How NOT to Cook a BBQ Chicken-Apple-Bacon Flatbread Pizza



 



Don't worry.
I'll share the right way to cook this pizza. It really is easy, if you don't suffer from Kitchen Wildness.
But first, a little backstory. When I told my 85 year-old mom what I was cooking for supper, she said, "I've never heard of such!"

I'd made BBQ chicken pizzas before, using BBQ sauce for a base, and my taste-testers had given it a thumb's up. However, I wanted to be edgy and freaky, so I decided to add apples and apple jelly.

I had no way of knowing that I would embark on a culinary disaster, my own personal Poseidon Adventure. 

source

First, Bandwidth threw away my bacon drippings, which is a felony in the South. But I persevered, slathering extra sauce under and over the toppings.

The finished product looked and tasted like a wet shag rug, not that I've bitten into a rug, but you get the idea.

Bandwidth felt sorry for me, and he was also hungry, so he decided to show me

how to cook a pizza proper! Cooking "proper" is polite Southern slang for, "I'll show you, my pretty, and your little dog, too."

While he cooked, I did a post mortem on my fiasco. If I'd added more Tabasco, or even tossed in some red pepper flakes, I would have only added heat, not depth. The gone-baby-gone bacon drippings would have added depth.

But Bandy's pizzas were perfect.

The cure was to add a small amount of sauce, not a tidal wave.

Easy BBQ-Apple-Bacon Flatbread Pizza

                                               

                                            Quantity: 2 pizzas

2 flatbread crusts

1 deli BBQ chicken

1 apple, cut into small pieces

6 slices applewood bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup sliced green onions

snipped chives

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 - 2 cups shredded cheese

2 tablespoons apple jelly

3/4 cup barbecue sauce

1/8 teaspoon onion salt (or to taste)

Tabasco--dash

ground pepper and Kosher salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Make the sauce: Whisk jelly, BBQ sauce, Tabasco, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Prepare the toppings: Cut/chop/or slice the chicken, bacon, apple, bell pepper, and red onion. Set aside.

Place flatbread on pizza stones.

Spread a small amount of sauce on each flatbread, a few teaspoons at a time--less is more!

Or you'll end up with Tsunami Pizza:

Use this photo as a guide:

Sprinkle cheese over sauce. Add chicken, peppers, onions, and apples.

Salt and pepper.

Bake pizzas for 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Note: Watch them carefully because

the jam will burn.

Remove pizzas. Sprinkle with bacon, chives, and green onions.

Printable Recipe

An On the Menu Monday contribution.



This adventure left me thinking about odd pizza toppings.

What is the strangest one you've tried? What were the results?

A Foodie Friday contribution.

Photos by MLW; proper pizza by Bandy



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Grilled Wings and Drumsticks

Game day is here, and I'm still cooking. If I get behind, and I probably will, I'll heat up the "make-ahead" appetizers. Aren't they a cook's best friend? We love the smokey taste of grilled wings and drumsticks, along with a not-too-spicy barbecue sauce. They pair perfectly with corn muffins, black-eyed pea dip, pull-apart cheese/onion/bacon bread, and raw veggies/dip.

Super Bowl Wings and Drumsticks

1 large package drumsticks (uncooked)

1 large package chicken wings (uncooked)

olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika

Rinse poultry and pat dry with paper towel. Rub wings and drumsticks with olive oil. Sprinkle poultry with salt, pepper, and paprika. Grill, turning frequently. During last 5 to 10 minutes of grilling, brush drumsticks and wings with homemade barbecue sauce. Remove from grill. When cool, place in large Ziploc bags and refrigerate (1 day). Before serving, heat in the microwave and garnish with chopped parsley.

 

Barbecue Sauce

3 T. butter

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 c. molasses

1 c. catsup

1 Tbs. light brown sugar

1 1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

1/4 t. chili powder

1/4 t. black pepper

1/4 t. salt.

Dash of Tabasco (optional)

Parsley, chopped

Melt butter in a skillet. Add chopped onions and sautee until the veggies are translucent, about 10 minutes over a medium flame. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the flame and set aside. 

Printable Recipe

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Roasted Chicken

Last Friday, middle Tennessee was under a tornado watch. The Channel 4 radar showed a solid block of red over the mid-state. As the wind whipped over this bare hilltop, I hid in the kitchen. 

Like most foodies, I am obsessed with recipes. I cook when I'm happy, sad, stressed, and just for the heck of it. But when stormy weather hits, I bake my way though the storm.

Since it was Friday, I'd planned to roast a chicken (that way, we can enjoy sandwiches and salad all weekend). Most cooks have a basic recipe for chicken. It's the little black dress of poultry: classic, versatile, and works for all menus and occasions. Roasted chicken can be dressed up or down--the accessories are endless, down-home vegetables or exotic ingredients.

Best of all, once you've popped the hen into the oven, you can goof off. It's the perfect recipe for people who are hungry but exhausted.

It's even better if you need a distraction.

While softball-sized hail pummeled the farm, I gathered ingredients.

The weather often influences my menu. When it's cold and rainy, I need comfort food. During the chilly fall months, there's nothing like roasted chicken with apples-potatoes-and-carrots. But this dish is equally welcome on a blustery day. As tornado sirens blared in the distance, I slathered the hen in buttery forgetfulness.

As my mother always says, "Add flavor at every opportunity!" During the storm, I called her several times. She reminded me to place bacon, apple cores, and parsley in the hen's cavity (and also to season the cavity with the same attention that I give to the breast: butter, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper).

After I seasoned the hen, I added the final touch: layers of apple-smoked bacon.

To keep the breast from browning too quickly, I covered it loosely with tin foil. Basting is optional. I added beef broth, but any broth will work. I set the oven timer so I will remember to baste. But many tired, weather-worried cooks might not hear the oven dinger go off. If you fall into this category, you might want to keep an egg timer in your apron pocket.

During the last forty-five minutes of cooking, I uncover the hen so it will acquire a lovely patina.

There's much to be said for cooking during a tornado. I was fortunate that the electricity stayed on.  Bad weather cooking can be a time to experiment. I made crackers, but they were horrid, so I'm rethinking the recipe.

I also baked an asparagus quiche and whole wheat sunflower seed bread.

We sat down to eat and joined hands, whispering prayers for victims of the storm. 

Basic Roasted Chicken

. . .

What You Need:

1 hen

2 cup chopped onion and celery mix

4 to 8 slices bacon

1 cup beef broth

1 stick butter, melted

4 T butter to sautee vegetables

Spices to taste: paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, lemon pepper

sea salt & pepper to taste

thyme

parsley

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare vegetables. Wash hen in sink (remove giblets) and place in large roasting pan. Pour butter (1 stick, melted) over hen and rub all over skin. Make sure you lift the skin over the breast (gently) and push butter beneath the surface. Season hen with spices, salt, and herbs. In a separate pan, sautee onions and celery in 4 T butter. Set aside.

If you are adding cut-up vegetables (see below) to the roasting pan, place them around the hen. Be sure to place vegetables in the cavity--such as apple cores, parsley, etc. Pour sauteed onions/celery over hen and cut-up vegetables.

Arrange uncooked bacon slices over the breast. Add a sprinkling of sea salt and pepper. Cover hen with ten foil and place in 325 degree oven. Cook 2 - 3 hours or until the juices run clear (when the thigh is pricked with a fork). You might want to remove the foil during the last 45 minutes of roasting. Remove from oven and let the hen "rest" for about 20 minutes. Slice and serve.

Variations--Ways to Spiff up a basic roasted chicken:

Cornbread-biscuit stuffing

Peaches or apricots

rosemary

mushrooms

lemons and lime

oranges

dried berries and raisins

turnips

pomegranate

sprouts

white wine

leeks and chives

For a rustic, rainy-day version add:

2 cups chopped apples (peel if you dislike the texture)

3 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (do not peel for a rustic version)

4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (for added nutrients, do not peel)

                   Print This Recipe

Leftover roasted chicken is a marvelous thing on a sunny Saturday.

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