Barbecue Chicken Salad

Changes are taking place...

so that means you eat the same things.

Like pizza, and burgers, and frozen lasagna, and...chicken salad. 

I had absolutely no intention on sharing yet another chicken salad recipe with you at least until summer 2014, but then this happened and I simply couldn't resist.  I threw this together on a whim one day (several weeks ago, actually.  I've been MIA, if you haven't noticed.  Like I said though, there are some changes taking place in our lives- more on that at a later time, but no, I'm not bearing child) and it was love at first bite.  But we're kind of barbecue freaks in this house.  It's sweet and spicy and tangy and perfectly acceptable this labor day weekend.  And a heckuvalot more up my alley than smoking a brisket.

omgbbq.

sorry, keeping it short today folks!  hopefully i'll be back in the blogging swing of things soon!

Barbecue Chicken Salad

1 large chicken breast, cooked and chopped

1 stick celery, chopped

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1/3 cup corn kernels

1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons mayo

2 tablespoons barbecue sauce (I used Head Country Hot for a little kick!)

Combine chicken celery, onion, and corn.  Sprinkle with italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and toss.  Add in mayo and barbecue sauce; toss to coat.  Refrigerate for one hour or until ready to eat.

Chelsea Original :)

Barbecue Chicken Enchiladas

I have a serious problem.

I mean this is just a full blown obsession.  It involves mexican food- anything that can be wrapped in a fluffy tortilla, dipped in salsa, topped with cilantro.  So here's the deal:  I had mexican for both lunch and dinner.  Tacos for lunch, these babies for dinner.  And I could do it all over again tomorrow, no problem.

Once the weather warms up my mind immediately starts thinking fruity salsas, fun burgers, and fish tacos.  I have gone on the spring clothes shopping spree (ps I officially need to rethink my whole shoe organization thing; the situation is getting a bit out of control) and I've tucked away the scarves and mittens (a girl can hope can't she!).  I also made these enchiladas in preparation for the season change (hello spring...tomorrow!). 

We are big anything-with-barbecue-sauce people and I knew these would be a winner (yea, they were) and hit the spot (yea, they did).  Soft tortillas stuffed with chicken and cheddar and topped with a slightly bbq'ed-up enchilada sauce with more cheese- I think it's safe to say these are going to make a regular appearance over the summer.

Barbecue Chicken Enchiladas

Serves 2 (makes 6 enchiladas)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
1/4 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
1 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 tablespoon barbecue seasoning (I made my own!  see recipe below)*
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/8 cup + 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup shredded colby jack cheese (I cheated and used the mozz I had on hand)
6 fajita size tortillas

Preheat oven to 375.  In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over low-medium. Add onions with a pinch of salt, and let caramelize until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. While onions are cooking, pour enchilada sauce into a bowl and whisk in your favorite BBQ sauce until combined.

Add shredded chicken, barbecue seasoning, and cayenne to onions. Mix thoroughly. Pour in 1/4 cup of enchilada/barbecue sauce mixture and add 1/8 cup cheddar cheese. Stir until mixture comes together and turn off heat.

Pour a drizzle of enchilada/barbecue sauce in the bottom of a 7x11-inch baking dish (I used about 1/8 cup or so). Take each tortilla and fill it with 1/4+ cup of chicken mixture. Roll each up and set it in the baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada/barbecue sauce on top of tortillas and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup cheddar and 1/4 cup colby (or mozz!) cheese. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese and melted and sauce is bubbly. 


*Barbecue Seasoning

Makes about 1/2 cup

1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon mild or medium-hot chili powder
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and store in sealed container.

Adapted from How Sweet It Is.  Seasoning adapted from CHOW.

Barbeque Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Today is bonus day!

Sorry, this is not a monetary bonus.  Bonus as in, I'm sharing a recipe and some Bits and Bites!  How lucky for you!

Bonus number one:  this soup.  Amazing.  I made it last year and was sure to whip it up again this winter so I could share it with the invisible people who visit my blog.  (If there are any of you out there.  ps comments are always welcome!  Otherwise, I will continue to assume I am simply talking to myself.  Which I tend to do more than I'd care to admit, so that's really nothing new.)

But like I said before, this soup is amazing.  It's got a lot going on with bacon, onions, corn, red bell, and bbq shrimp; the flavor is definitely not a-lacking.  Oh, and now that I've had the honor of making it twice, I've fine-tuned the details to make it taste even better!

Stay tuned after the recipe for bonus number two: bits and bites links!

Barbeque Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Serves 2 to 4

2 slices of bacon
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons flour
1 small potato, peeled and diced
1 (15.25 ounce) can sweet corn kernels, drained
1 cup of chicken stock
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon olive oil
6 ounces of raw peeled and deveined shrimp (I actually used the small frozen, cooked shrimp)*
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
Dash of cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the bacon slices and cook until crispy and golden brown. Remove bacon and let drain on a paper towel.

Add onions and peppers to the pot with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Whisk in the flour, cooking for 1-2 minutes or until flour becomes golden in color and smells a bit nutty. Add chicken stock, potatoes, and corn. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes.

While soup is simmering, heat olive oil in small saucepan over medium heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and add to saucepan with barbeque sauce, tossing to coat until heated through.

Once soup has slightly thickened and the potatoes have started to break down, stir in milk. Add more broth and/or milk if you desire a thinner consistency.  Add 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and a dash of cayenne and dump the entire bbq sauce/shrimp mixture into soup pot.  Season according to your tastes. Serve in bowls topped with the crumbled bacon. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.

*I have made this once with "small"-sized shrimp and once with "medium"-sized shrimp and preferred the smaller size.

Adapted from How Sweet It Is.



Bits and Bites BONUS!

1.  15 Food Blogger Trends of 2012 That Need To Go.  Very funny article.

2.  Super Bowl Cupcakes using Easter Eggs!  Crazy cute!

3.  Make your own sugar hearts.  I heart pink.

4.  Waldorf Salad Cupcakes.  Weird!

5.  Arty McGoo.  Has some seriously mad cookie decorating skills.  You need to see this.

6.  Dorito Oreo Popcorn.  Great minds think alike!

7.  Homemade American Cheese.  The store-bought stuff isn't even made from actual cheese!  That's just sad.

8.  Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Sandwich Cookies.  Um..yum.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Barbecue Chicken Burgers

Do you have a particular day of the week you eat a certain food?  Spaghetti Monday?  Pizza Friday?  Pancake Saturday?

Burgers are our food and Sunday is our day.  (With the exception of last weekend.  Nathan made us burgers on the grill both Saturday night and Sunday.  Just your classic beef topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard and ketchup, but man were they good).

Usually, though, I am the one whipping up the burgers and with the plethora of creations to choose from, I tend to make a new kind every weekend.  (Hence my previous posts for Buffalo Chicken Burgers and Green Chili Chicken Burgers). 

If you haven't begun to notice, I'm on kind of a kick with using chicken instead of beef- it just tends to allow the flavor additions to stand out and really shine through the meat.  This time is no exception.  In fact, I currently have written at the top of this recipe printout "these and the buffalo chicken burgers are the top two so far!!"  I mean, how can you go wrong?  It's barbecue meets cheddar meets chicken meets burger.  And what better time to share this recipe than just in time for the Fourth!

Barbecue Chicken Burgers

Makes 4 burgers

1 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 scallion, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons brown sugar
5 tablespoons barbecue sauce, divided

1/2 red onion, sliced into rings
4 slices extra sharp cheddar
4 burger buns

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cornmeal, scallion, cilantro, paprika, garlic, mustard, salt, cayenne, brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce.  Lightly but thoroughly mix with your hands to incorporate all the ingredients. 

Form the mixture into 4 equal-sized patties.  Place the burgers and onions on the grill, and cook the burgers 5-6 minutes, then flip.  Turn the onions as well.  Brush the cooked sides with half the reserved bbq sauce.  After 3-4 minutes, flip the burgers again. glazing the other side with the remaining bbq sauce.  Place a slice of cheese on each pattie, and lay the buns, cut side down, on the grill.  Close the lid and allow the cheese to melt and the buns to toast.

Remove all the food from the grill, assembling the burgers as desired.  Serve with additional barbecue sauce if desired.

**Alternative cooking method:  Broil the burgers on a foil lined baking sheet on the top rack in the oven for 10-12 minutes: brush the top after 3 minutes, then flip after 2-3 more minutes, brush after 3 more minutes, and then let cook another 2-3 more minutes.

Adapted from Annie's Eats.

Barbecue Roasted Salmon

I have always despised salmon.  It's just so... fishy.  I'm a white fish person.  Or shrimp or scallops.  Or king crab (omglovemesomecrablegs).  

Growing up my mom would occasionally make salmon and would always call from the store asking what kind of fillet she should pick up for me.  "Just grab a piece of tilapia" I would usually say. 

Then, one night, for some reason, I decided to give this recipe of hers a try.  I have no idea what encouraged me to even think that my tastes would change but this became the only salmon recipe I would ever eat.  The flavor was just so amped up, it took away the feeling that I was sticking salmon in my mouth.  But the weird part is, it still tasted like salmon.  But it didn't.  It was like some kind of riddle!  I can't explain it.  It tasted like good salmon. 

So when Nathan decided to purchase some salmon at the store on the notion that "we need to eat it because it's healthy!", I tossed it in the freezer and let it sit there while I debated letting it remain there for eternity or actually doing something with it.  And then I remembered this recipe.  I called my mom, got the recipe, and edible salmon was made.  Edible salmon that doesn't taste like salmon but it does at the same time...(that's just the best way to describe this stuff).

Barbecue Roasted Salmon

Serves 2

1/4 cup pineapple or orange juice

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Lemon slices (optional)

Combine first 3 ingredients in a zip-top plastic bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove fish from bag; discard marinade. Combine sugar and next 5 ingredients (sugar through cinnamon) in a bowl. Rub over fish; place in an shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with lemon slices, if desired.

Adapted from Cooking Light.