The Double Adverb BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA. Don't Judge.

I'm probably going to be judged, and judged severely on a couple things you're about to see.

But I'll take the judging and hold my head high, because hubby totally gave me the "double adverb" approval.  

My husband is a man of few words, so when he actually doubles up on words to describe how much he likes something, then you know you've done something right.

So if you start to judge me, just think about the whole, glass-house-stone thing.

Cause when people taste this, you're gonna get the ole' double adverb from people, and you will be glad you didn't rush to judgement.

2 small grilled chicken breasts
2 to 4 individual sized ready-made pizza crust or 1 regular size
4 to 8 slices fully-cooked Microwave bacon
Your favorite BBQ sauce (one with a bit sweeter taste works the best)
Mozzarella Cheese
Ranch Dressing


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

I mention the "individual sized" ready-made pizza crust because inevitably, someone in the household does not like BBQ chicken pizza.  So by using the individual sizes, everyone can have the type of pizza they want.

As for the BBQ sauce, I believe a slightly sweeter sauce works the best for this recipe.  The saltiness of the bacon, and the grilled chicken pairs really well with a subtle sweet flavor.

Pour the sauce onto the prepared pizza crust and spread around with the back of a spoon.

One of my very favorite BBQ sauces is Lil Smokers, made right here in Kansas City.  Their Sweet N Sassy flavor is pretty much one of my all-time favorites. The name sums it up. It's sweet but has a sassy bold flavor so the sweet doesn't overwhelm the taste.

Here's their link in case you're in the market for a really great BBQ sauce.  Or if you're local to KC, it can be found around town in most grocery stores
http://www.lilsmokersbbq.com/sauce/lil-sweet-n-sassy.html


JUDGEMENT Time Number 1:

Ok, here is where some will judge.

I'm just gonna come right out and say it.

When I make BBQ Chicken Pizza..........I walk right up to the counter in the grocery store where they have the Gi-Normous bowls of pre-made potato salad, egg salad, broccoli salad, and baked beans and stuff.

You know the area.

Where the lady behind the counter, scoops you up a half pound of this or a quarter pound of that.

Well, located in that same area, most grocery stores carry already grilled chicken breasts.

Please try not to judge.

Listen, when you're in the mood for BBQ Chicken Pizza, do you really want to go outside and grill a bunch of chicken breasts first?

Unfortunately, we didn't have any left-over grilled chicken, and honestly, I didn't feel like pulling apart one of those Rotisserie chickens.

So one day I was being lazy, and I tried one of those....you know....pre-made grilled chicken breasts.

And honestly, since I got the "double adverb" review from hubby, why change a good thing.

Dice up your chicken breast (however you chose to acquire it) into chunks and place on top of the BBQ sauce.

JUDGEMENT TIME #2

Again with the judging.

Yes, I bought Fully Cooked Microwave Bacon.

Again, in the case of making this recipe, Microwave bacon is perfectly fine.

Keep remembering the double adverbs that will be coming your way.

Microwave the bacon slices per package directions.  Use 2 slices per individual pizza crusts.  If you are not using the individual crusts, use 4 to 5 slices for the regular size crust.

Sprinkle microwaved bacon on top of chicken.

 Sprinkle some finely shredded Mozzarella on top of your chicken and bacon.

Place your pizza, directly onto your oven rack.  No need for using a cookie sheet.

Tip when taking out of oven: Since the pizza is baked directly on the oven rack, taking it out can be a bit tricky.  I like to hold a cookie sheet directly up to and even with the oven rack, and then I use my pizza cutter to slide the hot baked pizza right onto the cookie sheet.  Once the pizza is on the cookie sheet, I slice with my pizza cutter.

Cook until cheese is melted and bubbly.

 Now is the time where you are either going to judge me once again or thank me.

And if you're pushing for the double adverbs, then you'll thank me.

Plus, I don't know if I can take any more criticism today.

Pour about 1/4 cup of Ranch Dressing into a Ziploc baggie.

Be sure to try and pour the dressing directly into the corner of the baggie.

With a pair of scissors, snip a teeny tiny bit from the corner of the baggie.

Gently drizzle a thin amount of Ranch Dressing on top of the pizza.

 

Stand back and wait for all those "people of few words" to break out the double adverbs.

"This is really really good"

Definition and meaning of an Adverb:

An adverb is a word that adds information to a verb, an adjective or another adverb.

Example: "This BBQ chicken Pizza is really really good".

b, an adjective or an adverb.
D

Raspberry Jalapeno Chicken Wings. Sweet and Spicy Like Antonio Banderas!

What is better than a combination of Sweet and Spicy?

It's honestly the best combination of flavors that will every hit your palate.

First you taste sweet, then the hot hits you, what a wonderful surprise.

Guys love eating chicken wings cause it brings them back to their caveman, eating-with-their-hands days.

Gals love these wings, cause they're sweet and spicy.  Kinda like Antonio Banderas.

20 chicken drumettes
1 c. Seedless Red Raspberry Jam (be sure to get seedless)
1 (4 ounce) can diced Jalapenos
1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 TBSP Honey
1/2 stick butter

Note:  I bought the little chicken drummies, but feel free to use both chicken drummies AND chicken wings. After all, they ARE called chicken "wings".  It's just a personal preference.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a small saucepan on medium heat, place the seedless raspberry jam, honey and the small can of diced Jalapenos. Stir to combine and let it sit in the saucepan on low to get all sticky, sweet & spicy. Just like Antonio.

Take your large pot, and put in the half stick of butter and 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce and turn your stove up to level 9, just below high.

Get that butter and Worcestershire all melted and hot.

Once the butter is all melted, place just half (10) of your chicken drummies in the butter. I only do 10 at a time, cause you don't want them to get all crowded.

Use your tongs to gently place your drummies in the butter, this stuff will splatter and totally ruin your weekend.

With your tongs, get the chicken all coated with the butter.  Leave them to saute for just about 5 minutes.

You are not totally cooking them, just getting them warm and coating them with the butter mixture.

Once they are all warm and coated, about 5 minutes, take the 10 drummies out and place them in a large bowl to hang out.

Now take your other 10 drummies and with your tongs, place the last 10 in the pot with the butter and Worcestershire.  Toss and do the same with those as you did the first 10.

When those are done, place them in the large bowl with their other friends.

Now take the raspberry jalapeno mixture off the stove, and pour all of it into the waiting drummies.

Mix the drummies all around with the sauce. They are so excited to be sweet and spicy like Mr. Banderas.

Now get out your jelly roll pan or 1/4 sheet pan, the one with sides, and spray it with Pam.

Take your tongs and place the drummies in the pan.  Take a large spoon, and gently pour all the raspberry jalapeno sauce over each of the drummies, coating them all the way. 

Raw chicken isn't pretty I know, but I wanted to give you an idea about making sure they are good and coated.

Now pop these sweeties in the oven for about 35 minutes.  Keep checking them, cause you are going to flip them with your tongs halfway through.

You'll know when they are done. Both sides will look wonderfully golden.  The entire cooking process should be about 40 minutes.  Could be 30 depending on your oven, so just keep checking.

Next thing you know, you won't be calling them "little drummies" anymore.

They will be all grown up, sweet and spicy just like their idol, Antonio Banderas (said in the most wonderful sultry Latin American accent of course).

HINT:

Be sure to let them sit for about 15 minutes before you dive into them.  They are way better when left to get all sticky and wonderful for about 15 minutes or more.

I Think I'm in France CHICKEN BROCCOLI BRAID

Doesn't this stunning piece of art look like it came out of an oven in some French Bistro? Or some fancy French restaurant in Paris?
 
It looks like it's name should be something like "je ne sais quoi!"  or " je t'aime chicken braid".

Every time I take this out of the oven I can't believe I made it.  I look upon this gorgeous piece of work and say "c'est magnifique!"

Beautiful AND Delicious!  So typical of the French. They have it all don't they?

You simply must pretend you are in France, and give this a try!

This is all you need:

2 3/4 cups diced cooked chicken (I just use a Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.  Saves loads of time)
1 c. frozen broccoli florets
1/2 c. portabella mushrooms, diced
1/2 c. Mayonnaise
4 slices Swiss Cheese (or 1 c. shredded)
2 (8 ounce) cans Refrigerated Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (Original)
1 egg white to brush pastry (not pictured)

You will need a pretty large cookie sheet.  Spray it pretty well with Pam.

Pop out the Crescent Rolls and try not to have a heart attack when they pop.

Now this is the most difficult part to explain, lay the crescent sheets down on the cookie sheet, side by side, and start pinching the seams together. like shown below.

After all the seams are pinched, and you have one large rectangle, lets start with the filling.

I like to use frozen broccoli.  Grab a nice large handful of the florets.  Since they will be frozen, all you need to do is let them soak in a bowl filled with tap water for just one minute.  They will thaw instantly.  Be sure to squeeze out any excess water.

Now chop up these darlings to bite-sized pieces.

Combined the broccoli together in a large bowl with diced cooked chicken, mayo, & diced mushrooms.

Lay the mixture right down the middle of the crescent sheet, leaving about six inches of dough on each side like in photo below:

Now lay the Swiss cheese slices on top of the mixture.  If you are using Shredded Swiss, then now is the time to sprinkle away!  I prefer to use slices cause I want to make sure there is cheesy goodness over everything.

Now comes the fun part.  See all the extra Crescent dough on the sides?  This is where you cut strips, so you can start with the braiding. 

Take a sharp knife, an start slicing 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide.  Kinda like this, but ignore that wide slice, I should have made that thinner!

Now turn your cookie sheet long-wise so it's facing you from top to bottom, an start braiding away.
It should start looking like this:

P.S. Please dont' judge my wonderfully well used cookie sheet.  It's not shiny, silver and new. Oh NO it's not! This cookie sheet is my favorite air-bake cookie sheet that I've had for years upon years.  It could tell you stories of all the wonderful baked goods that its produced.  I refuse to buy a new one because this broken-in cookie sheet never fails me!  Please people, haven't you ever seen a Frenchman's cookie sheet?

Once you've showed off your braiding skills, this is what the final product will look like:

Look at this precious bundle, all ready to be baked to perfection!

Now is the time you want to take the egg white, and gently brush the top.  This is what gives it the beautiful golden look. It's like LIPSTICK for the French women.  The cherry on top of the cake for us Ameicans.

 

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for about 30 minutes.  You will have to keep checking this, as it will start to turn a beautiful golden brown but you will need to be careful because the dough in the center of the braid might not be done yet. So you will need to add more time.

 I would start checking at 30 minutes.  Sometimes the wonderful golden braid will get you so incredibly excited, and it will look so pretty, that you won't realize that the center dough is not finished. 

When it is done, it should look something like this:

Oh La La!

Stunning isn't it? Simply stunning!

Flaky Crescent, with Cheesy goodness.

This recipe has it all.  It's gorgeous AND tastes good!

It's like that beautiful cheerleader, who is super nice, smart AND funny.

 Imagine if she was from France too!

No body's that lucky!

P.S.  This is magnifique for a bridal or baby shower, or great for any dinner that you really want to impress someone!  Just tell them that it's a little something that you picked up when you were living in Paris one summer!

C'est la vie!

Oh La La Click Me for Printable Recipe

White Chicken Enchiladas

I found this recipe on the internet 4 years ago.

I printed it out, and didn't make them until 2 years later!  I took one bite and wondered why I had waited so long!

This recipe (I modified it of course) went straight into my recipe binder.  It's one of my favorites.

Technically I guess these are not "enchiladas" but more like burritos since you use flour tortillas, and there isn't any enchilada sauce on them.  So you can call them what you want.  Sometimes I say I'm making "White Chicken Burritos" and sometimes I say "White Chicken Enchiladas".  Either way, my hubby and daughter know what they are, and they ask for them by different names too!

White Chicken Enchiladas

1 (8 ounce) cube cream cheese
1 c. Salsa
2 c. chopped cooked chicken (I just buy a Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and pull it apart and save whatever is left and make chicken salad)

1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed really well
1 c. frozen sweet corn
1 1/2 c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1 package (10 count) soft taco size flour tortillas
Bag of Shredded Lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Sour Cream

Preheat over to 350.  Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Open can of black beans, and empty into strainer.  Strain all the blackish juice and rinse them under cool water to remove all the black bean juice.  You don't want the filling to be all black and icky.  Set these aside until later.

In saucepan over medium heat, combine cream cheese, and salsa.  Stir frequenly until almost melted.  Add frozen corn, chicken and beans (I actually don't use the entire can of beans. I find that it's a bit too many so I use only 3/4 of the can).  Continue to stir and cook over medium heat until mixture is heated through.

Spoon filling into the soft flour tortillas and roll them side by side in your pan like nice little soldiers.

Normally my 9 x 13 inch pan will only hold 9 of the "filled"  flour tortillas.  You should have enough filling to perfectly fill 9 flour tortillas (soft taco size).  If you are creative and can squish them together, you might be able to get all 10 tortillas in your pan. But I don't like to be squished.

Cover the burritos/enchiladas with the shredded Monterrey Jack cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until heated through.  When you take off the foil, you should see the wonderful white cheese all melted and gooey to perfection.  You can take the foil off and bake for another 4 to 5 minutes if it looks like the cheese might need to be melted a little more.

Now for the topping.  I really really RECOMMEND this.  There is something about the cool crispness of the shredded lettuce and tomatoes along with the melted yummy-ness of the filling that make this go from good to GOODER!  (Not a word I know).

Now.... dish out one of the white enchiladas on a plate.  Sprinkle the top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and now for the finishing touch........drizzle sour cream all the way down this baby. Please don't leave this last step out.  If you refuse to do this, then just don't make this recipe.

I mean honestly.  What looks better?  Naked enchiladas below?

Or FULLY DRESSED Enchiladas?

Serve with Rice and Tortilla Chips.


Click Here For Printable Recipe!