Alabama Smoked Chicken with White BBQ Sauce

 After much research and cross-referencing, I chose my food challenge for 2021. Once a week, I will make an iconic dish from each state. First up: Alabama and smoked chicken with white BBQ sauce. Thankful for friends with a new smoker to help me out with the chicken and bring dessert. 😋

It's pretty simple recipe to make, just don't forget to make up the sauce the day before so it has time to really come together and all those flavors can marry. 😁 We also thought it would be good on a smoked pork chop. 👍

If you don't have a smoker, you can also serve this over grilled chicken. I would suggest thighs or leg quarters.

1 cup mayonaise

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 heaping Tablespoon brown sugar

1 Tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Whisk together in a small bowl and chill for about 12-24 hours.

Brush unto chicken a couple of times at the end of grilling or place smoked chicken under the broiler.

Heat the leftover sauce until warm, but not hot, to serve poured on top of the chicken.

Chicken A La King

I made this for my WW2 Christmas class today and it was fantastic! It is an authentic 1940s, ration-friendly recipe. Best served over bread, rice or noodles with a side of vegetables.

I made it the night before, chilled it and reheated it the next day in the crock pot. I may do it that way every time... :)

3 pounds of chicken breast, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup diced celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
3 Tablespoons butter

Saute vegetables in butter until tender and there is no longer any liquid in the pan.
Add to cooked chicken in large bowl or casserole dish.

Melt 4 Tablespoons butter or margarine (no rations on margarine) in large saucepan.
Quickly whisk in:
4 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons dried parsley

Then pour in 4 cups chicken broth all at once and whisk until smooth.

Cook over med-high heat, whisking constantly, until thick and bubbly.

Remove from heat and pour over chicken mixture. Stir well to mix.

Serve on top of toast, bread, noodles or rice. Top with sliced hard-boiled eggs and a bit of jarred pimentos.

Pressure Cooker Saudi-Style Chicken & Rice

I taught a class on the history and culture of Saudi Arabia and adjusted a recipe I found for a chicken and rice for the pressure cooker. I liked it so much, I've had it three times now. It's sweet aromatic spices are delicious and different.

I served it with pita, hummus and dates as sides.

Saute 2-3 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into small pieces on the meat setting. Add 1/3 cup of chopped fresh onion. After a few minutes add 1 heaping Tablespoon of minced garlic.

Add 3/4 cup basmati rice, 3/4 cup chicken broth, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 7 cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/2 can diced tomatoes.

Stir well and cook on rice setting for 6 minutes. Let natural release for 10 minutes.

Stir again and pick out the cinnamon stick and cardamom. You don't want to eat those. LOL

Pressure Cooker Jambalaya

Every year for Fat Tuesday we have jambalaya for dinner. I've made it from scratch but to be honest I really like this stuff in the box...

I only  used half a box since it was just for my hubby and I.

But first I sauteed some ingredients for several minutes on the meat setting with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil:
 1 chicken breast, cut up
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
6 oz andouille sausage
10-12 shrimp, peeled

Turn off pressure cooker. Stir in 1/2 can of diced tomatoes

Stir in 2/3 cup of the rice mixture into the cooker. Add 2/3 cup water and shrimp. Stir lightly.

Put lid on cooker. Cook on rice setting for 6 minutes. Let natural release for 10 minutes.

Stir and let sit for a few minutes.

We had our Mardi Gras dinner with okra and wine.

Pressure Cooker Buffalo Mac & Cheese

This recipe makes 2 main-dish sized servings. But it can be easily modified to make more.

From my research the key is to grate your own cheese from a block and not to use pre-grated packaged cheese.

1 large chicken breast, cut into small pieces
2 Tablespoons oil
2 Tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 stalk of celery, chopped
buffalo wing sauce, to taste
8oz pasta (I used large macaroni)
water or chicken broth (I used water and a bit of bouillon)
salt and white pepper, to taste

Preheat oil in cooker. Turn onto meat setting for 15 minutes and let preheat. Add chicken and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add onion, garlic and celery and saute another 3 minutes. 

Add buffalo wing sauce and stir to coat chicken.

Place pasta in pressure cooker.  Pour water/broth over until barely at level with pasta. 

Give a stir. Cook for 6 minutes on rice setting. Quick release and add...

1 generous cup of grated cheese (I used mostly pepper jack with a bit of medium cheddar)

Stir well to melt cheese.

Add some sour cream  to make it a bit smoother. Mine only needed a tad. But add what you like.

It will thicken as it sits for a few minutes before serving. 

Pressure Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken

We made this for our youth group's Valentine's banquet fundraiser a couple of years ago. Except we did it in giant roaster ovens and served it over pasta. But with my pressure cooker I can do it all in one pot with only 6 minutes cook time.

2 cut up chicken breasts
6 mushrooms, sliced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 oz cream cheese, cut into 8 chunks
1/2 can of cream of mushroom soup
6 oz dry pasta
1 Tablespoon chicken bouillon
1 package of dry Italian dressing mix
1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers
black pepper
water

Preheat olive oil in cooker. Turn onto meat setting for 15 minutes and let preheat. Add chicken and saute for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute another 3-4 minutes.

Add cream cheese, soup, pasta, bouillon, dressing mix, and spices. Pour water into pot until pasta is just covered.

Put lid on cooker, turn onto rice setting for 6 minutes. Quick release steam and remove lid.

Stir to mix and melt cream cheese. Set sit for 5 minutes to thicken.

Pressure Cooker Indian-Style Chicken & Rice

I'm sure using the garam masala blend of whole spices from India really helped put this over the top. That spicy, sweet smell of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom, peppercorns, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cloves, cinnamon and anise is amazing. It was so tasty that I will definitely be making it again...

Cut up 2-3 chicken thighs into small rough-cut pieces

Turn cooker onto meat/chicken setting and let preheat for a couple of minutes with 2 Tablespoons of butter inside.

When the butter is melted, saute the chicken for a bit. Then add:

1/4 onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon minced garlic

Continue to saute for 5-6 minutes.

Stir in:
3/4 cup rice (I used jasmine)
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 can of fire-roasted diced stewed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon of garam masala

Put the lid on the cooker and set for 6 minutes on rice setting. Let natural release for 10 minutes. Release any remaining steam, remove lid, stir and serve.

Pressure Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry

This is my recipe adapted for the Ninja Foodi Deluxe...

Cut up 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts into chunks

Brown the chicken on sauté setting with a bit of oil.

Cut up 3 peeled potatoes into small bite-sized pieces

Cut up 3-4 peeled carrots into 1/4” slices

Chop up 1/2 of an onion

Add potatoes, carrots and onion to chicken in pot with 1 cup water. 

Mix in 1/4 cup (more or less to taste) of curry paste and mix well. It's pretty spicy stuff!

Put the tall rack in the pot. Just move stuff around to make it sit on the bottom. 

Put equal parts of white rice and water in a small pot that fit on top of the rack with the lid on. (this picture is from my old IP)

Pressure cook on HI for 2 minutes. 

Let it natural release for 10 minutes. Release any remaining steam.

Pour one can of coconut milk and mix well.

Serve the curry over white rice.

Poppyseed Chicken & Mushrooms

I love Rhett and Link! I watch their Good Mythical Morning show while I eat breakfast five days a week. One morning, Link happened to mention that poppyseed chicken and how much he loves it. I’d never even heard of poppyseed chicken. But it piqued my interest and I did a bit of research “boop boop boopity boop” (it’s an inside GMM joke). I found a few recipes to get the idea and then went off and made up my own…

Yup! Link was right. So good!!! One of those total comfort food meals and just sticks to your ribs. It’s rich and creamy and delicious… Mmmm!!!

4-5 cups of cooked chicken breast, cubed

8 oz fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 can cream of mushroom soup

3/4 cup sour cream

2 Tablespoons poppyseeds

6 Tablespoons melted butter

1 sleeve of Ritz cracker, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350

Combine chicken, mushrooms, soup and sour cream. Pour into greased casserole dish.

Mix poppyseeds, butter and cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over chicken mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes or until it is bubbly and topping starts to turn golden brown.

Serve over cooked egg noodles.

Chicken & Green Beans with Peanut Sauce

I picked a whole big bowl of green beans from the garden today, parboiled them, and stir-fried them with some chicken breast. Over rice it was a super delicious and easy supper! And you could smell the peanut butter throughout the entire kitchen… mmmmm!

Peanut sauce:

2 Tablespoons sesame oil

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

4 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Whisk it all together until smooth and set aside.

Just sauté some cut up chicken breast (about 3 or 4) until it is no longer pink. Throw in some fresh parboiled or frozen green beans and stir-fry them until they are hot. Add the peanut sauce and heat through. Serve over white rice.

Family Sized Chicken Pot Pie

One little round chicken pot pie from the freezer section is never enough to fill me up, much less one of my guys. One homemade 9” pot pie doesn’t cut it either. So, this time I made one in a 9x13 baking dish and it did the trick!

I got this recipe from a sweet friend, Mary, who makes it all the time for her clan. But she got the recipe from her mom, Carolyn. They were the two who inspired me to get over my fear and make a darn pie crust! Thanks you two!

A batch of my mom’s pie crust (recipe HERE) made enough for the pot pie and a single crust dessert pie, too.

Roll out about 1/2 the dough for the bottom crust and line the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish.

Fill with 6 cups diced cooked chicken, 1/2 bag of thawed frozen peas & carrots, 1 cup of thawed southern style hashbrown potatoes.

Make a gravy.

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup flour

6 cubes or teaspoons of chicken bouillon

4 Tablespoons dried minced onion

salt & pepper, to taste

3 cups water

3 cups milk

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium high heat. Stir in onion and bouillon. Whisk in flour. When it bubbles, quickly whisk in water and milk. Continue to whisk until thick and bubbly.

Pour gravy over filling in crust.

Roll out top crust and place on top of your pie.

Bake at 425 for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

It didn’t turn out very pretty (I”m still new at the pie making thing) but it tasted great! We served it in bowls because it seemed pretty runny but it thickened right up!

Now this is comfort food!

Pineapple Salsa Chicken Salad

This is quite possibly the best chicken salad I’ve ever made! I got the recipe for the chicken here at Food.com. Then I served it on a bed of baby spinach topped with my homemade fresh pineapple salsa. It was a huge hit on this warm summer day!

1 Tablespoon flour

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix in a small bowl.

Cut up 4-5 chicken breasts into small pieces, not bite-sized. Rub each piece with the above mixture.

Heat 2-3 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Brown both sides of the chicken. Cover and cook on low heat, turning occasionally until cooked through.

Serve chicken hot on a bed of baby spinach. Top with fresh pineapple salsa. See recipe HERE.

Honey Cranberry Chicken

I have made this for about 15 years now. I don’t even know where the original recipe is anymore. In fact, I just kind of know how to make it. I am going to have to really think about it in order to post this recipe….
But it is worth the effort on my part so that you, too, may enjoy this moist and tasty chicken. Simple enough for every day but elegant enough for a special occasion.

1/2 – 3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup chopped green onion
3 Tablespoons honey or maple syrup
Place 1/2-3/4 cup dried cranberries in a glass bowl. Cover with boiling water and let sit.

Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Salt and pepper 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Brown the chicken in the skillet until golden brown on both sides.
Add 1/4 cup of green onion and sauté for about 30 seconds. Stir them to keep the onions from burning or sticking.
Pour in the cranberries and the water they have been soaking in.

Cover the skillet and turn heat to low. Simmer the chicken until it is done and no longer pink, 165 degrees.
Remove lid and return heat to medium-high, let most of the liquid boil away. Stir in honey or syrup.
Serve topped with cranberry mixture.

Cajun Chicken Linguine

This was a pretty simple and tasty recipe I got from myrecipes.com. Well seasoned with the perfect amount of spice and a nice mixture of vegetables. Made a nice supper with a salad and a loaf of sourdough bread.

The original recipe is HERE.

• 12 ounces uncooked linguine
• 2 pounds chicken breast strips
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 (8-oz.) package fresh mushrooms
• 2 green onions (white and light green parts only), sliced
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Garnish: chopped green onions

Preparation

• Prepare pasta according to package directions.
• Sprinkle chicken evenly with Cajun seasoning and 1 tsp. salt.
• 
• Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken, and sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done. Remove chicken.
• Add bell peppers, mushrooms, and green onions to skillet, and sauté 9 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and liquid evaporates.

• Return chicken to skillet; stir in half-and-half, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring often, over medium-low heat 3 to 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add linguine; toss to coat.
• 
• Garnish, if desired, and serve immediately.

Chicken & Dumpling Soup

This is a knock-off recipe from the Olive Garden’s Chicken and Gnocchi Soup at CopyKat Recipes. I’ve never had it at the OG but I bought two packages of gnocchi at The Dollar Tree and figured I’d give it a whirl. And there is nothing better on a cold fall day than a steaming hot bowl of soup and a nice piece of bread!

I made a few tiny changes to the recipe, including the name. When Andy (my middle son) tried it he said it was just like chicken ‘n’ dumplings in a soup. So that’s what we’re gonna call it… Chicken & Dumpling Soup. Well done Andy!

4 tablespoons butter 

1 tablespoons extra virgin oil

1/2 cup celery, finely diced

1 cup onion, finely diced

2 minced garlic cloves

4 tablespoons flour

4 cups whole milk

1 cup frozen carrots, thawed and diced

1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1 14 ounces can of chicken broth

1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1 pound potato gnocchi

Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add the flour. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding the milk. 

Place gnocchi into a pot of boiling salted water. When the water returns to a full boil, drain the pasta.

Into the roux, add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning. Simmer until soup is heated through.