Tag Archives: barbecue

Sweet BBQ Chicken Salad

Happy May Day! Summer will be here before we know it so if you find yourself craving a salad, isn’t it good to embrace it? Craving salad doesn’t happen to me often but when it does, I appreciate salad so much.  I was in Tampa visiting friends last weekend and even though we didn’t go crazy with what we ate, we did manage to eat lots of Bombay chicken salad, crackers and cheese.  Oh and wine.  Lots and lots of wine.  Since I’ve been pretty much depriving my body of the food I’ve been craving lately, why not give in to the craving for a salad? This Sweet BBQ Chicken Salad satisfied my craving for salad without being too salad-y or too bad for me (like most salads are these days).

Bright green leaf lettuce, fruit, red peppers, and rotisserie chicken are tossed together for a bright dish.  A dressing made of bottled barbecue sauce, fresh orange juice, tangy mustard and red wine vinegar is drizzled to taste, making this the lightest and freshest barbecue chicken salad I’ve ever had.  My grocery store isn’t carrying peaches or nectarines just yet so I used a crisp Macintosh apple instead (use any fruit you like).  A little dusting of reduced-fat cheddar cheese tops the whole salad but you could leave it off (or load it on) if you like. The barbecue isn’t too sweet, despite the title of the recipe, and a little goes a long way. The combination of the sauce, chicken and fresh fruit and vegetables provides everything I like in a salad so I was happy this made a lot.  I ate it for days.

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In large bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, orange juice, mustard, vinegar, salt, and black pepper.

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To same bowl, add lettuce, chicken, nectarines, and red pepper, tossing to coat and divide among 4 serving plates. Or, layer ingredients onto plates and drizzle with barbecue sauce mixture.

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Sprinkle with cheddar.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Apple for nectarine

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Good Housekeeping magazine

Slow-Cooker Smoky Blackberry-Barbecue Turkey Meatballs

Did you watch the Superbowl last night?  I did even though neither one of the teams were my team (I’m talking about you, Philadelphia Eagles).  I always used to find myself quietly routing for Denver in games I didn’t have a personal investment in because I lived there when I was 24-years old. But this time I found myself routing for Seattle and, even though I’m kind of a Peyton Manning fan and don’t know anything about anyone on Seattle other than what has been highlighted in recent interviews and sports news, I tend want to see the underdog win.

Regardless, did you know that the Pacific Northwest is a big producer of blackberries?  I didn’t know this until I read Blackberry Winter, a book by one of my favorite authors, Sarah Jio.  I didn’t intentionally make these Slow-Cooker Smoky Blackberry-Barbecue Turkey Meatballs with the Seattle Seahawks in mind but they are what I made for Superbowl Sunday and I was plenty happy with them.

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Blackberry jam and hickory smoked barbecue sauce are mixed together and tossed with frozen turkey meatballs before hot tubbin’ it in a slow-cooker for a few hours.  I came up with this recipe after my sister and I made meatballs over Christmas using the typical chili sauce and grape jelly.  One of my sister’s friends mentioned how she used barbecue sauce instead of chili sauce so it got me thinking about using blackberry jam instead of grape jelly.  So this appetizer was born. Any of your favorite bottled or homemade barbecue sauces would work here but I particularly love how the smokiness pairs nicely with the sweetness of the jam.

Serve this as an appetizer or throw a few on a bun for a fun and different meatball sandwich.

Slow-Cooker Smoky Blackberry-Barbecue Turkey Meatballs (makes 8 servings)

  • 10 oz. seedless blackberry jam
  • 12 oz. hickory smoke barbecue sauce
  • 24 oz. frozen turkey meatballs

Place jam and barbecue sauce in the bowl of a slow-cooker and mix together. Add in frozen meatballs and toss until meatballs are coated. Turn slow-cooker on high and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Top with chives, basil, or scallions before serving.

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Barbecue Chicken and Smoked Gouda Pizza

A new brewery/restaurant opened near my house over the summer and it is now my favorite place to go because of a) the proximity to my house (I can walk there!) b) the beer is good and c) the food is fantastic.  So far, one of my favorite items I’ve eaten there was a barbecue chicken pizza with smoked Gouda, green pepper, red onion, and bacon (which I 86’d).  Being a lover of smoked Gouda, I decided I could easily try to make something similar in my own kitchen.  The result was this Barbecue Chicken and Smoked Gouda Pizza.

At the time I made this, I couldn’t remember what the restaurant included in their pizza so I didn’t include any veggies of any kind but you could easily add on anything you like here.  Since you could put smoked Gouda on a piece of cardboard and I would probably eat it, it’s no surprise I love this pizza. And barbecue chicken? I mean, come on, really? What’s not to like?  Since I used store-bought pizza dough and pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, this pizza came together in a flash.  With so many different kinds of barbecue sauces out there, you can get as creative as you want. I used plain old basic barbecue sauce but a spicy or mesquite barbecue sauce would be excellent here too.

Barbecue Chicken and Smoked Gouda Pizza (6-8 servings)

  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons store-bought barbecue sauce
  • 8 oz. shredded cooked rotisserie chicken or precooked chicken strips, chopped (such as PERDUE® SHORT CUTS® Carved Chicken Breast)
  • 2/3 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese (about 3 ounces)
  • 2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 3 ounces)
  • 1 package store-bought pizza dough
  • 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
  • Fresh cilantro, basil or parsley for topping, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Unroll pizza dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake according to package directions, approximately 8 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, combine shredded chicken with 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce until chicken is lightly coated. Spoon remaining barbecue sauce onto pizza crust and spread evenly. Top with shredded chicken and red onion (if using).  Sprinkle shredded smoked Gouda over chicken, followed by shredded mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Top with chopped cilantro, basil or parsley (if preferred).

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The ingredients:

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Unroll pizza dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake according to package directions, approximately 8 minutes.

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Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, combine shredded chicken with 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce until chicken is lightly coated. Spoon remaining barbecue sauce onto pizza crust and spread evenly. Top with shredded chicken and red onion (if using).

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Sprinkle shredded smoked Gouda over chicken, followed by shredded mozzarella cheese.

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Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Top with chopped cilantro, basil or parsley (if preferred).

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