I must admit, dear reader, I am over this hot, humid weather. I do not recollect the last time we had a hot and humid summer. Our grass is dead, the pastures are stunted, the flies are terrible, and porch sitting is uncomfortable. I do believe I am not built for hot, humid weather. I don't feel like eating when the weather is hot and humid. I crave fruits and vegetables or cool classics like yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit. However, one bib overall wearing Neanderthal believes he needs meat with every single meal. Sigh.
We are not a grilling kind of family. We own a grill but rarely use it. I tend to catch things on fire when I cook on the grill. There have been several incidents ending with melted knobs, charred burgers or steaks, and me holding my phone, debating whether I should call the fire department while I repeat, "shit, shit, shit, shit, shit...." under my breath. It's not good. Grilling in hot, humid weather is ideal because one does not have to heat the oven and undo what the miracle of air conditioning accomplishes. I find myself using my crockpot a lot during the summer months. Honestly, I use the crockpot year-round. It is the handiest kitchen appliance I own. I know that newer, new-fangled gadgets have been created to make life easier. Many swear by their Instapot, air fryer, and pressure cooker, but as with everything else, I tend to be old school.
I own three crockpots. One I use for our everyday personal meals, one for parties and company, and a tiny one for dips. I like my old, beat-up everyday crockpot the best. It seems to cook evenly and consistently. I recently discovered a new recipe for BBQ chicken in the crock pot. Rather than dump chicken breasts in the crockpot with a bottle of Sweet Baby Rays, the chicken is coated with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper. Coating the chicken in olive oil makes it juicy, tender, and moist. I could not believe the difference.
I served this meal with homemade mac and cheese and fresh green beans. It was easy, simple, and delicious. The best part was I did not have to heat the oven. I put the chicken and mac and cheese in separate crock pots and went about my day while dinner cooked on the counter. After a full day in the soap studio, having a meal ready and waiting without a lot of fuss is nice. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.
Crockpot BBQ Chicken
Ingredients:
-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1/4 cup good olive oil ( I like Liokareas from the Ligonier Market)
-1 tsp. garlic powder
-1/2 tsp. onion powder
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup brown sugar
-3 Tbls. apple cider vinegar
-1 bottle Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce
Directions:
-Place the olive oil, garlic powder, and onion powder in a large bowl. Whisk until well blended. add the chicken breasts one at a time, and turn until completely coated in the olive oil mixture.
-Place the chicken in the crockpot.
-In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and BBQ sauce. Whisk until completely blended.
-Pour the BBQ sauce over the chicken breasts.
-Cook on low setting for six to eight hours.
On this blissfully rainy day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy delicious food, and keep washing your hands.
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