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.

Chicken and Dumplings with Bacon

Bacon makes everything better. This is more like a hearty soup than the chicken and dumplings grandma use to make. It's perfect for a cool fall day. This is the first time I have added rosemary and thyme but if you choose not to add it, the recipe will still taste great. Bacon and chicken broth tend to be salty so taste the broth before you add the dumplings and adjust the seasonings as necessary.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
4 strips of bacon
3 cups of half and half
3 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of carrots, diced
1 1/2 cups of frozen or canned corn
2 cups of Bisquick
3/4-1 cup of milk
salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme to taste

In a large pot, cook the bacon. Remove the bacon and cook the chicken and carrots in the bacon fat. Crumble the bacon. Add the chicken broth and corn and simmer for 10 minutes. Add crumbled bacon, half and half, and a pinch of salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. Taste the broth and add more seasonings if necessary. Simmer for 10 more minutes. As the broth simmers, in a bowl combine the Bisquick with 3/4 cup of milk. The mixture should be thick and sticky. Add more milk if necessary. Make sure the broth mixture is at a low boil and drop tablespoon sized dough into the broth. Simmer for 10 minutes uncovered and then another 10 minutes covered. Do not stir or the dumplings will break apart.

Slow Cooker Chicken Vesuvio

I wanted to make chicken vesuvio but I didn't want to have to spend at least an hour preparing dinner in the evening. So I threw everything in the slow cooker and it turned out very well. Resist the temptation to stir the crockpot as it cooks or you will have chicken stew!

1 3-4lb Chicken cut up or 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp flour
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
1 can of artichoke hearts drained and quartered
4 small potatoes peeled and quartered
1 lemon juiced
1/2 cup of white wine
2 cloves of garlic

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a large plastic bag. Add chicken and shake to coat chicken. Cook chicken in a large pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil for 10 min. Add lemon, wine, garlic, rosemary and potatoes to the crockpot. Place chicken on top and place artichokes on top of the chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Do not stir this as it cooks or it the chicken will fall apart! You can serve this right out of the crockpot. If you want to the chicken and potatoes to have a nice crust, put them in the oven for a few minutes. Turn on the broiler and spray a cookie sheet or pan with cooking spray. Take tongs and place the chicken and potatoes in the pan. Place in the oven for 5-10 min until golden brown. Top with sauce in the crockpot before serving.

Enchiladas

I love Mexican food. How can you go wrong with chips, salsa, guacamole, lots of cheese and delicious sauces? I have made these enchiladas with ground beef, chicken and beans. I am sure shredded pork or beef would work well too. If you are looking for an easy way to prepare the meat, use a crockpot. Take 1lb of chicken breasts, pork shoulder or beef and put it in the crockpot with a jar of salsa and a cup of water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours and shred the meat with 2 forks before filling the enchiladas. Cooking ground beef or cubed chicken in a pan before filling also works.

8-10 flour or whole grain tortillas
28oz can of mild red enchilada sauce
1lb of cooked beef, chicken or pork
1 can of fat-free refried beans
2-3 cups of shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350. In a 9x13 pan, spread a few tablespoons of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan. Take a tortilla, spread with beans, a few spoonfulls of meat, sprinkle with cheese and roll up. Place in the pan and continue assembling the remaining tortillas. When the pan is filled, pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and top with cheese. Bake uncovered for 25-30 min.

Mexican Chicken Salad

I created this for yesterday's lunch and it was so good. I love spinach but feel free to use your favorite greens. You could even sautee green peppers and onion to make a fajita salad. No picture this time because I was starving!

Boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
Fresh organic spinach
Salsa
Ranch dressing
Cheese
Cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini
Seasoning for chicken- I used blackened seasoning and paprika but chili powder, cumin and taco seasoning would work well.

Cook chicken in seasoning in a pan for 7-8 min. Assemble salad with spinach, veggies, chicken, cheese, salsa and ranch dressing. Enjoy!

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I love making stuffed chicken breasts because you can use whatever meat, cheese, veggies and herbs you like and it will taste good. These can be cooked in the oven or on the grill. My favorite cheese to use when making these is goat cheese because it's so smooth and creamy. If you don't like goat cheese and are looking for a creamy texture, plain or flavored cream cheese works well too. I've tried pepper jack, provolove and the other night I used fresh mozerella. You can serve these with or without a sauce. This recipe includes a marinara sauce. If you would like to roast your own red peppers on the grill, you can but I think it's a pain in the ass removing the charred skin and prefer to buy them in a jar.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 roasted red peppers, cut into strips
4 slices of cappicola or prosciutto
4 tsp of goat cheese
8 basil leaves
3 cups of Marinara sauce
salt and pepper
toothpicks, skewers or kitchen twine for wrapping the chicken

Preheat oven to 350 or the grill on medium heat. Put chicken breasts in between plastic wrap and pound out. Salt and pepper each breast and layer with meat, peppers, basil and cheese. Secure chicken with toothpicks, skewers or kitchen twine. If you are baking in the oven, bake at 350 for 20-25 min. On the grill, cook on medium and rotate occasionally for 15-20 min or until done.

A Chicken Sandwich

It's almost time to go grocery shopping and there are only a few random things left to eat. Therefore, I had to get creative with tonight's dinner. I knew I was going to marinade chicken in a tequila-lime marinade but I didn't know exactly what I was going to do with it. Then after my first cup of coffee at 5:45am it hit me, I'll make a chicken sandwich.

2 large boneless, skinless breasts
tequila lime marinade- I used a Weber grill seasoning packet from the store
4 French rolls
1 cup mayo
1 garlic clove
shredded cheese
8 slices of bacon

Marinade the chicken for at least 3 hours. Chop the garlic and mash it into a paste with the side of the knife. Add garlic to the mayo and put in the fridge. Preheat the grill and cook the chicken for about 20 min. While the chicken is cooking, cook the bacon. After 15 min, put the French rolls on the grill and toast them. When the chicken is cooked, let it rest for a few minutes and then slice. To assemble the sandwiches, spread the garlic mayo on each side of the bread. Then layer the chicken, bacon and cheese.

Chicken Squares

These are super easy and yummy!

1 package of Pillsbury refrigerator crescent rolls
1- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast
1 container of chive and onion cream cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Cut up chicken into cubes and cook in a pan with some salt and pepper. In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and then place the cooked chicken on top of it so it melts. Mix it all together until the cream cheese is melted. Take the crescent rolls and put the 2 triangles together to make a rectangle. Continue to do this so you have 4 rectangles and stretch the dough out a bit. Divide the chicken mixture up among the 4 rectangles and then fold up the sides of the dough to cover the chicken. Make sure all sides are sealed and bake for 15-20 min or until golden brown.

You could probably do this with plain cream cheese and salt/pepper or other seasonings if you don't like chive and onion cream cheese.