Hard Rock Chicken Salad

Several years ago, I ate at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square with my pal, Becky. That's right, people… I said years. When it comes to food, I always remember the good stuff.

While there, I chowed down on what I assumed would be a basic chicken salad. Instead, I received a sandwich that has stayed in my memory for so long, I now have to recreate it. Luckily, I was smart enough to take a picture of the menu description, whew! So I had a basic idea of what was needed for this beauty.

The menu description stated, "Poached chicken with celery and green onions, in a light citrus mayo with dijon and dill. Served on a toasted hoagie with spring mix, cranberries, and goat cheese".

I totally got this!

I started with the citrus mayo. Easy peasy, people.

Citrus mayo ingrediente 

Naturally, I forgot one ingredient in the picture above. Pretend there's salt in there, ok?

To make the citrus mayo, mix together ¾ cup mayonnaise with 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice, ½ teaspoon orange zest, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. You could throw in a little lemon zest too, if you wanted. I just like the orange flavor a bit more. Sometimes I zest a little of both.

And that's it! See how simple that was? Now on to the chicken itself.

Start with 3 cups of cooked, diced chicken breast. I poached my chicken in the crockpot, because it is way too hot to turn on my oven right now. You can cook yours any way you like, but I love how moist and juicy poached chicken is.

How to poach chicken in a crockpot

 To your diced chicken, we're going to mix in a few things...

To the chicken, add the citrus mayo, 2 stalks of diced celery, 2 tablespoons minced green onions (just the green part), ¼ cup dried cranberries, and ¼ cup of chopped, honey roasted pecans. Your chicken salad should look a little bit like this:

At this point, chill the salad until you're ready to serve it. When you're ready to make sandwiches, we'll add a few more things.

I really want a sandwich now. Seriously might need to raid my fridge.

So.

Slice your bread roll in half. I prefer a crustier bread roll, definitely not plain sandwich bread. Look for kaiser or onion rolls, or maybe ciabatta bread. Yum. 

Add a little mayo to the top piece of bread. You can also add dijon to the bottom piece, but I found this to be overwhelming. If you want my advice, don't do it. But if you really want to… well, it's your sandwich.

Pile some of the chicken salad on the bottom half of your bread (this should make 4 sandwiches). Sprinkle about 1 ounce of crumbled goat cheese on top, and then about ½ teaspoon of fresh dill. Top with a bit of spring mix and the other side of the bun, and viola! Hard Rock Chicken Salad Sandwich.

Basic, simple, tasty, and perfect for that summer heat. Serve with some fresh fruit or a green salad. Later this week, I'll show you an easy recipe for creamy lemon salad dressing… it would go great with on a side salad for this sandwich!

What are your favorite recipes to beat the heat? Comment below with your favorites, or send me your pins. I love testing out new things.

Until next time, happy cooking!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

The Standard Form:

Hard Rock Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups poached chicken, diced

Citrus mayo (recipe below)

2 stalks celery, diced small

2 tablespoons green onion, minced

¼ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup honey roasted pecans, chopped 

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

2 teaspoons fresh dill (about 2 sprigs)

Spring mix, for garnish

4 rolls, such as Ciabatta or Kaiser

Directions:

Combine the poached chicken with the citrus mayo, celery, green onion, cranberries, and pecans. Stir until well combined. Chill 1 hour before serving.

To serve, slice the bread rolls in half. Spread one side with a thin layer of additional mayo, or Dijon if desired. Mound chicken salad on the bottom half of the bread. Top the salad with 1 oz. crumbled goat cheese, ½  teaspoon of fresh dill, and spring mix. Add top piece of bread. Serve with a green salad.

For the citrus mayo: Combine ¾ cup mayonnaise with 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice, ½ teaspoon orange zest, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.  

Crockpot Poached Chicken

As the warmer months approach, I've been on a mission to create recipes that don't require my oven or stovetop. Do you believe it, there's no AC here in Germany?!

Ya, I didn't believe it either. Until we got here, and realized… no AC. Hence the desire for no-heat recipes as often as possible. The oven really warms up the house, but the crockpot is a wonderful alternative. 

I use poached chicken in any number of recipes, but I especially love it for chicken salad (stay tuned this week for my Hard Rock Chicken Salad recipe!). The Hubs would rather I make buffalo chicken dip with it, so I usually poach enough for both recipes. 

The process is relatively simple. Add your chicken breasts to the crockpot, then pour in enough chicken broth to completely cover the breasts. If you don't have chicken broth on hand, you can always use water. Or a combination of both. I prefer chicken stock because it adds a little extra flavor. 

You can also add in various seasonings and spices too! Because I made this especially for my chicken salad, I topped the broth off with 1 lemon (sliced into wedges) and a few sprigs of fresh dill. 

The rest is easy… just put the lid on your crockpot, set the heat to low, and walk away for a few hours! My chicken takes about 2-3 hours to cook, depending on thickness. I suggest you start checking for doneness around the 2 hour mark. When done, remove the chicken from the pot and let rest for 10 minutes before you shred, slice, or dice it. 

Why do we let the chicken rest? Because we don't want all the yummy juices to run out and leave us with tough, dry chicken. Trust me, peeps. 

Poached chicken is great for so many recipes, I couldn't even list them all. But try it with chicken salad, buffalo dip, quesadillas, chopped on green salads… the list could go on and on! And you don't need to heat up your house to do it either, total bonus. 

I'll be back soon with my special chicken salad recipe, Hard Rock style. Until then peeps, happy cooking!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

The Standard Form:

Crockpot Poached Chicken

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 cups chicken broth

1 lemon, cut into wedges

4 sprigs fresh dill

Directions:

Add all ingredients to your crock pot. The liquid should completely cover the chicken breasts. If it does not, add enough water until the breasts are covered. Cook on low heat for 2-3 hours, checking after 2 hours to see if the chicken is cooked. Do not let the chicken overcook or it will dry out. Once cooked, remove from pot and allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes before slicing, shredding, or dicing.

"Cooking" for One

"Cooking" for one.... wondering why the 'cooking' is in quotes? Well, I'll tell ya. Technically, I don't think this recipe counts as official cooking. Sure, it's completely delicious. But something this simple, this easy... it couldn't possibly fall into the 'cooking' category.

Could it?

Well, I'll let you decide for yourself.

When the Hubs is away, mealtime warps into something sad. Cooking for yourself isn't that much fun; I much prefer having company. Most recipes are a 4-serving size... not so bad when there are two of you.  That means a great dinner on Monday, plus a Tuesday of no-cooking while you enjoy the leftovers.

BUT, if you're only cooking for yourself? I get pretty tired of lasagna (or whatever) after the first two days. On Wednesday, that still leaves several days of uneaten lasagna in my fridge. Not cool.

Unfortunately, the military life basically guarantees that, as a spouse, you will spend many nights alone. Those are the breaks, and we all knew what we were getting into. I used to fall back on old standbys for dinner... like Wendy's. Or take-out Chinese. Lean Cuisine. If you're a spouse, you know what I'm talking about! The quick and easy, anything that won't create too many unsightly leftovers in the fridge.

Lucky for you, I've seen the light! There is another way, I promise you. And because I love all y'all invisible internet people, I'm going to let you in on the secret (Woo, my southern is really coming out today!).

The secret is this: Simple, flavorful meals. Ones with small serving sizes, or ones that freeze easily. Today I'm going to share another quickie recipe with you. It's great for lunch or dinner. Plus, you can customize the portion. Just you tonight? No problem, this easily makes one. Having a friend over? No worries! Just as easy to make another.

Drum roll please......

Strawberry Balsamic Chicken Salad Sandwich!

Man, that title is way long. What about Chicken Salad Sandwich? What about Strawberry Chicken Sandwich? How about just Sandwich? Or 'Wich?

I'm obviously having an identity crisis.

Whatever its name, this sandwich is super simple to make. You can be eating in less than 10 minutes if you so choose.

I so choose.

Here are your basic ingredients:

As you can tell, I was quite lazy with the 'chicken salad' part. If you want to make your own chicken salad, go for it! I do that sometimes too. But it's so easy to keep a container on hand, especially if the Hubs is gone. Simple is better for me in those times.

If you like the simple too, you can find this great chicken salad at a Target Superstore. I heart Target Superstores, seriously.

Mmmmmmmm..... it's magically delicious.

Ahem. Ok. Now that I've wiped away a little bit of drool, we can get serious. Start with your rolls, or ciabatta, or whatever bread-type substance you desire. I use club rolls (also from Target, bakery section).

I toast my bread first. You can pop it in your toaster, throw it under the broiler, or toast it in a skillet. I go for the broiler method so my bread only toasts on one side. Super simple... just spray your bread with a little non-stick cooking spray and toss it under the broiler for a few minutes. Keep an eye on it to prevent burning (been there, done that!), and pull it out at your desired level of brownness.

I can't believe I just spent a paragraph explaining how to toast bread. It's been a long day.

From there, build your sandwich! I have a little secret to tell you... before adding your preferred greens (I go for the spring mix or arugula usually), use a teeny, tiny shmear of the chicken salad on one half of the bread. This acts a little like glue, so when your greens are placed on top they don't squish around and out of the bread. Drives me crazy when that happens!

So, shmear of chicken salad. Then your greens. Next, a healthy pile of sliced strawberries...

Say what?! 


You heard me! I don't care how crazy it sounds, I don't care if it's the last thing you would ever put on chicken salad. Trust me. You won't regret it. And if you do happen to regret it (which won't happen!), it's a sandwich, people. Pull off the strawberries, moosh your bread back together, and keep on eating.

Now that we're past the difficult part... add a nice dollop of chicken salad on top of the strawberries. Prepare yourself, because we're about to add another mystery ingredient. The strawberries need a little somethin' somethin' to compliment their deliciousness...

If you've kept up with your reading, you'll know I've used this before. Quite recently, in fact. I also found this at Target, but if there isn't one near you, Amazon also carries this particular balsamic glaze. Or, you can make your own by reducing a bit of balsamic vinegar. For another quickie meal (easily customizable for one), think back to my Watermelon and Arugula Salad. This glaze is so useful!

ANYWHO... onward. Drizzle your sandwich with a bit of glaze (ok, I like a lot!). Top with the other bread half. And... viola!

A fun and creative dinner/lunch for one. Serve with a side of raw vegetables, fruit, or mac-n-cheese if that's your style! I went for some baby black corinth grapes, just because they were so cute and tiny.

What kind of meals do you make when your Hubs is away? More coming soon from my kitchen to yours...

Back in the Saddle Again

When life gets a bit crazy, some things get pushed aside and other things take the forefront. It's all about priorities, people... they don't always start with what I want at the top of the list, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Lately, home-cooked meals have gone by the wayside. Too many appointments, errands, and other craziness in the way. After the spaghetti sauce incident, (see the post here: http://armylifefromthewife.blogspot.com/2012/02/spaghetti-sauce-is-out-to-get-me.html) the Hubs and I are getting into our groove, and home-cooking is back on the menu. 

Of course, in order to have a stupendous dinner, you need one main thing... groceries. Of which, we had none. But I wasn't going to let that stop me! Normally, I carefully plan out a weekly menu and I shop accordingly (there's that whole OCD problem again). Being frazzled definitely contributed to the strange array of food that somehow found its way into my refrigerator. For example: Purple potatoes. Say what? Accompanying the potatoes, I had one questionable apple, some fancy mustard, frozen chicken, a Lean Cuisine, asparagus, mayonnaise, cream, and a bit of chicken broth. Oh yes, also yogurt, 2 strawberries, and about 6 bottles of wine. Say nothing.  

Not exactly the makings of something fabulous, right? Wrong, wrong, wrong. Sometimes the fabulous comes from pure desperation and hunger. I would make do. 

While I stared at the contents of my fridge in horror, I wondered how I could create something out of nothing. I'll give you a free tip that has saved me on many occasions: Look at your possible "main" ingredients, and then... Google. 

Google is my best friend. On this particular night, I typed 'chicken and mustard recipe' into my search window. An exact recipe didn't magically appear, but I found enough inspiration to tweak and create a meal. What came out of the kitchen looked a little something like this: 

Mustard chicken with roasted purple potatoes and asparagus

Please ignore the poor photo quality, we were hungry! Too hungry to take a stylized picture, just enough time for a snapshot. 

Even when you think there's absolutely nothing to eat in your cabinets, something comes together. There are a few staples I almost always have on hand, spices and condiments that I'm never without: Salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil, flour, sugar, etc. With those, I can do anything!! 

Ok, that's a lofty statement, and probably not entirely true, but it worked this night. Let's start with the chicken, since it requires the most preparation, about 10 whole minutes. 

All the ingredients are pretty basic: Chicken, olive oil, white wine, garlic, salt, pepper, chicken broth, and cream. Oh, and don't forget the mustard! You can use any kind of mustard you want, or any combination of mustards. I used this because it's what I had on hand, not to mention it will be expiring soon. Waste not, want not... 

I have to say, it was pretty delicious with the chicken. If I see this mustard again, it will find its way into my cart, guaranteed. 

Now, for the chicken... you can prepare it one of two ways. Naturally, I took the easiest and quickest way. You just don't waste time when the Hubs is hungry. 

There were three fairly large chicken breasts in my package. You can do what I did (slice the breasts in half longways to create six cutlets) OR you can take the time to hammer your chicken thin with a meat mallet, like this one: 

If you go the route of the mallet, make sure your chicken is the same thickness all the way around. This way, it will cook evenly in the pan. Actually, if you're slicing it like me, do the same. You want all the chicken to cook at the same rate. 

Once sliced or flattened, be sure to salt and pepper both sides of your chicken. Don't be shy! A little salt never hurt anyone (ahem), and it adds much needed flavor to your dish. Season as you go, and you won't be disappointed in the end. There's nothing worse than serving a meal to guests, only to have them pile on the salt after a single bite. 

Next, warm a skillet over medium-high heat. To the skillet, you want to add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter (not pictured, oops!).  Stir it around until the butter melts, which will take no time at all.  From here, add your chicken to the skillet. You should hear a definite sizzle when the chicken hits the pan... if you don't, the skillet isn't hot enough to get a good sear! 

Why do you want a good sear on the chicken? Because it locks in the flavor, baby! (I tend to channel Buddy Valastro when I get excited about cooking. Pay me no attention). Whatever you do, don't squish the chicken, or shake the pan, or any other crazy thing. All you really have to do is... NOTHING. Not a darn thing. How easy is that? Just listen to the sizzle, inhale the chicken fumes, and smile. 

When the chicken is ready to be flipped over, you should see some browning around the edges. Just flip, and then wait again while the other side turns the same golden color. Mine took about 4-5 minutes per side. You can cook the chicken in two batches if your pan isn't big enough, I did! 

Once brown, just pull the chicken from the pan and set aside. Do not slice a piece open to see if it's done. Big no-no. Why? You want to let your meat rest for a bit. If you slice into it right away, all the juice and yummy flavor will leak right out. Don't do that. The chicken will find it's way back into the pan later, so it doesn't need to be 100% cooked through right now (though it most likely will be, mine was).  

Reduce the heat on your skillet to medium, then add about 3 cloves of minced garlic. I prefer fresh, but I always have a jar of the pre-minced stuff in my fridge. It's one of those staples I don't like to be without. Cook about one minute, stirring constantly. The garlic will smell delicious as it warms. 

Be careful not to let the garlic burn, it really does take just a minute. From there, pour about a cup of white wine into the skillet and deglaze the pan. What does that mean, you wonder? Well, the chicken has left lots of yummy brown bits in the bottom of the pan that actually look kind of gross. But those brown bits are packed with immense flavor. Flavor is what it's all about, baby! (There's that Buddy again). When you add the wine, stir it around and scrape up all those bits. This will be the base for your sauce. 

Let the wine bubble and simmer until it's been reduced by about half. You can use any kind of white wine you have on hand. I opened a bottle my pal Jackie brought me back from vacation. After you use what you need for your sauce, pour yourself a glass and enjoy the rest while you finish cooking. Or serve it as a compliment to the meal. 

To the reduced wine, add about 3 tablespoons or so of mustard. I have to be honest here, I didn't measure. Don't be like me! Whisk the mustard into the wine then add some cream (1/2 cup) and some chicken broth (again, 1/2 cup). Taste the sauce and adjust as you go, this is very important no matter what you're cooking! If you don't try it, how will you know what it tastes like? It could taste like dog food or some other awful thing. Taste as you go! 

Ok, did you taste it? Everything is fabulous? Good. Add your chicken to the sauce and let everything warm and bubble. Cook a few minutes more while the sauce thickens up a bit, maybe 5 minutes. And then.... eat it! 

Oh, wait. You can't just have chicken. Side dishes are required for a well-balanced meal. The two sides I made are simple and require almost the exact same preparation. Saving time = Happier Hubs. I only took a picture of the potato ingredients, but they are so similar, you'll have no problem. Here we go:

Purple Potatoes 

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Wash and scrub your potatoes, then cut them into similar-sized pieces (don't remove the skin). Why do we cut into similar-sized pieces? So they all cook the same!

I'm using purple potatoes, which might seem strange, but they were quite delicious. Unlike your regular potato, the purple variety is rich in antioxidants. It's a win-win situation.

 Ready for the difficult task ahead? I'm kidding! All you need to do is this: Coat the potatoes with a little bit of olive oil (not too much, a little goes a long way), then season with salt and pepper. That's it. You can add other spices if you like; I used a bit of thyme. Then, you just put them on a cookie sheet in the oven and let them roast until tender, at 425 degrees. Mine took about 25 minutes, but yours could take longer if your pieces are larger than mine.

And that's all! To roast the asparagus, you use the same technique. Wash the asparagus, then cut off the woody ends. Toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and then roast. The only real difference is the cooking temperature. I like to roast the asparagus at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Voila! You have a home-cooked, simple and delicious dinner. All in all, this took about 30 minutes to prepare. Roast your veggies while you cook the chicken, then serve it all hot.

Do you have any cleaning-out-the-refrigerator meals? Feel free to share your tips and recipes! This chicken turned out so well, we'll be having it again next week. Happy cooking :)

The Standard Form:

Mustard Chicken

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup white wine

3 tablespoons fancy mustard (Honey Balsamic, Dijon, Stone Ground, etc)

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup chicken broth

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Cut your chicken breasts in half lengthwise, or pound thin with a meat mallet. Salt and pepper both sides.

Warm the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan, make sure you hear a sizzle! Cook about 4-5 minutes per side until the chicken is golden brown. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside.

Reduce the heat on your skillet to medium and add the garlic to the pan. Sauté one minutes, then deglaze the pan with the wine. Let the wine bubble until reduced by half, then add the mustard and whisk to combine. Stir in the cream and chicken broth. Taste as you go, add seasoning as needed.

Return the chicken to the skillet. Cook about another 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Serve hot.  

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Pepper

Directions:

Trim the woody ends from the bottom of the asparagus stalks, removing the bottom ½-1 inch.

Line the asparagus spears side by side in a 9x13 pyrex baking dish or on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with kosher salt. Give the pan a few shakes to roll and coat the asparagus.

Roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, removing from the oven when the tips start to brown. Serve.

                                                    Roasted Purple Potatoes

Ingredients:

2lbs. purple potatoes

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Pepper

Thyme

Directions:

Scrub the potatoes clean, then chop into similar sized pieces. Place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle the potatoes with a bit of olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, and thyme.

Roast at 425 degrees until tender, about 25-30 minutes. 

Keys in the Freezer = BBQ Chicken Pizza

It's been one of those weeks. Actually, if I'm going to be totally honest, it's been one of those months... maybe years.

You know the kind of week I'm talking about, because we've all had them. The kind where you lose your keys in the refrigerator because you can't keep your head screwed on straight for five minutes. And yes, as cliched as it is, I did that earlier this week. Technically I lost them in the freezer, but still. Please hold your laughter until I can no longer hear its echo.

The reasons for this debacle are many and varied, and totally unimportant. Just know that I'm trying to disentangle myself from the pileup as you read. I'm also indulging in a little chocolate therapy to make the world seem brighter. It's working wonders.

As for the Hubs... well, seeing as he left before sunup today, and came home well after sundown, you can only imagine that he's having one of those weeks too.

What do we do when the world is spinning like mad and we can't keep up? In this house, we make pizza.

Ha, you thought I was joking, but I'm not! Sometimes there is just way too much going on around us, and that leaves no time to plan for dinner. I can always tell when we're running too fast, because pizza is suddenly on the table.

When things get really bad, we order take-out Chinese. So at least we're still in the game. For now.

Pizza may seem a bit unhealthy as our go-to, quickie meal, but there are ways to keep it wholesome. Use a keys-in-the-freezer-week as an opportunity to clean out your vegetable drawer! Plus, you can always make your pie with whole wheat crust and low-fat cheese too.

Naturally, I did none of these things. But you could, if you really wanted to.

Instead, we made this:

BBQ Chicken Pizza

If you've lived your whole life without this indulgence, please correct the oversight immediately.

This recipe actually started as a challenge. The Hubs claimed that he would never eat barbecue sauce on pizza.

Oh, oh, oh.... I beg to differ. Loudly. Challenge heard, and accepted.

And so it began... with chicken.

Ingredients, Part I

While I was rushing around, changing out loads of laundry and answering my phone, I quickly tossed together the chicken for the pizza. So easy, even the Hubs could do it.

Two chicken breasts in a pan. Salt and pepper both sides. Toss with 1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Let rest at least 10 minutes before dicing. DONE.

See? Easy. If you don't even have time for that, you can use some pre-cooked rotisserie chicken tossed with a little barbecue sauce. There are always ways to simplify.

One of the best parts of this recipe is that it makes enough for 2, 12-inch pizzas. Or one really big pizza pie. Either way, it means leftovers.

On to the next.

Ingredients, Part II

Yep, I'm using pizza crust from a bag. Remember, this is our keys-in-the-freezer dinner. Simple is better.

You can use any kind of crust you prefer. The toppings-ready kind is something of a miracle when you have very little time. But I prefer to mix my own, even if the mix comes in a Betty Crocker bag. I also like to do three things when making the crust:
     
        1. Spray the pizza pan with non-stick spray, then dust it with a little cornmeal. It makes me feel      
            like a professional.
        2. Dust my hands with a little flour before spreading the dough. I don't like my hands sticky.
        3. Finally, I prick the crust with a fork and pre-bake it for about 5 minutes before adding my
            toppings. Otherwise, I think the crust can get soggy. Bleck.

The next few steps might seem a bit labor intensive, but it only sounds that way. In reality, the whole process takes maybe 10 minutes. Trust me.

Slice a red onion thinly, into half-moon slices. Toss the slices into a skillet with a tablespoon or so of butter on medium-low heat. Let them cook, stirring them here and there, for about 10 minutes while you do other things. The onions will soften and brown, which brings out their sweetness. In the end, they should look something like this:

For a shortcut, you could just slice the onions thin and use them on your pizza raw. While they won't be caramelized, the oven temperature will help them cook right along with the pizza.

While the onion cooks, warm another skillet over medium-low heat. Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 cloves of minced garlic to the pan. It's not necessary, but I also added a few fresh oregano leaves to my pan. I told you that pizza can help clean out your veggie drawer!

This only needs to be on the heat for about 60 seconds, just long enough that the garlic becomes aromatic and infuses the oil. After I pre-bake my crust, I brush this over it before adding any additional toppings. The flavor is delish, and adds a new taste level without a lot of hassle. You could skip this step if you want, but I seriously don't think you should. Also, just a quick tip: this makes a great sauce base for any blanco pizzas you might try in the future.

Now comes the easiest part of any pizza recipe, the assembly. After brushing the crust with the oil mix (you won't need to use all of it), sprinkle on about a cup of fresh mozzarella onto each pie (Remember, this recipe makes two!).

On top of the mozzarella, drizzle some more bbq sauce. This amount is at your discretion, but keep in mind that the sauce will thin and spread a bit as it bakes. Next, cover with your diced chicken, one breast per pie.

Here's one of the secrets to great BBQ Chicken Pizza... several types of cheese. Cover the chicken with 1 cup (per pie) of shredded Gouda cheese, then add your onions (1/2 on each pie), and then add a light sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

It's pizza time! Bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is nicely browned. I top mine with some chopped cilantro, it's a fabulous finishing touch. But if you don't care for cilantro, you could try out some green onion, or maybe parsley. Whatever you choose, enjoy! This is a pizza that's not to be missed (Refer to photo #1, drool, then go make pizza!).

As to my challenge with The Hubs.... you guessed it! I win. Not only did he LOVE the pizza, but he's already asked me to make it again. Score one for me!

What are your keys-in-the-freezer, quickie meals? Feel free to comment below and share your experience with the rest of us!



The Standard Form:

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

2 bags Betty Crocker pizza crust mix

2 chicken breasts

1 red onion, sliced thinly

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup bbq sauce, plus more for drizzling

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

Optional: 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

2 cups shredded Gouda cheese

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

6 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts. Toss with ½ cup bbq sauce. Bake in a glass pan for 20-25 minutes, or until done. Let rest 10 minutes before dicing into small pieces. Set aside.

Soften the onions in a skillet with the butter over medium-low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized. Set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Mix the pizza crusts according to package directions. Lightly spray your pans with non-stick cooking spray and dust with a bit of cornmeal. Stretch the dough to fit, then prick all over with a fork. Pre-bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven.

In a skillet over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil with the minced garlic, and the optional oregano, just until aromatic.  Brush the oil over the pre-baked pizza dough, just enough to cover. Do not over saturate.

Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese on each crust. Drizzle with extra bbq sauce. Add the chicken (one breast per pizza), the top with 1 cup of Gouda cheese each. Divide the onion evenly onto each pizza, then add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Bake until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Top with the chopped cilantro, slice and enjoy!