Here's supper... Homemade Sautéed Chicken Nuggets w/Smoky Bourbon BBQ Sauce

This will bring your family to the dinner table quickly,

Sautéed Chicken Nuggets!

You can call them fingers, you can call them strips, you can call them tenders or nuggets…

It makes no difference ~ these little handheld chicken gems are way up there in my list of deliciousness!  

There’s nothing humdrum about them, particularly if you serve them with a favorite sauce.

They’re easy peasy, simple and good, nuf’ said!

I have a feeling you’ll be cooking this a lot, because…

they’re a culinary wonder ~ simply delicious!

Homemade Sautéed Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 egg

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon cayenne

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon seasoned pepper

1-2 tablespoons cooking oil, or butter

Smoky Bourbon BBQ sauce, for dipping (recipe below)

Method:

Cut chicken into 1½” chunks and set aside.

Beat egg in a shallow bowl.

Place flour and seasonings in another shallow bowl or resealable plastic bag, combining well.

Dip the chicken nuggets into beaten egg.

Dredge chicken in flour.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.

Add chicken, cook about 10 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink.

Serves 4

Printable recipe

Smokey Bourbon BBQ sauce 

Ingredients: 

1 cup bourbon

½ cup water

¼ cup brown sugar 

1½ cups ketchup

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 tablespoons molasses

⅛ cup Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon liquid smoke

Dash hot sauce

Method:

In a large saucepan, bring bourbon to a boil, simmer for 7 minutes, most of it will evaporate.

Add remaining ingredients, heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until it is of a smooth and thick consistency.

Makes 2 cups

This is great for grilled chicken and ribs too!

Printable recipe

Enjoy!

Slow-cooked Barbecued Chicken

This “fix it and forget it” slow cooker chicken is a hearty dish that is made for cold wintry days.  I saw this recipe in the January issue of “Southern Living” magazine and had to give it a try. 

It’s a simple tasty dish that makes an easy meal.   I doubt that the bourbon would make much difference if omitted.   The mix of vinegar, brown sugar and ketchup gave the chicken an appealing tangy flavor, with the lemon adding piquancy.

This resulted in very tender chicken that shredded easily.  The next time I make it, I will do exactly that:  Prepare the chicken, cook it in the slow cooker and when done, remove the chicken, let it cool slightly, discard the bones and lemon, shred the chicken and serve it on buns for delicious slow-cooked barbecued chicken sandwiches!

Ready to simmer

Slow-cooked Barbecued Chicken

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons salt

1½ teaspoons paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon pepper

3 pounds cut-up whole chicken*

½ cup cola soft drink

1/3 cup ketchup

¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons bourbon

1 lemon, sliced

Method:

Stir together first 4 ingredients in a small bowl.

Sprinkle over chicken.

Place chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Whisk together cola soft drink and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl.

Slowly pour mixture between chicken pieces (to avoid removing spices from chicken).

Place lemon slices in a single layer on top of chicken.

C0ver and cook on HIGH 5 hours or on LOW 6½ to7 ½ hours, or until done.

Transfer chicken pieces to a serving platter; discard lemon slices.

Skim fat from pan juices in slow cooker.

Pour juices over chicken; serve immediately.

6 servings

*Pam’s note:  Use a whole chicken or your favorite pieces.  I removed the skin from all of the chicken---no fat to skim from pan juices.

As Southern Living says, “take comfort in this!”

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda, at My Kind of Cooking!  She’s hosting a great giveaway now ~ one of her cookbooks and cute kitchen towels.

Kelly’s Calico Beans

I remember when she was born; it took a while to receive mail back then.  The letter announcing her arrival reached us a good week after the fact. 

She was born a month and 4 days after Bill and I married, while we were living in Oberheid, Germany when Bill was serving in the Army. 

She's Bill's niece, Kelly...
 

Kelly, almost 4

Calico beans is her specialty, this is her recipe. 

Baked beans are the best, especially in the summertime with meat from the grill.  This recipe calls for 4 types of beans:  1 can each of Great Northern, butter and kidney beans, plus 2 cans of pork ‘n beans. 

Use whatever beans you prefer.  I swapped Pinto beans and mayocoba beans for the butter beans and kidney beans. The ivory-yellow mayacoba beans are a meaty bean with a mild-flavored buttery taste.

Browned ground beef is added also, ending up with a delicious side dish for your family or a crowd.  They go quickly and that can be good but, bad too because they are just as delicious left-over! 

Calico Beans

Ingredients:

½-1 pound bacon

1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cans (16 ounces) pork ‘n beans

1 can (16 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (16 ounces) mayocoba beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (16 ounces) Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

½ to ¾ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup ketchup

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

Method:

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain well and crumble into large pieces.

In the same skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain.

Combine the beef mixture, bacon, beans, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar and mustard.

Spoon into a greased 2-qt. baking dish or slow cooker.

Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 45-60 minutes or until the beans are as thick as desired.

Or, cook for 4-5 hours on low in slow cooker.

About 12 servings

Enjoy!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes.  She’s having a Double Giveaway now!

Saucy Sloppy Joes

I love sloppy joes ~ they aren’t just for kids, are they?

 

It’s something I have tried many recipes of.  This recipe is adapted from one that was in The Chicago Tribune years ago.

It’s the addition of cranberry sauce and liquid smoke with all the spices that makes it really tasty.  I know, you’re probably saying “cranberry sauce?”  It’s a great surprise ingredient!  It really adds to the flavor and does not make the sloppy joes overly sweet.

If you like sloppy joes, you must try this; it’s a keeper for sure! 

Saucy Sloppy Joes 

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon celery seeds

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

8 ounce can jellied cranberry sauce

1 cup ketchup

Hamburger buns, split and toasted

Method:

Brown ground beef in skillet with chopped onions.

In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir well.

Add bowl contents to ground beef.

Cover.  Simmer on low heat for close to 45 minutes to let the

flavors blend.

Spoon onto hamburger buns and serve. 

This is an excellent tasty sandwich!   

ENJOY!!!

Visit my friend Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes and cookbook giveaway! 

For a chance to win my friend Bo’s great Le Crueset giveaway, visit Bo’s Bowl!

One Spicy Slaw

The crisp crunchiness of coleslaw is a wonderful thing, and you can serve it with almost anything.

This version leans toward the tangy spicy side, flavored with a vinegar dressing instead of a mayonnaise-based dressing.  The recipe calls for one tablespoon of brown sugar which I think really makes it too sweet since the ketchup seems to sweeten it just fine.  So add the brown sugar, or not, depending upon your taste. 

I have a passion for a good slaw and this is one of the best with me eating up more than my share of it!  How about you, do you have a passion for coleslaw?

Spicy Coleslaw

Ingredients:

1 small head green cabbage, finely chopped
3 or 4 green onions, chopped

1/3 cup cider vinegar

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons plus 1½ teaspoons ketchup

1 tablespoon brown sugar or to taste

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Method:

Place cabbage and onion in a large bowl, set aside.

Combine vinegar, water, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, red pepper flakes and ground pepper in a non-reactive medium bowl.

Whisk until sugar and salt dissolve.

Taste for seasoning, stir into cabbage.

Let stand 10 minutes.

Cover, refrigerate until ready to serve.

 Cole slaw ~  the quintessential barbecue side dish!  Yum!