Last night I cheated and took the family to Subway, so tonight I cooked up a feast! BBQ Chicken on the grill accompanied by a cheesy hasbrown casserole, baked beans and the ultimate macaroni salad. I spoke of this salad a few weeks ago and ended up making an Italian pasta salad instead, so this tonight you all will finally get the recipe.
BBQ Chicken
My family loves chicken legs and I like breast meat, so I usually buy a bunch of legs and a whole chicken which I cut up later. I wait for whole chickens and legs to go on sale and then buy a bunch and throw them in the freezer. You can save yourself a ton of money if you learn to cut up a chicken yourself. It's not that hard if you have the right tools. Wings, then legs, cut out the back, then the thighs, split the breast. Takes some time, but once you get the hang of it 10 minutes will take care of it and save your pocket book.
Now this recipe is gonna sound strange as this is cooked on the grill. But I give the chicken pieces a coating before placing on the grill. I have found this locks in the juices and almost makes the chicken underneath similiar to broasted chicken.
I brine my chicken pieces in a mixture of sea salt, pepper, sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder and water. The important thing to remember about brining is to make sure your salt and sugar has dissolved prior to adding your chicken. For cut up chicken pieces, only a few hours are needed for this brining process. It's worth it!
After the bringing process is complete rinse your chicken pieces and pat dry. Dip in the buttermilk or egg mixture then flour and set aside.
Meanwhile, get your grill fired up. I prefer to use charcoal as the flavor is so much better than gas. I also use a charcoal starter instead of lighter fluid, as the chemicals can taint the flavor of your food and we don't want to have that now, do we.
Throw you chicken on the hot grill, the flour outer coating will begin to get crispy under the heat just like you are frying this in oil. Continue grilling flipping the chicken often to ensure it doesn't burn. Keep a spray bottle of water handy to put out any fires that may expode, but be warned grease fires and water do not mix, if the chicken fat is on fire and you spay water on the fire it will engulf in flames, so be careful.
After the chicken is done grilling, transfer to a baking sheet. Before putting this chicken in the oven, take a bowl and fill it with your favorite barbeque sauce. My family prefers Sweet Baby Rays, we buy nothing else. Bake in a 400 degree oven until the BBQ sauce is bubbly.
Pepper
Baked Beans
What you'll need:
Large Can of Pork and Beans. (I prefer Van Da Kamps)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vinegar
1/2 cup Catsup
1/2 a Sweet Onion diced
1/2 a pound of Bacon cut into pieces.
2 teaspoons Yellow Mustard
Cut up your bacon into small pieces and fry until crispy. Remove bacon from grease and drain on paper towels. Using the same pan you fried your bacon in, using the reserved grease, thow in your diced onions for just a few minutes. Add all ingredients together in a greased baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbling.
BBQ Chicken
My family loves chicken legs and I like breast meat, so I usually buy a bunch of legs and a whole chicken which I cut up later. I wait for whole chickens and legs to go on sale and then buy a bunch and throw them in the freezer. You can save yourself a ton of money if you learn to cut up a chicken yourself. It's not that hard if you have the right tools. Wings, then legs, cut out the back, then the thighs, split the breast. Takes some time, but once you get the hang of it 10 minutes will take care of it and save your pocket book.
Now this recipe is gonna sound strange as this is cooked on the grill. But I give the chicken pieces a coating before placing on the grill. I have found this locks in the juices and almost makes the chicken underneath similiar to broasted chicken.
I brine my chicken pieces in a mixture of sea salt, pepper, sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder and water. The important thing to remember about brining is to make sure your salt and sugar has dissolved prior to adding your chicken. For cut up chicken pieces, only a few hours are needed for this brining process. It's worth it!
After the bringing process is complete rinse your chicken pieces and pat dry. Dip in the buttermilk or egg mixture then flour and set aside.
Meanwhile, get your grill fired up. I prefer to use charcoal as the flavor is so much better than gas. I also use a charcoal starter instead of lighter fluid, as the chemicals can taint the flavor of your food and we don't want to have that now, do we.
Throw you chicken on the hot grill, the flour outer coating will begin to get crispy under the heat just like you are frying this in oil. Continue grilling flipping the chicken often to ensure it doesn't burn. Keep a spray bottle of water handy to put out any fires that may expode, but be warned grease fires and water do not mix, if the chicken fat is on fire and you spay water on the fire it will engulf in flames, so be careful.
After the chicken is done grilling, transfer to a baking sheet. Before putting this chicken in the oven, take a bowl and fill it with your favorite barbeque sauce. My family prefers Sweet Baby Rays, we buy nothing else. Bake in a 400 degree oven until the BBQ sauce is bubbly.
Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
This is one of my all time favorite side dishes.
What you'll need:
Bag of Frozen Hashbrowns
1 Family Size Can of Cream of Chicken Soup
8 Ounces Sour Cream
3 Cups Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Stick of Butter
Corn Flake Crumbs
Salt
Seasoning Salt
Directions:
Thaw hashbrown and put into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Next add a cup of the cheddar cheese and mix in with the hashbrowns. Season hashbrowns with salt, pepper and seasoning salt. In a seperate bowl mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream, salt, pepper and seasoning salt. Pour over the hashbrowns. Top with cheddar cheese, then corn flake crumbs and pour melted butter over the top. bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Baked Beans
What you'll need:
Large Can of Pork and Beans. (I prefer Van Da Kamps)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vinegar
1/2 cup Catsup
1/2 a Sweet Onion diced
1/2 a pound of Bacon cut into pieces.
2 teaspoons Yellow Mustard
Cut up your bacon into small pieces and fry until crispy. Remove bacon from grease and drain on paper towels. Using the same pan you fried your bacon in, using the reserved grease, thow in your diced onions for just a few minutes. Add all ingredients together in a greased baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbling.
The ULTIMATE Macaroni Salad!!
What you'll need:
2 cups Manyonaise
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 cup Vinegar
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tablespoon Horseradish Mustard
1 teaspoon pepper
1 Green Pepper, diced
2 cups Carrots, shredded
1 Roasted Red Pepper, Diced
1 Red Onion, diced
1 Sweet Onion, diced
1 cup Peas, frozen or fresh, NOT CANNED!
3/4 box of Elbow Macaroni
Cook macaroni, drain and run cold water over pasta until cool to the touch! Get your veggies cut up and mixed together in a bowl and add cold macaroni. In a seperate bowl mix remaining ingredients and blend well. Pour dressing over the macaroni and veggies. Mix well and refridgerate for several hours before serving for optimum results.
Coming Next....Caramel Apple PIE!!!
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