Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Sometimes I crave a really good chicken salad sandwich. I do confess…I seem to have many food confessions lately….I do at times make homemade chicken salad using canned chicken. Not that there is anything wrong with that of course, it can be quick, but there is nothing better than using fresh chicken. Most of the time I use chicken breasts, but if I find boneless, skinless chicken thighs on sale, I will use that.

One other food confession I must make, I forgot to get some good bread to make the sandwiches, but as you can see in the picture, I had some hamburger buns on hand. They were just as tasty too. 

Here’s what you need:

2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken, mayonnaise, salt, cracked pepper, celery seed and dill weed.

Place chicken in a roasting pan.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken. Yes, I noticed that I was so intent on taking the picture while drizzling the olive oil, that the oil completely missed the chicken in that shot. I promise, in the end, all the chicken was well oiled. 

Sprinkle on a little salt. 

Then the pepper, celery seed and dill weed. Use as much or as little as you like. Turn chicken pieces over and repeat with oil, salt, pepper, celery seed and dill.

Cook chicken in oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until no longer pink.

Let chicken cool.

Chop chicken into small pieces.

Place in a large bowl.

Add mayonnaise. I used about 1 cup, but again you can use as little or more if you prefer.

Mix well. Taste after mixing and add more celery seed or dill if needed. I like lots of dill in mine, so I always end up adding more. 

Serve on bread

Enjoy!

Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 lbs. bonless, skinless chicken

salt and cracked pepper to taste

1 tsp. celery seed (more or less to taste)

1 tsp dill weed (more or less to taste)

1 cup mayonnaise

Directions:

Place chicken in a roasting pan. Drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken. Sprinkle on salt, pepper, celery seed and dill. Turn chicken pieces over and repeat with oil, salt, pepper, celery seed and dill.

Cook chicken in oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until no longer pink. Let cool. Chop chicken into small pieces, then place in a large bowl. Add mayonnaise. Mix well. Taste after mixing and add more celery seed or dill if needed.

Serve on bread.

 

Chili and Beans

My husband and I have this intense debate when it comes to chili. Should chili have beans or not. To me, being the Southern gal that I am, there are two kinds of chili…the chili that goes on top of a hot dog ( us Southerners have an unwritten law:there should be no beans in hot dog chili) and then you have…well…chili with beans. The kind that’s cooked long and slow. My husband, being the Yankee that he is, debates that chili should always have beans. Of course, he had never had hot dog chili until he moved down South. So, the debate continues. That being said, now that it’s getting warmer here in the South we were in the mood for one last hearty, stick to your ribs chili….with beans.

First off, grab a cast iron skillet or any other large skillet that you may have, and heat on medium high heat. Drizzle a little oil in the bottom of the pan.

Throw in some ground beef…about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. 

Cook until beef turns brown…not grey. Drain if needed.

Turn heat down to medium. Add 1 Tbs of chili powder…mild or hot whichever you prefer. 

Then add about 1 tsp. salt,1 tsp. of dried Thyme, 2 tsp. dried oregano, 1 tsp. Cumin. 1 tsp. Cajun spice, and one minced garlic clove.

Stir well and cook for about 1 minute more. Place beef in a slow cooker.

chop 1 onion

Throw that into the slow cooker as well.

Next add 2 cans of diced tomatoes.

1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce.

2 cans of light kidney beans; drained. I prefer the light, but you can use dark kidney beans as well.

I’m not much of a bean eater, so when I started actually eating the beans in the chili, my parents were shocked…I think they even shed a tear or two. When I was a kid, I would pick out the beans. So, then of course, they were left with a pot of beans with a little beef and tomatoes. It could have been worse. I could have been one of those kids that hid them under a napkin or fed them to our dog….now that probably would not have gone well, feeding them to the dog.

Next add more chili powder, oregano, cumin and Thyme if needed. I like my chili with a lot of spice so I always end up adding more.

 Add 2 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. onion powder and 1 Tbs paprika.

Stir well.

Add 1 bay leaf.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Serve topped with cheese or sour cream…or just eat it plain..either way it’s all good.

Enjoy!

Chili and Beans

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 lbs ground beef
1 Tbs of chili powder plus more to taste.
1 tsp. salt plus more to taste.
1tsp. of dried Thyme plus more to taste
2 tsp. dried oregano plus more to taste
1 tsp. Cumin plus more to taste.
1tsp. Cajun spice
one minced garlic clove
1 onion, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 15oz. can of tomato sauce
2 cans light kidney beans; drained
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1Tbs paprika
bay leaf

Directions:

Heat a cast iron skillet on medium high heat, add oil and brown ground beef; drain if needed. Reduce heat to medium, add chili powder, salt, Thyme, Oregano, Cumin, Cajun spice and garlic. Stir well and cook about 1 minute. Place beef into a slow cooker. Next add onion, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. Add more chili powder, Thyme, Oregano and Cumin if needed. Stir well; add bay leaf.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
Serve topped with cheese or sour cream

Honey BBQ Chicken

My husband came up with this recipe…I did tweak it a bit…with his knowledge of course.This is one of those “pull together” recipes. You know the kind, when you’re feeling lazy and you know you’ve got to cook something so you grab a few things that you have in the pantry. This is super easy and tasty. 

Here’s what you will need:

Boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, 1 bottle of BBQ sauce, honey and Penzey’s Barbecue of the Americas.

This is optional, but it gives this dish a little kick with the allspice, cinnamon, ginger and white pepper in the seasoning. If you don’t have this, you can mix a little cinnamon and ginger to taste. Or you can leave it out all together.

Cut the chicken into bite size pieces.

Sprinkle about 1 Tbs. of Barbecue of the Americas seasoning onto the chicken.

Mix to coat well.

Add olive oil in a large skillet and heat on medium high heat.

Add chicken to the pan.

Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, turn each piece and continue cooking for another 3 minutes or until the chicken starts to turn a golden color.

Add about 1/4 Cup of honey to the chicken. Stir, then cook about 3 minutes more.

Pour in 1 bottle of BBQ sauce.

 Stir well. 

Cover pan and reduce heat to medium low. Continue cooking for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve over rice or on hamburger buns.

Enjoy!

Honey BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:
1 to 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into bite size pieces
1 Tbs. Penzey’s Barbecue of the Americas seasoning
1/4 cup Honey
1 bottle of BBQ sauce

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil to medium high heat. Add chicken and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, turn each piece and continue cooking for another 3 minutes or until the chicken starts to turn a golden color. Add honey, stir and cook for 3 minutes. Add BBQ sauce, stir well. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve over rice or on Hambuger buns.