Buffalo Chicken Salad

Time is a precious commodity these days.  Dinner this week was prepped while wearing my three week old son in his Ergo carrier.  I managed to get Salsa Chicken done for Monday night and then got started on Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken. 

These are both great recipes for anyone who is strapped for time- minimal ingredients and practically no hands on time means that dinner is ready before 9 pm.  Heck, you might even get to eat it with two hands if you're lucky (and the baby is asleep).  

The original recipe called for lettuce wraps, but I figured salads were an easy one-handed option.  

The night before, I defrosted chicken in the crock pot insert with chopped onion and chicken broth.  Love Crock Pots with removable inserts.  Makes it so much easier to get a head start when you don't have to refrigerate your entire Crock Pot.  Who has room for that in their fridge??

Cooked on high for 4 hours.

Then shred your chicken into small pieces using two forks.

Bust out the Buffalo sauce and douse the chicken liberally.  I used 3/4 cup, but feel free to adjust to your own taste.

Stir it together and cook on low for another 30 minutes.

Pile it high on chopped romaine and top with other veggies and cheese of your choice.  The feta in this picture is a bit misleading- it was...shall we say...funky, so it was actually removed before consumption.  Mommy brain fart- pretty sure that feta was months+ old.  Oops. 

Enjoy!  This turned out to be a super healthy and hearty meal.  This chicken would also be phenomenal on a pizza, in a pita, or even added to an omelet.  The possibilities are endless if you love Buffalo sauce!

Salsa Chicken & Sweet-Sour Peppers

While I gravitate to multiple step, complicated recipes, sometimes it's nice to throw dinner in the oven and sit down while it cooks. Adventures in the kitchen are good for lazy days, but sometimes you need to get food on the table RIGHT NOW.

Three ingredients, thirty minutes, 1 pan.

Ready? Of course you're ready.

Salsa Chicken

1 1/2 cups of your favorite salsa (I used Roasted Garlic Salsa from Trader Joe's)
2 defrosted, trimmed chicken breasts
1 cup shredded light cheese (I used a mexican blend)

Preheat oven to 350. Get out an 8x8 Pyrex baking dish. Don't grease it! You don't need to. I said this was easy!

Add the chicken. Here's a helpful tip- just defrost the chicken in this pan. That way you have even less to clean up.


Top the chicken with the salsa. Layer with cheese. Make sure the chicken is fully covered- any exposed parts may burn.

Bake for 30 minutes or until juices run clear and the top is golden brown.

I serve this alongside Sweet-Sour peppers. Again, this couldn't be simpler and requires minimal supervision.

Sweet-Sour Peppers

2 medium bell peppers, sliced into strips
1 medium red or white onion, sliced into strips
*Note: Try to keep all strips the same size so they'll have a similar cooking time.
Salt
Vinegar- I used white balsamic, but you could use regular balsamic, apple cider vinegar- plain white vinegar would work fine, too.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a saute pan (the one with sides). Chop up 2 bell peppers and 1 medium onion. Toss them into the pan and season with a three-fingered pinch of salt ~1/4 tsp. Saute until soft and a bit brown. Add in roughly two tablespoons of vinegar- twice around the pan in Rachael Ray measuring. Let it bubble and reduce to fully coat the veggies. Cook another 2-3 minutes and serve hot.

This meal feels like cheating because it's so easy, but it always satisfies. Get creative and swap the salsa for pizza sauce for Pizza Chicken or chutney for Indian Chicken. This recipe practically begs for improvisation- enjoy!