Mexican Street Corn Chicken

 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast (4-6 thin chicken breasts)

3 cups sweet corn (2 cans, drained)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 tbsp lime juice

1½ tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Topping

1/4 cup queso fresco crumbled

1/4 cup cilantro chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, combine the sweet corn, mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, and chili powder and mix to combine.

In a casserole dish, lay the thin chicken breasts flat in the dish. Then season with salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Spread the corn mixture evenly over the top of the chicken.

Bake at 350˚F, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (165˚F internal temp.) Then remove from the oven and garnish the top with crumbled queso fresco and chopped cilantro.

VARIATIONS:

Spicy Street Corn Chicken– Make recipe as directed adding in 1/4 cup diced jalapeno. You can also add additional cayenne pepper into the corn mixture to get more spiciness.

Loaded Mexican Street Corn Chicken– Get more deliciousness with black beans and sweet bell pepper. Make as directed adding 1 cup of black beans and 1 sweet bell pepper (any color) diced into the corn mixture. With the additional volume of veggies, it may take 5-8 minutes longer to cook.

Light Mexican Street Corn Chicken– Lighten this recipe up by reducing the mayonnaise to 2 tbsp, and replacing the sour cream with greek yogurt.

SOURCE: https://easyfamilyrecipes.com/mexican-street-corn-chicken/

Honey-Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

 Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 1/2 cup ketchup

• 1/3 cup honey

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

Directions

Step 1

Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Step 2

In a small mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, and basil. Pour mixture over the chicken thighs.

Step 3

Cook on low heat for 6 hours.

Source: cookingprofessionally.com

Street Corn Chicken Casserole

 Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts

• salt

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 8-ounce corn, drained (half of 15-ounce can)

• 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 tablespoon cumin

• 4 oz cotija cheese crumbled (substitute feta if you can't find cotija)

• 3 green onions, chopped (optional)

Directions

Step 1

Set your oven to 375 degrees F.

Step 2

Add your chicken breasts to a medium casserole dish. Top with seasonings. Then, add corn and black beans. Add a little more chili powder.

Step 3

Crumble your Cotija. Top the contents of the casserole dish with the crumbled cheese.

Step 4

Place the casserole dish in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. The chicken should be fully cooked through. Recommended internal temperature is 165 degrees F.

Step 5

Remove from oven. Top with optional green onions for a garnish.

Source: cookingprofessionally.com

Kentucky Margarita

1 ounce fresh lime juice

1 ounce agave syrup

2 ounces bourbon

fresh sprig of mint

lime wheel

pink Himalayan sea salt

Rim a margarita glass with pink Himalayan sea salt and set aside.

Into a cocktail shaker add fresh lime juice, agave syrup, bourbon, and top with lots of ice.

Secure the lid on the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.

Strain into the prepared margarita glass filled with fresh crushed ice.

Garnish with a lime wheel and a fresh sprig of mint.

Blue Cheese Dip

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

Hot pepper sauce

Fresh pepper

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 scallion, sliced

In medium bowl combine sour cream and mayonnaise. Stir in blue cheese. Squeeze in lemon juice. Add a dash of hot pepper sauce and pepper. Add parsley and scallions. Stir to combine and serve.

Source: foodnetwork.com (via my brother Scott) for the wing recipe. I don't eat blue cheese so I will stick with ranch but may make this for the hubby.

Smoked Then Grilled Chicken Wings

 Ingredients:

20 chicken wings

1 tablespoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne start small and add more if you like spice

First step is to fire up the smoker and get the coals burning while we get everything else ready.  Fill up a chimney starter with coals and let them burn down until you see ash forming on the top coals.

Once those have burned down, empty them into your smoker's fire basket, open the ventilation and close the lid so she can heat up.  The wings only need about 45 minutes to cook at around 300 degrees, so no need to add unlit coals for a longer burn.

While the smoker is getting itself ready, throw together your rub and mix thoroughly.

I like to cut off the actual wing part of the chicken wings.  This is the wing tip that has no meat on it, but they somehow always leave it on when butchering the chicken.  It's optional, but just takes up room on the smoker or grill.

Rub your wings down with the rub, throw a handful of wood chips on the smoker then place the wings on your smoker's grate.

Get your smoker at a stable 300 - 315 degrees and let them smoke for about 45 minutes.

Once the wings have cooked on the smoker for 45 minutes, the meat should be cooked through.  Fire up your grill to medium.

Transfer your wings over to the grill and grill them for about 2 minutes per side.  This should be quick, we just want to crisp up the skin.  A little charring isn't bad, but watch those flare ups!

Remove from the grill and either serve "dry" or toss them in your favorite wing sauce!

Source: www.grillingcompanion.com (via my brother Scott)