Close-up of a dish featuring a mix of corn chips, shredded chicken, black beans, corn, cheese, and chopped vegetables.

Hot and tasty chicken, three ways


By Paula Dream (AKA Kale Haygood)

Welcome to the fall season! As the seasons change, so do our appetites.

In this issue I’m concentrating on giving you some easy chicken recipes. Everyone knows how Paula loves chasing chicken (not choking) around Montrose.

But back to cooking. Whoever invented the slow cooker crock-pot should be given the gay person award of the year. So here’s something for the grill and the slow cooker.

Halloween is coming and the leaves will be dropping, so enjoy. Don’t forget our advertisers!

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH STRAWBERRY BBQ SAUCE

1 orange habanero pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 cup fresh strawberries, quartered

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 jar strawberry spread

1 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 to 4 pounds chicken pieces

 

Using gloves, split open pepper and scrape seeds out, then mince. Mix pepper with garlic, ginger and quartered strawberries to a medium size saucepan with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat for six to seven minutes, until strawberries start breaking down. Add fruit spread, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and dry mustard. Bring sauce to a slight simmer. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed.

Remove from heat, allow to cool a bit, and then puree in food processor or blender until smooth. Return sauce to heat back to a simmer. Add salt and pepper, let reduce for 10 minutes on low heat until sauce is at your desired thickness, and then remove from heat. (Remember, it will continue to thicken.)

Season chicken, then place chicken on grill until done. Since sauce is sweet, it will easily burn on the grill, so either add to chicken at very end of grilling or spoon over chicken before serving. Serve extra sauce for dipping.

CROCK-POT CHICKEN FRITO PIE

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups chicken broth

1 package taco seasoning mix

3 cups corn chips

1 avocado, diced

1 cup cooked black beans, drained

1 large tomato, cored and diced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup fresh scallion, chopped

In a four quart slow cooker, place chicken, cream cheese, cheddar, chicken broth and taco seasoning mix. Cover and cook on high for three to four hours or six to seven hours on low. Remove lid. Shred chicken with a fork and stir until well mixed in cheese sauce. Serve over chips. Garnish with beans, tomato, cilantro and/or scallion.

CROCK-POT SALSA-CHEESE CHICKEN

1 jar (16 ounces) salsa

1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, salted to taste

2 cups Mexican style cheese

2 cups cooked Mexican rice

Fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Pour salsa in bottom of four-quart cooker. Place chicken on top of salsa and sprinkle with pinch of salt. Place lid on cooker. Cook on high for three to five hours or on low for four to six hours. Thirty minutes before serving, remove lid from cooker and sprinkle cheese over chicken. Cover tightly with lid and cook for another 30 minutes on high until cheese is melted and salsa is bubbling. Keep sealed so cheese won’t dry out. Serve over rice with chopped cilantro (optional).

Paula Dream (AKA Kale Haygood) owns Beyond Service, a Montrose-based, home-cooking catering company. For more information, call 713-805-4106 or email barrykale@yahoo.com.

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