Roadside BBQ Chicken

A few months back, we were driving home from the shore and passed a roadside BBQ chicken sale at a gas station.  I don't know if they do this at other places, but here....roadside/gas station BBQ chicken is AWESOME.  However, money is tight and  it costs about $15 for a platter......1/4 chicken, corn, bp, and some kind of bread.

So, I didn't even suggest it....but started using my smart phone to look for ideas.  I ended up combining a few and came up with something that is just gosh darn awesome and a pretty good approximation.

I have made it 4 times since that day.  My husband and I argue over the leftovers. I can't say that the photo does it justice, but it is finger-licking bunches of yum...and I took the photo after we ate 2 of the 4 breasts.

Roadside BBQ Chicken

Mix together the following:

• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce (for this I use store-brand because of the volume/cost thing)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp celery seed
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp hot sauce (sriracha, Frank's, whatever you like)

Divide this in half (probably a little over a cup and a quarter is half.

Put of of the halves in a seal-able bag with 4 whole (bone-in, skin-on) chicken breasts.  Let marinate for at least 2 hours.  I try to go for much longer.....like 6-8 hours.

To the other half, add 1/2 cup oil and save for basting.

After marinading, put the grill on high (we have a gas grill, so that's all the grilling info I can share). Wait 15 minutes, then put the chicken on skin side down and turn down to medium.  After 15 minutes, whisk the oil into the reserved liquid and baste the chicken, then flip it over (bone-side-down).  Keep it that way for the remainder of the cooking, basting every 15 minutes until the internal temperature is at lease 165F.  It takes about an hour.

If you want, you can baste the entire thing with a BBQ sauce of your choice for the last 5 minutes and flip so both sides get the sauce charred on.

Let the meat rest for 10 minutes after removing from the grill. 

Eat and enjoy!

Chicken Mole Casserole

I am always messing around with cooking.  Sometimes it works....sometimes, it doesn't.  My sweet husband tells me that it works almost all the time....he's supportive that way.

Chicken Mole Casserole is something that I made up one day when I didn't feel like making whatever I had for dinner.  It's kind of like a lasagna....but with Mexican substitutions.  And, it's tomato-free....because I can't eat tomatoes.

Chicken Mole Casserole

• 12-inch tortillas; I used 12 total
• Don͂a Maria Mole sauce
• 8 ounces light sour cream
• 8 ounces Mexican blend cheese
• 2 cups of precooked chicken (The day before, I toss frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker with salt, pepper, and a half cup of chicken broth.  I cook on high for 3 hours then shred.)

Make the mole sauce.  The Don͂a Maria sauce comes as a thick paste.  The instructions say to use a 4:1 ratio of broth to the paste.  I use chicken broth (32 ounces) to the 8 ounces or the mole paste.  You simmer until thick.  This is the end result.

After the sauce is made, use my kitchen scissors to cut the tortillas into quarters.  I cut 4 at a time.

Put 1/4 of the mole sauce on the bottom of the pan, just as you would with a lasagna.

Place the quartered tortillas over the sauce to cover the bottom.

Put the shredded, precooked chicken on the tortillas. 

Top with 1/3 of the remaining sauce, and 4 ounces of the light sour cream.  I do it in dollops about in the center of each of the 12 servings.

Top with 1/3 of the Mexican cheese mixture.

Repeat layer.  Then top with a final layer of tortilla, mole sauce, and cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Final product!  It's not pretty....but it's yummy!!!!

Chicken Pad See Ew

I love, love, love Asian cooking. It's not all I do, but the flavors just make me happy. Luckily, they mostly make my husband happy too. A few months ago I ran across a recipe in Cooks Illustrated for Stir Fried Noodles. I have adapted it a little to suit my taste, but it's REALLY good. Every time there are leftovers, they rarely make it past 24 hours.

Once I do the prep work...here and there throughout the day, it is a quick and easy dinner.

One of the ways they determined to make the chicken tender was to put it in a baking soda solution.  It changes the pH.  That change makes it cook quickly but stay tender....really tender.

This is what my finished yumminess looks like.

Ingredients
Chile vinegar - this is added to preference in each bowl after serving
1/3 cup rice vinegar (I use seasoned because I love the hint of sweetness against the spicy)
1 teaspoon sriracha
Mix together in a small container and let the flavors blend.

Prep for stir fry
2 lb chicken breast (sliced thinly)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup water
Mix together.  After at least 15 minutes, drain, rinse, pat dry with paper towel

Sauce
1/2 cup oyster sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons molasses
2 teaspoons fish sauce
Mix together in a small bowl.

Other ingredients
3 eggs (lightly scrambled)
3 cloves of garlic minced (I use a garlic press)
1 lb broccoli cut into small florettes
1/4 cup oil (I use olive oil for pretty much everything)
8 ounces large rice noodles

The how-to
After all the prep work is done.

Heat 6 cups of water to boiling ( I do mine in the microwave for 4 minutes).  Add rice noodles and let soak (needs to be for about 10 minutes (which is about how long the rest of the dish takes).

Heat a nonstick pan over high heat.  Add 2 teaspoons of oil and garlic.  Cook until garlic is golden...but not burnt.

Add 2 teaspoons of oil, 4 tablespoons of sauce, and drained/dried chicken.  Toss in sauce/oil mixture and then DO NOT STIR.  After 2 minutes, stir pan and flip pieces over.

After 2 more minutes, push chicken to one side of pan.  Add 2 more teaspoons of oil on empty side..  Pour lightly beaten eggs into oil.  Scramble eggs  Just as they are getting firm, mix in with cooked chicken.

Empty pan into large bowl.

Add 2 more teaspoons of oil to the now-empty pan.  Add 4 tablespoons of sauce and broccoli.  Toss both together and cover pan for 4 minutes.  Uncover pan and toss broccoli again.  Cook for 2-3 more minutes.

While cooking, drain the rice noodles.

Add to large bowl with chicken/egg mixture.

Add 2 more teaspoons of oil and 4 tablespoons of sauce to again-empty pan. Add in 1/2 the rice noodles.  Toss together and cook (without stirring) for 2-3 minutes. Add to large bowl.  Repeat with remaining oil, sauce and noodles.

Toss all ingredients in large bowl together and serve.  Top with vinegar mixture to taste.

Seriously my favorite meal.