. But it’s something I’m trying to work on. Coach Dunlap has done his best to put me in a position to lead this team. I’m excited to get things rolling and start playing with my teammates.” And while even the most ardent of Bob-
The Lady Cats have quite a following of their own. In addition to ranking tops among fan favorite NBA dance/cheer teams, their appeal spreads beyond home base at Time Warner Cable Arena. Away game Watch Party events are now held at Hickory Tavern at the Metropolitan, and their first swimsuit show will be held Sunday, November the 11th at the uptown Hickory Tavern location.
Photos by Steve Lindenman and Scott Williams
cats’ supporters couldn’t imagine a postseason push, Walker is confident Dunlap and his new teammates will adapt quickly and make improvement. How much improvement? “I have high expectations,” Walker said. “I don’t want to settle for anything less than playoffs. I’m thinking big picture. I’ve got a lot of confidence in my coaches, myself and my teammates.” Just snapping the 23-game losing streak will signify progress. But clearly after Walker led the Bobcats to a 4-1 record in the Las Vegas Summer League, there’s some momentum to build upon. “It’s a new season for us,” Henderson said. “That last year was a tough thing. It’s something that you try to forget about. It’ll always be there, but it’s a new start this season. We have a new coach and some new guys. So it’s something that happened but we’re going to look forward to a new season and see what we can accomplish.”
PROWLER CHEF BRINGS FOOD TO LIFE
AWARENESS. CHOICES.
T
he month of October has come and gone but with it came so many exciting themes. For many of us, our October skies mean much more than cooler nights, milder days, leaves changing colors, the flavors of fall and great tailgates. It is a significant month because this is the time we stop to honor friends and family.
We stop to honor those who are surviving and remember those we have lost to breast cancer. I stand in remembrance of family and friends who fought a valiant fight against their own battle with breast cancer and are no longer with us. As we celebrate the lives of our loved ones who continue to combat this awful disease every day, such as my cousin Jocelyn Thompson, a music teacher at Garinger High School and professional music-choral aficionado; her strength has been amazing, admirable and most courageous. This month is important to me because I want to share with women how important it is to eat and live our way to a healthier lifestyle that can possibly contribute to a cancer free life. Over the past couple of years I have enjoyed being able to rekindle many rela-
tionships with my high school classmates. One friendship that I have missed was that of one of my dearest friends, Howard “Junior” Hall. I was heartbroken to learn that he and his wife, my sorority sister Melody “Mel” Hall, were together tackling her fight with breast cancer. During our high school days, Junior was a true Friday night lights football star and was ranked in the nation’s top 20 football recruits. He is not a man who accepts defeat easily or halfheartedly conquers any obstacle that stands in his way. So, when I discovered how both were aggressively dealing with Mel’s cancer, I knew cancer was going to be in for a major loss. Personally, I could not have arranged a stronger nor more perfectly matched marriage that can overthrow any adversarial situation. Mel’s story is amazing and I imagine
one like many other survivors have endured. It is a story that will either defeat you mercilessly or bring out the greatest in you. Her journey is one that has revealed their greatest inner strength and delivered love and support from every angle of life. This has been Mel’s best defense again breast cancer and part of the reason for her survival. I met Mel through one of our sorority sisters, Tega and a mutual friend, Kim who is the wife of Junior’s best friend. Each of us matriculated through a different University and had come together right in the midst of Mel’s first battle with breast cancer. Along with so many other wonderful family and friends, we have managed to develop a loving and supportive network that comforts her through this process. Mel was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 while dating Junior. Together they chose love over defeat, in spite of her diagnosis, and married three days before Mel had a radical mastectomy. Mel endured a brutal regimen of daily radiation treatments for three months. While going through this regimen, she received third degree burns to her treatment area and was unable to finish radiation. It was also during this time that Junior was caring for his mother whom they lost to lung cancer. But despite the odds they have both kept going for the win. Her doctors concluded she would not be able to give birth but in spite of that obstacle they gave birth to their baby girl, Lauren. At that point Mel’s cancer was in remission and she was living the life she had been missing. However, in 2011 her cancer returned with much more aggression and force. She is undergoing heavy chemotherapy and taking oral medications while beating the odds. Although Mel takes chemo every week she has returned to work, celebrates life with her husband, family and friends to beat it all one more time. Mel has an intense determination to live, a thirsting vigor for life and is
resolute in her power to watch Lauren grow up. Mel is grateful for many things such as her faith and the belief that she will triumph over breast cancer a second time. She will be the first to tell you that her husband, Junior, has been her protector through it all. Tony Mauney, Junior’s best friend and fellow Clemson teammate calls his friend, “amazing and he has never seen this type of fortitude in a man before.” When I asked Mel what she was looking forward to in life, her response was, “I want to enjoy all that life has to bring me, I keep pushing for life every day, I want to provide support and encourage those in my same situation and receive my cancer-free diagnosis.” Survivor: Melody Whitaker Hall Hometown: Clinton, NC Undergraduate: Bennett College Graduate: NC A&T (Then the only female drummer for the Aggie Marching Band Drumline.) Cancer survivor and current cancer fighter. Miracle mother of one. Husband: Howard “Junior” Hall, Jr. Hometown: Gastonia, NC Holds Gaston County 2nd highest rushing yards at Ashbrook High School (record recently broken four years ago.) College: Clemson University North Carolina’s #3 High School Football Recruit and one of the nation’s top 20 football recruits in 1988. Clemson fullback coached by Ford and Hatfield, Jr. Played in 5 Bowl Games between 8892 including the 1991 Duke vs. Clemson CocaCola Bowl played in Tokyo, Japan. Most impactful Bowl Game performance was scoring two touchdowns in the Hall of Fame Bowl Game in 1990 against Illinois University. A one-time Free Agent with the Cleveland Browns and played two seasons of arena football. Hall’s football jersey is one of Gaston County’s retired numbers alongside NBA Legend James Worthy and Sleepy Floyd. Honorable mention Darrell Armstrong, Assistant Coach with the Dallas Mavericks
CHEF’S LIGHT RECIPE I N G R E D I E N TS 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 ounces each) 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 teaspoon butter 2 cloves garlic, minced 3⁄4 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 tablespoon drained capers
Susan G. Komen Healthy Lifestyle Choices Be physically active. Maintain a healthy weight. Choose 100 percent whole grain foods (like 100 percent whole grain breads and cereals, brown rice, popcorn and quinoa) more often. Limit red meat and processed meat (choose chicken, fish or beans instead). Cut down on “bad” fats (saturated and trans fats), and eat more “good” fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, like olive and canola oil). Get enough vitamin D and calcium every day. For women and men ages 51 to 70, this means 10 mcg/600 IU of vitamin D and 1,200 mg of calcium. For men ages 51 to 70, this means 600 IU of vitamin D and 1,000 mg of calcium.Take a daily multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid (often called folate on nutrition labels). If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to drink less than one drink of alcohol a day for women and fewer than two drinks a day for men. Those who drink alcohol should try to get enough folic acid, either through a multivitamin or foods like oranges, orange juice, leafy green vegetables and/or fortified breakfast cereals.
C H IC K EN
Piccata
D I R EC T I O N S Combine flour, salt and pepper in shallow pie plate. Reserve 1 tablespoon of flour mixture. Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap. Using flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin, pound chicken to 1⁄2-inch thickness. Coat chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Heat oil and butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until butter is melted. Cook chicken 4 to 5 minutes per side or until no longer pink in center. Transfer to serving platter; cover loosely with foil. Add garlic to same skillet; cook and stir over medium heat 1 minute. Add reserved flour mixture; cook and stir 1 minute. Add broth and lemon juice; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens. Stir in parsley and capers; spoon sauce over chicken.
Fun for all! SOUPS MADE TO TASTE LIKE YOUR FAVORITE TAILGATING APPS WARM UP THE FANS IN YOUR PARTY
BY LORI SCOTT
A
HARDY FAN
FAVORITE
BEEFY NACHO SOUP
THIS ONE PACKS IN THE FLAVOR
BUFFALO WING CHOWDER
I N G R E D I E N TS
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix (from 1 oz package) 1can (10 3/4 oz) condensed nacho cheese soup 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained 1 1/2 cups milk 1/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (1 oz) 1/2 cup crushed corn tortilla chips
P R E PA R AT I O N
In 2-quart saucepan, cook ground beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in remaining ingredients except shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Cook 8 to 12 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Top individual servings with shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Offer other favorite nacho toppings for the soup, such as tomatoes, bell pepper, green onions, sour cream, guacamole and/or ripe olives.
A TA I LG AT E
WARM
WARM NACHO FLAVOR AT THE TAILGATE
INGREDIENTS
UP
CHILI CHEESE FRIES POTATO SOUP I N G R E D I E N TS 2 TB bacon fat 1 sweet onion, sliced 2 tsp sea salt 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ancho chili powder 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and
Expand
sliced into uniform pieces 8 cups chicken, turkey or vegetable stock 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese 1 – 1 1/2 cups milk or cream P R E PA R AT I O N S
In a large pot, melt bacon fat over medium heat. Add onions, salt, cumin, coriander, ancho and chipotle chili powders. Stirring occasionally, so the spices do not burn, cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are softened. Add potatoes, stirring to coat them with the spices. Add the broth, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a high simmer. Let the soup cook 20 minutes. Puree the soup until smooth using food processor or regular blender. Return soup to pot once pureed. Stir in cheese and milk. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve with additional cheese for garnish.
YOUR TAILGATING ADVENTURES AT PROWLERMAGAZINE.COM
2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 medium onion, finely diced 2 large ribs celery (including leafy green tops), finely diced 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and shredded 2 large cloves garlic, minced 1 bay leaf 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups reduced-fat milk 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/4-1/2 cup hot sauce, like Frank’s RedHot (more or less to taste) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 6 oz sharp cheddar, shredded 2 cups cooked, cubed chicken breast 3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese (for garnish) 2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced (for garnish)
P R E PA R AT I O N In a 3-quart pot, heat the butter and oil over medium heat; add the onion and celery and sauté until the veggies are softened but not browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the shredded carrot, garlic, and bay leaf, and sauté until the carrot starts to soften and the garlic is fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes, then gradually whisk in the chicken stock, milk, Worcestershire, Dijon, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Stirring frequently, bring the soup up to a boil over medium heat, then turn heat down and simmer 10 minutes. Turn off heat and whisk in the cheese, and then stir in the chicken. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, and hot sauce as desired. Serve with blue cheese and scallion sprinkled on top, with additional hot sauce if desired.