chicken

Tasty Tuesday…on a Sunday–Beast Southern Kitchen & BBQ

I wouldn’t normally post a “Tasty Tuesday” on a Sunday, but today is a very special Sunday, because the newest concept from Beast Craft BBQ, Beast Southern Kitchen and BBQ, is opening in Columbia, IL today! We were fortunate enough to carry out a meal on Friday night, and their new selection of items is quite impressive.

I had the pickle-brined fried chicken sandwich and fries. They use thigh meat for their chicken sandwich, which I thought was a genius twist on the normal fried breast meat. Beast’s signature, amazing house pickles were served on the sandwich, along with a dill aioli and butter lettuce. We all know how delicious pickle-brined chicken is right? But the batter on the chicken was also excellent, and it was an outstanding sandwich!

We also tried the pimento cheese dip, which is served with fresh biscuits. The biscuits were amazing, and the dip was beyond delicious…the addition of blistered tomatoes to a familiar, comforting dish really elevated it to a whole new level!

As long as I was already splurging, I also had a piece of their bourbon pecan pie for dessert. It includes…are you ready for this?…candied bacon! It was the best piece of pecan pie I’ve ever had. I even liked the crust, and I’m notorious for hating pie crust!

Here’s a look at some of the other entrees our family tried…the cornbreaded catfish, the crispy pork belly and grits, the pimento cheeseburger, and the chicken po’ boy. (Not pictured are a couple of the extra sides we ordered, including collard greens and mashed potatoes and gravy.) I sampled a lot (but not all) of the meals, and everything was in keeping with Beast’s high standards. Everyone loved the items they picked (with five children, there’s no guarantee that all the dishes will be a home run, but they were!), and we were definitely all full by the end of dinner!

I can’t wait until the day we can actually dine in at the restaurant for the full experience!

Tasty Tuesday–Super Simple Shredded Slow Cooker Chicken for Tacos

This recipe is so simple, it really doesn’t even need to be written down, but it was a huge hit with my whole family, and took very little effort, so I thought I’d share. It’s not only great in tacos, but also an excellent quesadilla filling!

  • 3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1 cup taco seasoning
  • 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

Place chicken in slow cooker and cover with taco seasoning and cream of chicken soup. Cook on low 8-10 hours or until cooked through. In last hour of cooking, shred chicken and return to slow cooker, mixing with sauce.

Tasty Tuesday–Rosemary Lime Chicken

Time for a new recipe! I made this a few weeks ago, and it was an even bigger hit than chicken piccata, which everybody here loves, so it’s definitely going in the permanent collection!

  • 2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin medallions
  • Salt and pepper
  • Flour for dredging
  • 4 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 4 Tbsp. butter
  • 3/4 cup white wine
  • 1/3 cup lime juice
  • 2 limes, thinly sliced
  • 3 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
  • 2 Tbsp. capers

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge in flour. Heat large skillet over medium and melt 2 Tbsp. butter with 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Pan fry chicken until brown and cooked through, about three to four minutes per side, and keep warm. Replace butter and olive oil about halfway through, and finish cooking chicken.

After all the chicken is cooked, deglaze pan with wine. Add lime juice, lime slices, rosemary, capers, and salt and pepper, and simmer for several minutes. Pour over chicken and serve with rice.

A Feast for Michaelmas

It was rather convenient that, this year, Michaelmas coincided with a nice Sunday dinner! We had angel chicken, which is chicken in a creamy Italian white wine sauce served over angel hair pasta:

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And a heavenly strawberry roll for dessert, also know as angel food cake jelly-rolled and filled with vanilla-strawberry cream (notice the theme?):

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I wish I could have come up with an angelic side dish, too, but I’m just not that creative. But having the main dish and dessert share the theme wasn’t too bad!

Tasty Tuesday–Angel Chicken Pasta

This dinner is a family favorite, and makes enough that we can have a second meal with the leftovers!

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  • 3 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1  package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1  can condensed golden mushroom soup
  • 4 ounces cream cheese with chives
  • 1 pound angel hair pasta

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in the package of dressing mix. Blend in wine and golden mushroom soup. Mix in cream cheese, and stir until smooth. Heat through, but do not boil.

Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Pour sauce over. Bake for 60 minutes in the preheated oven.

Twenty minutes before the chicken is done, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to box directions. Drain.

Chop up chicken and serve with sauce over pasta.


Soup Recipe: Chicken Chili

I usually double the following recipe, to make sure we have plenty of leftovers!
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 can (4-ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 cans (16 ounces) BUSH’S BEST Great Northern Beans
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth
  • 1 ½ cups finely chopped cooked chicken breast
  • Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
  • Sour cream (optional)
  • Salsa (optional)

In large skillet, cook onion in oil for 4 minutes or until transparent. Add chilies, flour and cumin; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add beans and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken; cook until hot.

Garnish with cheese, sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Soup Recipe: Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice

  • 3  14.5 ounce cans chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded
  • 1 6 ounce package quick cooking long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet*
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 cups heavy cream

In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water and chicken. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.

Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

*If you like a thicker soup, use two boxes of the long grain and wild rice.