BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Early yesterday morning, I knew I was going to make something in the crockpot with chicken but I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to make. Once again, my favorite website Allrecipes.com came to the rescue. There are so many recipes and often several different variations. The reviews are so helpful and the people who write them are home cooks and not gourmet chefs so it's easy to relate.

The original recipe calls for boneless chicken breasts but I used a combination of bone-in dark meat and boneless breasts because that's what I had. Regardless, you will need to shred the chicken at the end. I added a bit of spice rub and extra BBQ sauce after I shredded the chicken to give it a bit more flavor.

6 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 bottle of BBQ sauce plus additional before serving
1/2 cup of Italian dressing
2 Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup of brown sugar
Spice rub (optional)

Mix BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, W sauce and brown sugar in a bowl. Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker and pour mixture over the chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours of high 3-4 hours. Before serving, remove chicken and shred. Save 1 cup of the cooking liquid and discard the remaining liquid. Place chicken back in the slow cooker, add 1 cup of the liquid and additional BBQ sauce and spice rub if desired. Cook on low for an additional 15-30 min to warm the shredded chicken. Serve on buns and top with french fried onions if desired.

Queso Dip

This is my favorite queso dip. You can make it and serve immediately or put it in a slow cooker on low for a party. The spicy sausage gives the queso a great flavor. You can use diced tomatoes or salsa in this recipe. If you like a thicker queso, use the tomatoes. Otherwise, use the salsa. Another option is to add a bit of salsa after you add the tomatoes to thin it out a bit.

1lb Bob Evans Spicy Sausage
1 16oz package of Velveeta, cut up
1 10oz can of diced tomatoes with chilies, undrained
or
16 oz jar of salsa

Cook the sausage in a pan on medium and drain on a paper towel. Return sausage to the pan and add cheese and tomatoes. Cook and stir frequently until cheese is melted. Serve immediately. If you are taking this to a party, you can cook the sausage ahead of time, then add the cheese and tomatoes and microwave before serving. Serve with scoops or tortilla chips.