chicken

best summer barbecue chicken on the grill with my #1 go to sauce.

July 4, 2020 by Becky Spoon

I cooked this barbecue chicken on my gas grill and it turned out delicious. I love chicken cooked this way. There’s just something about summer grilling that screams this dish. It is absolutely so easy. I did brine overnight in salt water because I wanted to make sure it was juicy and the salt will help add some flavor to the chicken. I made my barbecue sauce that gets applied after the chicken has started brown and the skin begins to crisp.

To prepare the chicken for the grill, using poultry scissors, or a very sharp knife, I remove the back bone by first laying it flat, then cut down the middle on the breast side making two portionshttps://youtu.be/pZqqGnwWiaw. Here’s a quick video on how to half a chicken.

If you don’t have scissors, they are a must in my kitchen. Here’s a great pair! https://amzn.to/2NYwdac. These are great!

best barbecue chicken on the grill

You can use your favorite barbecue sauce or make the sauce in my recipe. It is from Franklin BBQ book by Aaron Franklin. It’s my favorite sauce, and it is so easy. Done in minutes, you never bring it to a boil, just heat through just to let the flavors combine. You most likely have all of the ingredients in your pantry or refrigerator already. If you don’t have Aaron’s cookbook, it is a must! It actually will teach you how to make the best BBQ. His restaurants are in Austin, Texas. Of course, he makes wonderful BBQ! Here’s the link for his book: https://amzn.to/31GxfQt.

If you can’t get his sauces in your area, it is well worth an order. All of them are wonderful sauces and I keep them in my pantry! Except this time I was out, so I made the original. Here’s the link for his sauces! https://amzn.to/2AsTePx

best summer barbecue chicken on the grill

Before I add the new recipe for this chicken, here’s another summer recipe for you: https://the2spoons.com/tender-grilled-chipotle-glazed-ribeye-steak/

Yum, makes me want to grill steaks! Nothing better!

Ok, here’s this delicious chicken recipe! Enjoy!

Barbecue Chicken

Print Recipe

Coursedinner, Lunch, Main Course

CuisineAmerican

Keywordbarbecue chicken, barbecue sauce, bbq, bbq chicken, bbq sauce, chicken, Franklin BBQ Sauce recipe, grilling, summer, summer grilling

Ingredients

For the Barbecue Sauce

1 3/4 cups ketchup
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
2 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp chile powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper

For the Dish

1 whole chicken that has been halved.
salt water for brining over night
a neutral oil like vegetable or canola for brushing
salt and pepper
prepared bbq sauce

Instructions

For the Barbecue Sauce

Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and warm gently over medium heat, stirring occasionally. There is no need to bring the mixture to a boil, as the idea is just to warm it enough to melt and integrate the ingredients. Once you have done that, remove from the heat and let cool. Transfer to a jar, bottle, squeeze bottle, or however you want to store it. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

For the Chicken

You don't have to brine but I do like to because it makes a juicier chicken and the salt water adds salt to the inside of the chicken. Place the halved chicken (instructions in the post on how to half a chicken) into the brine just enough to cover in a plastic container or bag and place in the refrigerator over night.
When ready to grill, prepare your gas grill or charcoal grill. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. When dry, coat the chicken with a neutral oil like vegetable or canola and salt and pepper the chicken.
If you are using a gas grill, place the chicken skin side up on the side that there is no direct heat. I don't place on direct heat to prevent it from charring too fast. If using a charcoal grill, move the charcoals to one side and place the chicken on the opposite side.
When the chicken starts to brown, I start to add barbecue sauce to top and bottom. Continue to cook, brushing with bbq sauce every 15 minutes until the internal temperature reads 165-170 degrees. Hope you enjoy!

the best 3 ingredient fried chicken.

June 23, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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I have tried so many recipes for fried chicken and I always come back to this basic 3 ingredient recipe! Flour, salt and pepper. That is it. Oh, you do need a paper sack to toss it all in. Well, that’s what I use, but if you don’t have one…toss in a big plastic bag or place the flour in a dish and just toss it around to evenly coat.

This is the fried chicken I grew up eating. Mom and Granny made it just like this. I brine because they brined. They knew that brining would just make the juiciest, most tender chicken ever. It would usually be a Saturday night that Mom and Granny would cut up a whole chicken or two and soak overnight in salted water to fry on Sunday. They would use Crisco in a cast iron dutch oven to fry the chicken. Never greasy, just the best chicken ever. I think the cast iron dutch oven is the best thing to fry chicken in. Mine is very, very old, but if you don’t have one, this is a great place to start. https://amzn.to/3fPoffO.

the best 3 ingredient fried chicken.

One of my favorite memories was actually going to see Granny. We lived in Grand Prairie, Texas and Granny lived about an hour and a half away. There were 7 of us. There were no McDonalds or other fast food restaurants and even if there were, they probably couldn’t have afforded to take all of us out to eat anyway. Mom would fry this beautiful chicken, make some potato salad, pack up a loaf of bread and we would stop at a road side park on the way and have lunch. Beautiful memories.

Mom is incredible. She is now 91. Just a side note, we grew up in the 50’s and 60’s. Mom fed a family of 7 on $25.00 a week and had a balanced meal on the table every night, plus breakfast and lunch everyday.

I too made potato salad with this fried chicken. Here’s the recipe: https://the2spoons.com/delicious-2-step-potato-salad/. There is nothing better than fried chicken and potato salad.

Here you go with this so simple recipe! My recipe is for 4 pieces of chicken, two thighs and two legs because that’s what we like, but just adjust for the amount you use. Bon Appetite!

3 ingredient fried chicken

Print Recipe

CourseMain Course

CuisineAmerican

Keyword3 ingredient, chicken, comfort food, fried chicken, main course, southern food

Servings servings

Ingredients

2 chicken legs, skin on, bone in
2 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Place your chicken pieces in a bowl after lightly salting each piece. Add enough water to just cover. Seal with a lid or clear wrap. Refrigerate overnight or at least for 4 hours.
Place the flour in a paper sack. Add your salt and pepper. I always taste a little to see if there's enough salt, but remember you brined your chicken in salt water so you don't want to over do it.
Add enough oil to come up about 1/3 to the sides of your pan. Heat on medium high until a pinch of flour begins to sizzle or the end of a wooden spoon placed in the hot oil sizzles, about 335 to 350 degrees. You do not want to cook your chicken in oil that is too hot because it will brown too quick and be raw in the middle.
While your oil is heating, remove the chicken from the water one piece at a time, allowing access water to fall off and add to the flour. Shake, shake, shake and turn until completely coated. Place on a sheet pan until all is coated.
When your oil is ready, add the chicken to the oil skin side down. Cook until the chicken is brown and crispy on that side, then turn. If your heat is too high, lower to medium high and add a lid and let it sit ajar. Cook, checking after about 10 minutes to see if the bottom has browned. When the bottom is brown, turn again, remove the lid and cook turning until the internal temperature reaches 165-170, raising the heat if needed. At this time you want to be close by, watching and turning as the chicken continues to brown on each side.
When done, drain on a wire rack and allow to rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes. If I am frying a large amount I will keep warm in my oven on the warm setting. Enjoy!!

easy mexican grilled chicken cobb salad.

March 31, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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Wow! This mexican grilled chicken cobb salad is crazy good! Just look at it! Lettuce, tomato, grilled chicken, avocado, lettuce, beans, olives, cheese, eggs??? I’m sure I’m missing something because there’s so many ingredients! I actually had grilled corn I was going to add and I forgot it! Do you all do that?

The chicken is coated with a mixture of olive oil and taco seasoning mix. I used Taco Bell taco seasoning that I buy at my grocery store. Here’s a link for the taco bell seasoning: https://amzn.to/2vXl9F4

easy mexican grilled chicken cobb salad.

For the dressing I used a Chipotle Ranch Dressing that I made from adding a chipotle pepper and the adobo sauce to ranch dressing that I had made from the Hidden Valley spice mix. You can buy the Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce in cans. Here’s the link for the brand I had this time, but I’ve bought different brands. https://amzn.to/39teWhO

Before I work on the recipe, here’s another great salad I have on the blog: https://the2spoons.com/the-best-beautiful-chicken-taco-salad/

This is a great salad using ground chicken and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!

Here’s the recipe for this new chicken Cobb salad. I think you will love it!

Mexican Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad

Print Recipe

Coursedinner, Lunch, Main Course, Salad

CuisineAmerican, Mexican

Keywordchicken, chipotle ranch dressing, cobb salad, Grilled Chicken, mexican

Servings servings

Ingredients

For the Tortilla strips

4-6 corn tortillas
oil for frying
salt to sprinkle after cooking

For the Chipotle Ranch Dressing

1-1 1/2 cups ranch dressing bottled or homemade
1-2 chipotle peppers from canned chipotle in adobo sauce
1-2 tbsp adobo sauce

For the Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 packet Taco Bell taco seasoning mix or taco seasoning mix of your choice
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the remaining salad ingredients

2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup cooked black beans rinsed and drained or pinto beans rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh grilled corn on the cob kernels
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 can ripe olives
2 avocados, sliced and divided
1 cup Monterrey jack or cheddar cheese, grated
sliced limes for serving
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Tortilla strips

Cut the tortillas in half, then stack them on top each of other and cut into about 1/4 inch strips. Heat the oil in a skillet and add the tortilla strips, a few at a time and cook until golden brown. Repeat the process until all have been cooked. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.

For the Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Either use a bottled ranch dressing or use a homemade dressing. I used the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing with the packet of ranch dressing mix with milk and mayonnaise. To that, add one or two chopped chipotle peppers and the adobo sauce to the desired heat that you like.

For the Grilled Chicken

In a gallon zip lock add the Taco Bell seasoning mix or the taco seasoning mix of your choice and the olive oil. Add the chicken breast and coat them on all sides. After your grill is ready, cook the chicken breast, turning until done. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of about 160, then allowed to rest for at least 5 minutes that the temperature will rise to 165 degrees.

To assemble the salad

In a large bowl combine the lettuce, cheese, beans, corn, olives and tomatoes in a bowl. Toss well to combine. Divide the mix among 4 plates. Slice each chicken breast and top each of the salad plates. Top each with the divided deviled eggs and the divided avocado, Top with the dressing and serve with limes if you like.

so good. simple harissa chicken

March 8, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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This harissa chicken recipe was in the Food and Wine magazine issue for March 2020 and I just had to make it! I’m so glad I did because it is delicious!

Harissa is a North African hot chili pepper paste, the main ingredients of which are roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers or serrano peppers, spices and herbs such as garlic paste, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, cumin and olive oil to carry the oil-soluble flavors.

I purchase it in a tube, however; I’ve seen it also in jars. Here’s a link to the brand and tube I buy. You can order it online or I am seeing it in grocery stores, like my local HEB now, so it is available in larger stores. https://amzn.to/2TGdxP8

so good. simple harissa chicken

Food and Wine Magazine had dried edible rose petals scattered over the finished chicken. i didn’t have any, but they made a beautiful presentation.

I wanted to serve these with something creamy to absorb the wonderful dishes. I thought about scalloped potatoes would be perfect and they were.

The potatoes were delicious. I used Yukon gold potatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese and lot’s of thyme in this recipe. Oh, don’t forget the onions too. Here’s a link for the delicious potatoes. you won’t regret making them. https://the2spoons.com/easy-cheesy-scalloped-potatoes/

so good. simple harissa chicken

Here’s the recipe for the chicken. Enjoy!

Harissa Chicken

Print Recipe

Coursedinner, Lunch, Main Course

CuisineMoroccon

Keywordchicken, dinner, harissa, Harissa chicken, leg quarters, main course, moroccon, spicy

Servings servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp plus 2 tsp harissa paste, divided
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
2 tsp grated garlic
1 tbsp black pepper, divided
4 10 oz chicken leg quarters
2 large shallots, halved
1 garlic head, halved crosswise
1 small lemon, halved
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp paprika

Instructions

Whisk together yogurt, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons harissa paste, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, thyme leaves, grated garlic, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Place chicken quarters in a large ziplock plastic bag. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken, and seal bag. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375°F with oven rack in upper third of oven. Let chicken stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Scatter shallots, garlic, and lemon halves, cut sides down, in a heavy-duty roasting pan or 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Add thyme sprigs. Remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess marinade to drip off. Discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 2 teaspoons salt and remaining 1 teaspoon pepper; arrange chicken, skin sides up, in a single layer in roasting pan. Add 1/4 cup water to pan.
Roast chicken in preheated oven until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 140°F, 30 to 35 minutes. Turn broiler to high. Baste chicken with pan juices, and sprinkle chicken with paprika. Broil, basting chicken with pan juices every 2 to 3 minutes, until thermometer registers 165°F, 8 to 10 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a channeled cutting board; let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, squeeze 1 roasted lemon half and 6 roasted garlic cloves into pan juices; reserve remaining lemon half for serving and remaining garlic cloves for another use. Mash shallots and garlic with a fork. Pour pan juice mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing to extract liquid; discard solids. Whisk in remaining 2 teaspoons harissa paste. Pour accumulated juices from cutting board into harissa mixture in bowl, and stir. Pour pan juice mixture onto a serving platter, and top with chicken. Serve immediately with reserved lemon half.

Delicious Chicken Paprikash, Fast or Slow Cooking

March 3, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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This Chicken Paprikash can be made in your Instant Pot pressure cooking or you can set it on the slow cooking mode or use another slow cooker. I used the pressure cooking method and the entire dish was complete in less than 30 minutes of which 10 of that was allowing the chicken to rest after 10 minutes of cooking.

Even my husband loved this. He loves the Hamburger Stroganoff that’s loaded with sour cream over egg noodles, so I thought he’d love this because the sauce also has sour cream and lots of dill. Love both of those flavors. The tartness of sour cream mixed with fresh dill is delicious.

I saw this recipe in the January-February 2020 issue of the Milk Street publication. By the way if you are’t familiar with the milk Street publicaton, check it out!

Fast or Slow Cooking – Chicken Paprikash

This recipe calls for a sweet paprika. I had a sweet smoke paprika on hand so that is what I used. If you can’t find sweet paprika in your local grocery store here is a link of some that I’ve purchased before. https://amzn.to/39h8vyZ

This is a Hungarian dish, so the sweet Hungarian paprika is a good choice. Make sure you use fresh paprika, because a stale paprika that’s been in your pantry for years will taste flavorless and dull.

You also want to use regular sour cream. The low fat will make your dish lack richness and will result in a watery dish.

Here’s the Hamburger Stroganoff for you to try also. My husband loves the stroganoff and it is such an easy dish for a weeknight and the kids love it too. Add a green vegetable and you have a perfect meal for your family.

Fast or Slow Cooking – Chicken Paprikash

Here’s the recipe for the Paprikash! Hope you try it soon and enjoy!

Chicken Paprikash

Print Recipe

Coursedinner, Lunch, Main Course

CuisineHungarian

Keywordchicken, chicken paprika, egg noodles, hungarian, paprika, sour cream

Servings servings

Ingredients

2 tbsps salted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 lbs bone in, skin on chicken thighs, skin removed and discarded after cooking
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp chopped fresh dill, divided

Instructions

START: On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the butter and let melt. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add the paprika and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in ½ cup water, scraping up the browned bits. Nestle in the chicken in an even layer, slightly overlapping the pieces if needed.
Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 10 minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, allow the pressure to reduce naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
SLOW: Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Venting. Select Slow Cook and set the temperature to More/Low. Set the cooking time for 3 to 4 hours; the chicken is done when a skewer inserted into the largest thigh meets no resistance. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
FINISH: Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a dish and tent with foil. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and cornstarch. Stir the mixture into the pot, then select More/High Sauté and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce begins to simmer and is lightly thickened. Press Cancel to turn off the pot, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 tablespoons of dill. Using potholders, carefully remove the insert from the housing and pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons dill.

Easy Buttermilk and Franks Red Hot Sauce Marinated Chicken Tenders

February 18, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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Buttermilk and Franks Red Hot Sauce Marinated Chicken Tenders
These easy buttermilk and Franks Red Hot Sauce marinated chicken tenders are so good! Doesn't everyone love chicken tenders? Honestly so tender and the best for making this kind of a recipe. You could use chicken breast that you slice which I have done many times, but the tenders really are so good. — Buttermilk and Franks Red Hot Sauce Marinated Chicken Tenders

These easy buttermilk and Franks Red Hot Sauce marinated chicken tenders are so good! Doesn’t everyone love chicken tenders? Honestly so tender and the best for making this kind of a recipe. You could use chicken breast that you slice which I have done many times, but the tenders really are so good.

I served these with my cream gravy that I added a splash of Franks Red Hot sauce for dipping! These would be great with a ranch or blue cheese too. So, the Ranks Red Hot Sauce is not real hot and I used it in the marinade to add that delicious flavor. These are not hot. I could have easily tossed these in straight sauce after frying them, but I didn’t want that intense heat like in a wing, just the flavor. I don’t know I’m just fond of a creamy gravy with chicken, but you choose the sauce you prefer.

Buttermilk and Franks Red Hot Sauce Marinated Chicken Tenders

I love Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. This is the original. here’s a link if you aren’t familiar with this brand: https://amzn.to/37EpOIO. Frank’s has several different sauces but this is the cayenne sauce. I happen to love cayenne.

The other day I made steak fingers, similar to the tenders! Here’s the link for those: https://the2spoons.com/texas-chicken-fried-steak-fingers/.

Easy Buttermilk and Franks Red Hot Sauce Marinated Chicken Tenders

To save time you can actually marinate these the night before. Just throw them in a zip lock with some buttermilk and Frank’s Hot Sauce and stick them in the fridge overnight. When you cook them all you’ll need to do is dredge them in some flour, fry them a couple of minutes in canola oil and you’re done. Make a quick gravy, some mashed potatoes and a side salad or a green vegetable and you have a great meal. Here’s a recipe for one of my mashed potato recipes: https://the2spoons.com/delicious-buttery-mashed-potatoes/.

Here’s the easy recipe! Enjoy!

Easy Buttermilk and Franks Red Hot Sauce Marinated Chicken Tenders

Print Recipe

Coursedinner, Lunch, Main Course

CuisineAmerican

Keywordbuttermilk marinated, chicken, chicken tenders, Franks Red Hot Sauce

Servings Servings

Ingredients

12-16 chicken tenders
1 cup buttermilk (more if needed to cover the tenders)
1-2 tbsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce (I used 2 tablespoons)
pinch of salt and pepper for the marinade
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3-4 cups oil for frying

Instructions

Combine the buttermilk and the Frank's Red Hot Sauce in a zip lock bag. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Allow the chicken to marinade at least 4 hours up to overnight.
Place the flour with the salt and pepper in a dish large enough to bread your tenders and whisk together.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade a few at a time and toss into the breading mixture. Be sure to press the chicken firmly into the breading so clumps adhere to the meat. (It's a messy job: use one hand to remove the wet tenders from the bag and the other to toss in the breading.) Set breaded tenders on the prepared baking sheet.
When I'm frying more than a couple of pieces I like to put my oven on warm. I also take a sheet pan and line the bottom with paper towel then I place a wire rack on it so that any excess oil can drain onto the paper towels.
Add oil to a large, high-sided pot until the level reaches about 3/4-inch. Heat over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering (about 350°). (If a cube of bread sizzles when you drop it in, it's ready.) Using tongs, place several chicken tenders in the hot oil without crowding the pan. Cook until golden brown on the bottom side, a few minutes, then flip and cook until the second side is also golden, a few minutes more. Set the cooked tenders on the wire rack to drain. Fry remaining tenders in batches adjusting the heat as necessary (if the tenders are browning too fast, lower the heat).
Serve hot with cream gravy, a ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing! These are great!