Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

I also call this dish Because I love my husband chicken simply because of the bacon and his mad love of bacon. I've actually never wrapped anything in bacon before. I don't know what I was waiting for because bacon just makes everything better.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
10 chicken tenders (or about 3 chicken breasts cut into 10 strips), rinsed and patted dry
10 strips of bacon
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon chili powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine paprika, black pepper, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Rub the spices evenly over the chicken strips so they are completely coated. Wrap each piece of chicken in a strip of bacon. Place the bacon-wrapped chicken in a baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and chili powder. Sprinkle this mixture over the top the chicken then press it down. Flip the chicken over and repeat.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Optional: Transfer chicken to a cookie sheet and place under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes to give the bacon extra crispiness.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Chicken Recipes:
Pizza Inspired Chicken 
Potless Chicken Pot Pies
Provincial Chicken
Zesty Shredded Chicken (Crockpot) 
Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Tomato and Artichoke Chicken 

Crockpot: Chile and Tomato Shredded Chicken with a Cheese Sauce

According to the recipe I was following, this was supposed to be a jalapeno popper pulled chicken. However, I did not get a jalapeno popper feel from this dish. Don't get me wrong, it was fricking amazing, and I can't wait to make it again and again. It just didn't remind me of a jalapeno popper.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons onion, minced
15-ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 cube chicken bouillon

Sauce
3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
Milk

Garnish
1 jalapenos, seeded and sliced or diced


Directions:
Chicken
Grease your slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the cooker. Add garlic, onions, and spices. Pour the can of tomatoes over top.

Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or on Low for 8 hours. Shred chicken using two forks.

Sauce
Place cream cheese in a microwavable bowl and microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat as needed until the cheese has melted. Stir in pepper jack until the shredded cheese has melted. Add milk a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. (I liked my sauce thick and only added 1 tablespoon of milk.)

Now, you can serve this dish a variety of ways. The original recipe served the chicken on a bun with the sauce and jalapenos on top of the chicken. But you also put it in a tortilla (this is how I'm eating it next time), in a taco shell, or on a bed of tortilla chips. I had used up all our tortillas to make homemade tortilla chips so Eric and I ate the chicken on a plate basically (it was still really good this way too!)

Cheese Sauce (I'm totally in love with this sauce!)

Homemade Tortilla Chips

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Crockpot Recipes:
Alfredo Green Bean Casserole
Brown Sugar and Garlic Chicken
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Mashed Potatoes
Orange Chicken
Pumpkin Butter
Simply the Best Macaroni and Cheese
Tomato and Artichoke Chicken

Corn and Black Bean Skillet Chicken

I've been in a baking mood lately, not a cooking mood, which means that dinners around here have been pretty boring. Leftovers, boxed, or frozen. The other night I still didn't feel like cooking, but I craved real food. This is a nice quick recipe for those kinds of nights. It's got lots of flavor, it cooks in one pan, and fills you up.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned sweet corn, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned diced tomatoes with chiles, drained

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Sprinkle the mixture on both sides of each chicken breast.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes, flip, and cook for another 5 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Add the black beans, corn, and tomatoes to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the veggies are hot.

Serve over rice, pasta, tortillas, or as is!

To be honest, I didn't think Eric would love this meal. He's generally not a fan of black beans. But he devoured it! I definitely will be making this again.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Chicken Recipes:
Baked Garlic Chicken
Chicken Enchiladas with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
Chicken with a Honey Mustard Sauce
Jalapeno Popper Chicken
Lime Mustard Chicken
Orange Chicken in a Slow Cooker
Parmesan-Seared Chicken
Provincial Chicken
Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Tomato and Artichoke Chicken

Homemade Taco Seasoning

My mom gave me a recipe for chimichangas (I still need to play with that recipe a bit before I share it) that called for taco seasoning. I didn't have any on hand so I just made my own--I already had all the spices I needed in my pantry. I don't think I'm ever going to buy it again.

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:
Mix all the spices together and store in an airtight container. I used a mini mason jar.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Lime Mustard Chicken

Making candied citrus peels has quickly become a Christmas tradition. It's kind of a two for one deal. I get to made candy out of the peels then find tasty uses for the leftover fruit. I used the orange to make spiced cranberry juice. And I used the limes to make this chicken.

Kind of forgot to take a picture until the chicken was almost gone!

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup honey mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the lime juice, mustard, olive oil, chili powder, salt, pepper in a 7x11 baking dish. Marinate chicken breasts in the mixture, any where from 15 minutes to overnight. 

Bake for 40 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and juices run clear.


I acutally made this back in early December for my future father-in-law's birthday (along with a decadant chocolate birthday cake). Though the flavors were more summery than wintery, it was a huge success. And sometimes you just need that hint of summer when it's snowing and below freezing outside.

Enjoy!

~Krissy