Say, What’s that I Smell?

Today is National Potato Chip Day. I will admit, I did think about making some awesome Potato Chips from scratch. But really, that’s not a meal. Potato chips are for snacking or serving with a sandwich on the run.

Besides, although not planned, we did something yestersday for National Potato Chip Day. So today we’re free to simply enjoy time together as a family. And being together in God’s Holy Plan is better than worring about Potato Chips in my book, what about yours?

I don’t know anyone on the planet that doesn’t have at least one quirk when it comes to food. Kiddo doesn’t like to eat anything that still has a bone. Boneless pork chops are fine. Leave the bone in and he will eat around the bone, leaving the most flavorful part of the chop on his plate. I can’t seem to get him to understand that bones are packed with flavor. I love a good Ribeye Steak. One with a bone is twice as “beefy” as one cooked without the bone. I don’t know if the marrow seeps into the meat during the cooking or what, but it’s just better. The one exception seems to be chicken breasts. Oh wow – a light just came on. Bone-in chicken thighs taste better than boneless chicken thighs – and there’s marrow in those bones. But breast meat not so much. And the bones are different. I’d say bone in breasts and fish with bones are the two that are better boneless.

I’ve been cooking up Chicken Strips lately. Kiddo says I can make him chicken strips or nuggests every day and he’d be fine. These bites are to satisfy a craving I get every time we go to the grocery store. The way our store is laid out, you enter through the Produce and Deli section. Produce on one side, deli on the other. Which means we smell the chicken and fries from the deli counter just begging to come home with us the moment we walk through the doors. The only time that happens is if we are stopping in just for the hot deli offerings and nothing else. So each week I file the mouth watering aromas away in my brain somewhere until the opportunity to create Hot Deli Offerings at home arises. Today is one such day casual at home day. While Hubby recovers from Hip Replacement Surgery, we’re keeping life simple and easy for us both. Enjoy!

Boneless Barbecue Chicken Bites
3 boneless Chicken Breast
Barbecue Seasoning to taste
1 cup Flour
1 tablespoon Mesquite Seasoning
1 tablespoon Barbecue Seasoning
1-1/2 cups Barbecue Sauce (for the chicken), divided
Additional Barbecue Sauce (for dipping)

Heat oven to 425-degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch or so bites of approximately the same size. Sprinkle strips with barbecue seasoning, toss and set aside.

In a pie tin or shallow bowl whisk flour with Mesquite Seasoning and Barbecue Seasoning. Pour about a half-cut of barbecue sauce into a small bowl. Brush chicken strips lightly in the barbecue sauce, then dredge chicken in the flour mixture, and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake chicken strips for 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, turning once halfway through baking time.

Remove chicken bites from the oven. Brush with remaining half of the barbecue sauce. Place under the broiler just long enough for the sauce to begin to caramelize. Serve with Steak Fries and more sauce for dipping.

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My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, You will not spurn.