Amazing Smoked Barbecue Chicken

 So... it's finally feeling like fall where we live and that always makes me want to break out the smoker! Especially when any of my kids are home…it's just something fun to do! Since Miller was home studying I decided to try a new way of making barbecue chicken…we did it on the smoker! I used an old faithful recipe for the sauce because it's truly incredible and I even went ahead and made a double batch of it so I could put some in the freezer! 

I know these pictures aren't so wonderful but I promise the chicken was heavenly! 

And the smell of the smoking process only added to the fall ambiance! 

I'm fully aware that some of you won't like the fact that bacon is involved here but let me tell you, it was so yummy and you don't even have to eat the bacon if you don't want to! But if your'e using boneless, skinless chicken breasts you truly need it for the sake of not drying out the meat! I also used a brine to begin with….something else I'd never done before but the results were so worth it!

~And now I know what to get Jim for Christmas! A new smoker that looks a lot better than this!

I was getting tickled when I wrapped the chicken in the bacon thinking they looked like mummy's!

I got untickled very quickly when I realized after all of that I had forgotten to sprinkle the "rub" on the meat! I wanted to just say forget it but I thought, nope….you've come this far! So that meant unwrapping each one and sprinkling on the seasoning and re-wrapping them…please don't make that mistake! It wasn't fun!

You may notice that I started with 6 pieces of chicken and now you are only seeing 5! 
That's because I got nervous about testing for doneness…I only had to smoke the chicken for 1 1/2 hours and then I put them on an oven proof platter to put some of the bbq sauce on them and let them warm in the oven on low for about another 30 minutes. The actual brining process took 2 hours but was so easy! 
I wish I'd taken a picture of that for you but I forgot!

See! Now there are six!

This sauce makes your house smell incredible! It's also really good on a pork loin roast.

And there you have it! My messy platter with mouth watering Smoked Barbecue Chicken! 
Next time I promise better photography! I hope you will try it! I sent Miller back to Auburn with the left overs and he was oh, so happy! I also made that fabulous Caramel Apple Cookie Cobbler that I made last fall and sent him back with that as well! You can see that recipe HERE!
So, now it not only feels like fall but it tastes like fall as well! 
Enjoy!
~this is for my friend, Amy Tankersly!

Smoked Barbecue Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
18 slices regular bacon
Montreal Chicken Seasoning
Barbecue Sauce

Brine
4 Cups cold water
1/4 Cup Kosher salt
1/4 Cup brown sugar

Mix the kosher salt in the water and stir until dissolved and water returns to clear. Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Pour over the chicken and cover and keep refrigerated for 2 hours. When done, rinse the chicken very well to get off all of the salt. Sprinkle each chicken breasts on both sides with the Montreal Chicken Seasoning. Wrap each breasts with 3 pieces of bacon. It's easiest if you will lay out the 3 pieces of bacon side by side and place the chicken breast on top and begin to roll, making sure that most of the chicken is covered. Secure with toothpicks. Place on top rack of smoker and let cook for 1 1/2 hours depending on the thickness of your chicken. When cooked through place in oven proof dish or platter and cover with some of the sauce. Return to oven and let warm in their for approximately 30 minutes on low. Serve with remaining sauce.
Barbecue Sauce
1 1/2 Cups catsup
1/4 Cup vinegar
1 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup worchestershire sauce
3 drops liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon onion salt
6 drops tobasco sauce
1/2 Cup water
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 lemon, juiced and then rind cut in slices
~mix all ingredients well and add lemon slices to sauce. Bring to a slow boil and then let simmer for 20 minutes stirring often. 

Who Puts Grapes In Baked Chicken?

Well, that would be me! 

So, tonight I thought I would look for the tried and true recipes of long ago! 

(would love to do a cookbook titled that!) 

I used to make this wonderful chicken dish and so did my mother in law! 

Now granted....we used green grapes!

I can assure you these red grapes were even better!

And I love the color they add for a 'Fall' entertaining dish!

Just promise me you will try this! It's amazing! I first saw this recipe in our very own Junior League of Birmingham cookbook....Magic Cookbook! Love the name...in fact, I think it needs a second printing if you ask me! It's my go to, all time favorite cookbook! 

Try this recipe and let me know what you think!

Yes, grapes are in fact what makes this wonderful chicken recipe elegant and yet understated!

 After browning the chicken in butter and placing it in your casserole dish you are basically through! 

It doesn't get much easier than this!

Adding your green onions takes no time at all!

Next comes the chicken broth and white wine.

It's about to be covered in foil and put in the oven for 45 minutes! That gives you plenty of time to set the table or make that salad!

While it's cooking you can sauté the mushrooms...

 See...now they are ready to go on top of the chicken!

 And after ten more minutes you just put those grapes right on top! You're almost ready to eat!

 I was so glad I remembered this dish! Sometimes, when life is tough or we just need a good meal it's great to go back to those long ago dishes!

 All I need now is for you to be here eating with me and Jim!

 It was a wonderful meal! 

Of course I made enough for us to have leftovers! 

 If leftovers make my life easier I will always make enough for that! 

And if I don't want to eat leftovers they make great meals to send back to Auburn with Miller! 

And I cannot tell a lie! I'm really hoping my sweet Holly will see this and add this to her recipe collection! What a wonderful cook she has become! And I love the fact that she loves to entertain and do for others! A girl after my own heart! And my precious Layton loves any fruit so I feel certain she will love this recipe along with her sweet parents...all in all...you can't go wrong when you cook for the right reasons! In my world that means cooking for my family and trying "Tried and True" recipes handed down from generations!

I would love to know your thoughts on this wonderful chicken dish! I served mine with wild rice and asparagus. Oh, and wonderful semi-homemade rolls! If you would like that recipe just let me know!

Have a great rest of your week!

Baked Chicken Supreme

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 Cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

1 stick butter, divided

5 green onions, diced

1/4 Cup chicken broth

3/4 Cup dry white wine

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

1-1 1/2 Cups sliced red grapes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a good saucepan. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour and brown in butter. Add more butter as you see necessary. Place in greased casserole dish. Add green onions and another tablespoon of butter. Add chicken broth and white wine and bring to a boil. Pour on top of chicken breasts and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Add another tablespoon of butter to pan and sauté mushrooms. Add to the chicken and re-cover. Bake for 10 minutes. Add sliced grapes to dish and cover and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve over rice of choice. I used wild rice and it was great!

Asian Grilled Tuna Kabobs….It's What's For Dinner!

Nothing makes me happier than being able to grill outside during the Spring and Summer! 

I guess Fall is nice as well but there is just something that makes it feel right when you can be in the pool one minute and then flipping kabobs on the grill the next! 

And in this case, grilled veggies as well! Yum!

(i've been saving this post for weeks!)

 I love the colors of peppers, red and green onions and mushrooms and the flavors are amazing after they've marinated for a good 6-8 hours!

I did marinate the tuna separately…I'm funny that way! 

Same marinade just different baggies to marinate them in.

 And we always use our grill basket because I like my vegetables to get a lot more done than the fish needs to be done. In fact, I prefer the vegetables to be a little charred if you must know!

 This marinade is so simple…obviously I was in an Asian state of mind when I made this and luckily I wrote it down for once! I hope you will give it a try! Especially if you're not a fan of grilled Tuna…I really wasn't until this recipe and now I crave it!

Please excuse the bad photography…food is ridiculously hard to photograph and make it look appealing and I'm having huge issues with my lap top and the amount of pictures I have on it. 
34,565 to be exact!
 It won't download any more…and these were taken with my phone.

 Sorry!

 Here they are after being grilled...

And here is a rather lame picture of them with the rest of the dinner! Soul Food squash is one of my youngest son's favorites and I've posted that before. 
It's actually on the recipe page but you can also see it HERE!

It's pretty darn amazing if I do say so myself!

So, there you have it! I sure hope you will try it next time you want to grill out fish or anything for that matter! It is so worth it!

Enjoy!

Grilled Asian Tuna Kabobs and Grilled Vegetables

1 1 1/2 lb tuna steak, cut in 1/1/2"- 2" pieces 
A mix of green, yellow, red or orange bell peppers, cut in good size pieces
Half of a red onion, cut in chunks
3 sliced green onions
1 lb. whole mushrooms, rinsed and stems trimmed

Marinade
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
1 Tablespoon Hot Chili Oil
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons Honey
(word of caution…I like a lot of marinade so I did double this recipe!)
Whisk all ingredients together and pour over tuna and vegetables. A heavy duty plastic baggie works very well for this. Like I said earlier, I put the tuna in one baggie and the veggies in another one. Marinate for 6-8 hours. Put tuna on skewers before grilling. Grill veggies in a grill basket until desired doneness. The Tuna cooks quickly and you certainly don't want to over cook it or it will dry out. Cooking times may vary. Once tuna is on grill as well as the veggies sprinkle with 'Perfect Pinch' Asian seasoning. I love this stuff!

If April Showers Bring May Flowers….Then What Do May Flowers Bring?

And no…the answer is not pilgrims!
 I'm just not sure what May brings us yet except for the promise of sunshine!  And watermelon!

And warm weather…and in the infamous words of John Archibald…"be careful what you wish for!"
(Oh, we won't even begin to get into that!)
 However…what I will get into is that it's May 1st and it's time for wonderfully warm days and longer evenings on the patio…cooking out…and spending more time together. Because of that I finally made my favorite salad that only comes around in this glorious warm weather season!
 I was reminded of this salad last night when we took my dear friend Robin out for her birthday and we shared a similar salad at Foodbar! 

Picture it….watermelon, goat cheese, balsamic pearls, and EVOO…it was definitely "all that and a bag of chips" as my kids always said!

We had such a great time celebrating Robin! And this restaurant…it's quickly become the hot spot..I think we knew someone at each and every table! And it was fun!

 Loved the fact that no matter how long it has been between the times we spend together Robin and I can always just pick right back up like we never left off! 

And sometimes…that is just what the doctor ordered! It did my heart a world of good!

Hope you will try my version of this yummy salad! I found this recipe in Southern Living magazine several years ago and just tweaked it a little bit! I promise…it's divine!

Enjoy!

Watermelon Salad With Leafy Greens and Goat Cheese

(and a pepper jelly vinaigrette dressing)

Salad Ingredients:

Salad Greens of your choice

cubed watermelon

toasted or candied pecans

goat cheese crumbled or blue cheese crumbled

Dressing

1/4 Cup red pepper jelly

1/4 Cup rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 Tablespoon grated onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 Cup canola oil

whisk all ingredients together except for the oil. Blend oil in slowly. Put in a jar and shake well and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Toss all salad ingredients together with the dressing. 

It Was A Beautiful Spring Day Today!

So today, Jim hired a guy to pressure wash our pool deck and the pavers on our patio…I was admiring the patio and planning to head to the Summit to shop for the wedding next week in Charelston and then, it hit me…the sun is shining so bright, the shop is closed thanks to Spring Break and you, my friend have a date with the pool guy!

 ( that would be my sweet husband!)  

So much to do, though. 

 Easter weekend is almost here and all of my kids will be in town. 

So much to do. And so little time! Oh well, just had to sit still and enjoy an hour with Jim and the beautiful sunshine until time to get back to reality!

Hence the reason for a very quick chicken dinner! I had been thinking about that wonderful Chicken Picatta that we had enjoyed last week at Bottega Cafe so this is what I came up with. 

Try this when you don't know what else to do with your chicken…I promise, you will love it!

Light and yet so flavorful!

The chicken along with the asparagus makes for a meal in itself when served over Toasted Almond Couscous. But the thing I think that makes it extra good is the Lemon Fused Olive Oil from our believed OLIO right around the corner from my shop! 

Please try it! It has revolutionized some of my cooking experiences!

 Carolyn's Chicken Picatta

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 T Lemon fused olive oil ( or evoo if that's all you have) 

1/2 Cup flour

kosher salt and pepper to taste

1 T more olive oil

1-2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 Cup chicken broth

1/2-3/4 Cup white wine or vermouth

1-2 Tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

1/2 lb. aspragus spears, blanched and cut in pieces

Dip chicken pieces lightly in the seasoned flour. Heat olive oil in a skillet and brown chicken on both sides. Place in a baking dish. Add the rest of the olive oil and garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Add chicken broth and wine or vermouth. Cook for 2 minutes to reduce liquid a little. Add the capers and asparagus and pour all on top of the chicken. Bake for about 20-25 minutes on 350 degrees until done. Serve over toasted almond couscous if desired.

*if you don't have the lemon olive oil use regular olive oil and add a tablespoon or two of fresh lemon juice to add the extra flavor.

Hope you enjoy!