BBQ Chicken & Potato Salad

This takes awhile but is infinitely worth it. We did thighs and drumsticks, next time we will just do the drumsticks due to ease of cooking and eating. So good we had it 2 days in a row!

Serves 4 to 6

Quick BBQ Sauce
3 cups barbecue sauce (bottled)
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons brown mustard or whatever mustard you have on hand
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (breasts, whole legs, thighs, and/or drumsticks), trimmed and breasts halved

1. For the sauce: Whisk all ingredients in medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is thick and reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes. (Sauce can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 1 week.)
2. For the chicken: Mix salt, pepper, and cayenne in small bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and rub spice mixture all over chicken pieces.
3. Open bottom vent on grill. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes and burn until charcoal is covered with fine gray ash. Place 13 by 9-inch disposable aluminum roasting pan on one side of grill and pour coals in even layer over other side of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, open lid vents completely, and let grill heat for 5 minutes. Scrape cooking grate clean.
4. Oil grate and place chicken skin side down on cooler side of grill. Cover, with half-opened lid vents over chicken, and cook until chicken begins to brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Move chicken into single line close to coals. Begin flipping chicken and brushing with 2 cups sauce every 5 minutes until sticky, about 20 minutes. Slide chicken pieces over coals and continue to brush chicken until sauce on chicken becomes crusted and internal temperature of breast meat registers 165 degrees and legs, thighs, and drumsticks register 175 degrees, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes. Remove foil and serve, passing remaining sauce at table.




Potato Salad

2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
S & P
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced
1 medium celery, minced
2 TBS red onion, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 TBS fresh parsley, minced

1. Boil potatoes until tender, 25-30 minutes. Drain and cool slightly, peel if you wish. Cut into 3/4-inch cubes, place in bowl. Add vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until cool, about 20 minutes.
2. Toss with remaining ingredients, season with S & P to taste. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to one day.

Honey-Jalapeno Chicken with Sesame Soba Noodles

Recipe adapted from Robin Miller

12 ounces soba noodles, (found in the Asian section of your grocer)
1 jalapeno, seeds removed
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves or parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons olive oil
2-3 large chicken breasts
Grill Seasoning
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped scallions, green part only
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1. Season chicken breasts with grill seasoning or whatever you want and grill until done 6-8 minutes. Let rest. Meanwhile, cook soba noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. In a blender or food processor, combine jalapenos, honey, cilantro or parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper and puree until smooth. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to the mixture until desired consistency is achieved. Pour the 2 teaspoons of olive oil into a preheated skillet. Add the shredded chicken and the blended sauce and cook until heated through.

3. In a medium bowl, combine cooked soba noodles, soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions, and minced ginger. Toss and then transfer to serving bowl. Slice chicken breasts and add accumulated juices to bowl, pour sauce over noodles and top with chicken.

Chicken Salad

1 rotisserie chicken, chopped

1 cup red grapes, halved

1/2 granny smith apple, chopped

1 celery stalk, diced

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

3/4 cup mayo

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

S & P to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Adjust seasonings as needed. Serve immediately or chill until ready. Serve with croissants, crusty rolls or with a salad.

Creamy Pesto & Grilled Chicken

2 cups fresh basil
1 cup fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup Parmesan or romano cheese, grated
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 cup heavy cream

4 chicken breasts
Montreal Grill seasoning

1 pound pasta

1. In a food processor combine all pesto ingredients except cream.
2. Season chicken with grill seasoning and cook until done, either on the grill or indoors. Let rest tented with foil until ready to serve.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine pesto and cream, heat over medium heat until it steams.
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, drain, reserving 1/2 cup water.
5. Use pasta water as necessary to ensure pasta does not cling to itself. Place on plate, top with sauce and slice the chicken and place on top of pasta & sauce.

Easy Chicken & Dumplings

This is sooo good and I can easily pull it together in 30 minutes. Serves 4-6

1/2 rotisserie chicken, shredded or chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
S & P
1 TBS Olive oil
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp fresh thyme
5-6 cups chicken broth
1 heaping TBS flour
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Dumplings
1 cup flour
1/2-3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp Garlic salt
pepper
2 tsp baking powder
2 TBS fresh chopped parsley or 1 1/2 tsp dried

1. Heat 1 TBS olive oil over medium high heat in large saucepan. Add carrots, onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper and saute 6-8 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and stir. Add 1 TBS flour and stir to coat veggies and cook 1-2 minutes to brown flour.
2. Pour in chicken broth and add bay leaves. Add chopped chicken. Turn heat down to medium and let simmer 15 minutes and then remove bay leaves. Add fresh thyme.
3. Meanwhile, in medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, garlic salt, pepper. Add buttermilk and parsley, stir until dough comes together. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into broth, no bigger than a heaping tablespoon so the dough cooks through. Using spoon push dumplings down into broth to cover the tops briefly. Cover soup and cook for 5 more minutes until dumplings have puffed and cooked through. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve!

Quick Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This recipe is approximate, pretty much fool-proof and can easily be adapted for any size family.
The recipe amounts are for an 8x8 pan, which was pretty thick and oh so good. Just double accordingly for a 9x13.

1/2 rotisserie chicken, chopped or 2 cans chicken breast, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup tomatillo salsa
S & P
1 can green chiles
1 cup cheddar cheese
3 cups tortilla chips, more or less depending on how wet you like your casserole

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In large bowl combine wet ingredients. Add chicken season to taste with S & P. Add 1/2 of your cheese and crush tortilla chips. Stir to coat and place in greased cooking dish.
3. Top with remaining cheese and cook for 25-30 minutes until dish is bubbling and browned on top. Let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!

Best Chicken Marinade

This yummy marinade makes enough for 4 chicken breasts and can easily be adapted for more.

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 TBS red wine vinegar
Zest & Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp grainy mustard (Dijon will do)
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 TBS chopped fresh parsley
pinch of red pepper flakes or several sashes of Tabasco sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, chopped fine

1. Combine all ingredients and reserve 1/4 cup, pour remaining over chicken in ziploc bag. Let marinate at least 30 minutes.

2. Grill 6 minutes per side until chicken registers 160 degrees. Remove from grill and tent with foil, let rest 5 minutes. Before serving brush reserved marinade over chicken and serve.

I made a yummy spinach salad using almonds, oranges and sliced chicken and then I drizzled a bit of reserved marinde over the top for a dressing, just a little will do! The chicken is crazy moist and soooo good!

Foil Dinner Italian Chicken

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Salt & Pepper

4 medium potatoes, peeled, sliced very thin

1 cup marinara sauce

1/2 cup smoked mozzarella, grated

2 TBS olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

fresh Italian parsley, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lay 4 pieces of aluminum foil on a flat surface and spray the middle of each with non-stick cooking stray. Wash and scrub potatoes and slice into very thin slices. In medium bowl toss with olive oil, minced garlic and salt and pepper. Arrange the potatoes in an oval shape onto the middle of the foil about the size of your piece of chicken, sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Sprinkle Italian seasoning and salt & pepper on both sides of the chicken pieces and place a chicken breast on top of each pile of potatoes. Top each chicken breast with 1/4 cup of marinara sauce and 1/8 cup of cheese.

Raise up the long sides of foil and fold down twice, do the same thing to the sides of the foil creating an air tight seal. Transfer packets to a baking sheet.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is 165 degrees. Remove chicken from oven and let set a few minutes before poking a hole in the foil to release the steam before opening.

Quick Oven Chicken Cordon Bleu

I made this last week at the last minute with things we already had. I didn't have high hopes, but it was easy and Tony loved it. I actually cut two chicken breasts in half making 4 littler portions and cutting the cooking time, but I'm sure the recipe is great the way I found it in Pillsbury's Complete Cook Book. (My sister got this book, and then my mom and I had to get it. Everything in it turns out good if not fantastic the first time!)

OVEN CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

prep time: 20 minutes (ready in 50 minutes)
yield - 4 servings

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons chopped fresh chives (I didn't use this since I didn't have it)
4 very thin slices cooked ham (about 3/4 oz each)
4 very thin slices Swiss cheese (about 3/4 oz each)
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup corn flake crumbs (I just used Italian seasoned breadcrumbs)
1/4 teaspoon paprika

1) Heat oven to 375 F. Spray 8-inch square (2-qt) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1 chicken breast half, boned side up, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Working from center, gently pound chicken with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin (I used a can of soup because it was handy) until about 1/4 inch thick; remove wrap. Repeat with remaining chicken breast halves.

2) Spread each chicken breast half wth 1/2 teaspoon mustard; sprinkle each with 1 tsp chives. cut ham and cheese slices to fit chicken (I just doubled them up instead of cutting them). Top eaach chicken breast half with ham and cheese slice. Roll up, tucking ends inside (I actually used toothpicks to secure them since my rolls were smaller. This also made them very easy to handle during the next part).

3) In shallow bowl, combine egg white and water; beat slightly. Place corn flake crumbs in shallow dish. Coat chicken rolls with egg white mixture; roll in crumbs. Place in sprayed baking dish; sprinkle with paprika. (I put a few dabs of "can't believe it's not butter" in the pan just to add a little buttery flavor instead of Pam flavor and to make it a little greasier since I only had cooking Pam with flour and I didn't know how it would work).

4) Bake at 375 F for 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear.

This was so easy! I am not one for a lot of steps like this would typically require, but this was fast and tasty.

Thai Chicken Pasta

My sister Leah shared this recipe with us and it's divine. I highly recommend this one!

Cook chicken pieces with a little oil, pepper and garlic salt. Saute carrots (matchstick), cabbage, peppers, broccoli, green onions, pea pods and any other veggies you have.

Cook spaghetti noodles.

Combine sauce:
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. sugar
3 T soy sauce
2 T oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 c. chicken broth (I use bullion with water)
add any hot sauce you have or some pepper flakes
ginger

Wisk over medium heat till bubbly.

Mix all together and juice a lime over the top and add cilantro if you have it.

ENJOY!

Microwave Dinner - Chicken 'n Rice Burritos

So during the summer, I'm a bit lazy and don't like to cook much, let alone turn on my oven. But sometimes you just need a warm meal to satisfy an empty stomach. I have the perfect recipe for you... and all it takes is a microve and can opener, seriously! (During the winter, I will do this on the stove top and have a rotisserie chicken already shredded)

1 Box Spanish Rice (Rice a Roni)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 can black beans
Frozen Corn, as much as you want
2 chicken breasts
Tortillas

Garnishes:
sour cream
cheese
green onion
chipolte tabasco sauce, yum

I have a microwave plastic pot and lid from pampered chef, but a big glass bowl covered with a paper towel will work. Place raw chicken breasts in bottom of bowl. Cover with seasoning packet and rice from the box. Add half a can of rinsed black beans. Add the can of diced tomatoes with juice and 1 3/4 cup water. Cook on high for 25 minutes stirring occasionally. When done, get the chiken and dice it or shred it. Add frozen corn to the rice and chicken. Wrap it all up in a tortilla with any garnishes you like.