Siracha Honey Hot Wings

We like food that makes us lick our fingers. Right?  Most of us love a good hot wing. Whether savory, fiery or sweet n spicy, they are always delicious. I am a big fan of Siracha hot sauce and use it as a condiment and an ingredient I use to flavor many of my favorite dishes like my infamous sweet n spicy shrimp tacos.

 Siracha adds that perfect balance of sweet and heat for hot wings and they are flavorful without being over powering. These delectable wings were  improvised in my kitchen like most of my recipes, so you can tweak the ratio of ingredients to your liking.  I often add other ingredients to increase the dimension of flavor to this sauce and it is a great blueprint to add your own personal touches.

 I have many flavor combinations that start off with this simple base of honey and Siracha. You can roast your wings in the over at high eat or throw them on the grill to add a nice smoky flavor.

Start with fresh chicken wings that you have thoroughly rinsed clean.

Get all of your seasonings ready

Add a generous squeeze of fresh lime, and season with garlic powder and Himalayan sea salt 

 

 

The finished product is fingerlickin good, so go ahead..I won't tell anyone and if you lick the plate, It'll be our little secret:-)

Ingredients

 

1 lime

Himalayan sea salt

garlic powder

1/3 cup Siracha

1/3 cup honey

1-2 teaspoons soy sauce

 

Directions:  Squeeze lime juice all over the wings and then sprinkle with sea salt and garlic powder. Let your wings marinate for about 30 minutes to an hour.

 

Combine the Siracha, honey and soy sauce

Oil your grilling rack and then light your grill and let it preheat for 5 minutes. Grill wings 20-30 minutes until skin is crispy and slightly charred. Brush wings with sauce and return to grill for a couple of minutes. Remove wings and brush with more sauce.

 

 Bon Appetit!

 

 

 

Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad

It is a new year and most of us have indulged in holiday eating more than we care to admit. I ate a lot of cake and cookies and pie and macaroni and cheese. Did I mention that I ate a lot of cake, cookies and pie? I enjoyed every last crumb too. I don't even feel guilty. Okay, maybe a little. Well, the holidays are over and it is time to get serious about eating healthy. I am excited about eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables and you should be too. You and I will feel so much better. This salad is something special.

It's really special

 

This salad is so good I have eaten it three days in a row. 

 

Yes.

 

It's that good.

 

 I love a good salad, especially a colorful salad that is chock full of fruit and fresh vegetables. One of my favorite salads is the strawberry poppy seed chicken salad at Panera Bread. It is one of their signature summer salads and I enjoy it quite often in the summer. After experimenting in my kitchen, I came up with my own delicious salad inspired by Panera, but with a few of my own special touches. This is simple, delicious and healthy. Try this and watch those holiday hips go away. If you are watching your sugar intake, you can swap the poppy seed dressing for a simple mix of Braggs apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Dijon and a hint of agave. Are you ready to taste this colorful masterpiece?

I like to mix my salad greens and I always include baby spinach

A little spring mix and romaine add more color and texture

And then the berries

oh the berries...

Mandarin oranges add additional sweetness

The Panera version of this salad has pecans, but I switched it up with toasted walnuts

Grilled chicken is the final ingredient. The salad is equally delicious if you make it completely vegetarian, but we need our protein. Don't we? I'm ready for some salad. How about you?

 

 

Ingredients

2 chicken breast halves seasoned and cooked

For the Lemon Poppy seed Dressing

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons diced onion
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup olive oil or regular vegetable oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Add all ingredients except oil and poppyseeds to the blender or a food processor. When everything is well blended, start adding the oil a little at a time in a steady stream. Add the poppyseeds and process for a few minutes.

In a large salad bowl, combine the salad greens, fruit and walnuts. Toss with dressing and put a mound of salad one each plate and add the chicken.

Makes approximately 10 generous servings

Go ahead and tell everyone you spent all day slaving over a cold salad:-)

Bon Appetit!

Chicken Dorito Casserole

I must confess, there is nothing healthy about this recipe. It is oozing with cheese, layered with nacho cheese Doritos and void of any nutritional value, but I still think you should eat it. Why? Well, it's pretty damn good and you can always balance this out with a green salad on the side. 

This recipe has been in my family for years and was given to me by a close friend of our family. This is perfect on a cold winter day, or when you want to have something cheesy and indulgent. To save time, just shred a rotisserie chicken and in about 30-45 minutes you will have a pretty tasty meal to sink your teeth into:-)

Start with onion and saute until translucent and fragrant

Then the onions get combined with cooked shredded chicken. I always use leftover rotisserie chicken, but you can also poach chicken breasts and shred when they are done

Nacho cheese Doritos are generously layered throughout the casserole

Cheese makes everything better. I like to use a blend of Mexican cheese, but this works fantastic with plain cheddar

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cups shredded chicken

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (or more to your own personal taste)

1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup cream of tomato soup

1/2 cup milk 

1/2 cup sour cream

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1/2 packet of taco seasoning

1 16 oz bag Nacho Cheese Doritos

Directions:  Saute onions in a small skillet and set aside. In a mixing bowl combine chicken, sauteed onions cream of chicken soup, milk, sour cream, Rotel tomatoes and taco seasoning. 

In a greased baking 2 quart baking dish, put a layer of crushed Doritos, layer with chicken and cheese, and Doritos, and keep layering until you end with Doritos.  Sprinkle generously with cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Note: You can crush your Doritos or keep them whole. I usually crush the bottom layer and leave the rest of them whole. When done, top each serving with a dollop of sour cream.

Bon Appetit!

Sweet Spicy MotherCLUCKERS

These sweet and spicy chicken slices are mother-clucking good! They are the perfect sandwich to serve at your next party, get together or gathering of friends. The chicken is cooked in the crock pot and is sweet and savory. The pickled onions at great texture and the Serrano peppers really bring the heat. Remove the seeds and you will have a nice hint of heat that does not incinerate your taste buds, but if you like it HOT, leave the seeds in the pepper.

You can prepare the pickled onions the day before or start them in the morning and then you can let your chicken cook in the crockpot while you relax or go run a few errands. 

If you have never had pickled onions, they are absolutely delicious on sandwiches, tacos, as a topping on your favorite meat and poultry dishes and pretty tasty on salads. They are pretty flavorful on just about anything.

These peppers really add that extra something to these sliders

Sweet Hawaiian Rolls balance the flavors perfectly, but these are also great on toasted dinner rolls, baguettes or torta rolls. The bread you use is only limited to your imagination.

You can assemble these sliders and serve on a platter, or leave the fixings out and let your guests build their own.

Whether you like a little heat...

or a lot

These  sliders hit the spot. Just one bite and you will say in your most incorrect english: "commere you sweet spicy muthaclucka"

Ingredients

1 Package of Hawaiian Dinner Rolls

1 red onion

1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar 

1 cup water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 Serrano Pepper

Sweet n Spicy Pulled Barbecue Chicken (recipe below)

For Sweet n Spicy Pulled Barbecue Chicken 

6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 12 ounce bottle barbecue sauce

1/2 cup Italian Salad dressing

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon Siracha

Directions:

Place chicken in crock pot. combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken. Cook on high for three hours. Take a fork and shred the chicken, reduce heat to low and cook for one more hour.

For Pickled Onions

1 red onion thinly sliced

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 

Directions:

Whisk together vinegar, water, sugar and salt until well combined and sugar is dissolved.  Place sliced onions in a jar and pour the liquid on top and let sit for 1 hour in covered jar. The flavors are better if you put in refrigerator and wait one day. These will keep for a few weeks in your refrigerator.

To assemble sliders:

Slice rolls in half, top with a generous serving of the chicken, top with pickled onions and sliced de-seeded peppers. 

Servings: 16 sliders or  six regular size servings

Bon Appetit!

Teriyaki Chicken Sliders

 Sliders are all the rage these days and rightfully so. They are small and pack a lot of punch. These are perfect appetizers or a great meal when served with delicious sides and a nice icy drink:-) These are great when entertaining too. Just put on a nice platter and pass around to your guests. These Teriyaki sliders have a hint of sweetness and if you cook them on the grill, a hint of smokiness.

I have tried these sliders with lettuce and tomato, and I have experimented by putting a cabbage slaw on them.  They are absolutely delicious either way. I really love sliders and who can resist something so tiny and cute? 

Ingredients 

4 medium chicken breasts 

1 bottle Teriyaki marinade

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes

fresh pineapple chunks or rings

Cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup canola oil

Green leaf lettuce washed and dryed

Red Onion

Kings Hawaiian Dinner Rolls

Pound chicken breasts until 1/2 inch thick. Cut Chicken breasts in half. Combine Teriyaki sauce, honey and red pepper flakes. Reserve 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. Place the rest of the mixture in a bowl or resealable bag. Marinate chicken for at least 2 hours.

Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Remove the chicken from the bag and discard marinade. Brush grill with oil and place the chicken directly on grill and cook 5-8 minutes on each side or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165. Remove from grill and brush with reserved sauce.

To build your slider, simply add sliced red onion, leaf lettuce and tomato and garnish with pineapple.

 The sliders have a great flavor when cooked on the grill. That hint of smokiness and the sweet sauce are a great combo. It is delicious cooked in the oven too, but will not have that smoky element you can only get from cooking on an open flame on the grill.

Bon Appetit!

Sweet Spicy Sticky Fingerlickin Chicken Wings

Can I just say that I love a good chicken wing.  The hot variety that we love to eat with blue cheese dressing, carrots and celery sticks is always satisfying, but these sweet, spicy and sticky wings are the kind that make you lick your fingers and suck the bone. Yes, the sauce is that good. Pour it over rice for a nice meal and  serve with your favorite vegetables, or pile them up on a plate and get ready for some good lip smackin, fingerlickin plate kissin chicken wings. 

The recipe can be adjusted to fit the level of sweet and heat that you prefer.  Most of the time when I cook, I just add a pinch of this, a touch of that until I arrive at the flavor dimension I want, but to make it easy for you to follow, I have some approximate measurements that I know will give you a great result:-)

The sauce burns easily due to the sugar content, so keep a close eye on your wings. The longer these marinate in the sauce, the more flavorful they will be. I like to marinate them in the morning and cook in the evening.

This is one of the special ingredients that make these wings so scrumptious. Oh Honey...

 I promise this is as good as it looks. Just think, you could be eating this in a couple of hours.

Ingredients

3 Pounds Chicken Wings

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons Franks Hot Sauce or Tabasco sauce

2 tablespoons chile sauce

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cover and refrigerate marinating for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375. Arrange chicken wings in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook for at least 45-50 minutes. Baste wings a few times and turn wings once at half way point. Once Wings have cooked for 50 minutes.  Reduce heat to 225 and cook another 30 minutes. 

Bon Appetit!