Buffalo Chicken and Potato Bake

Here comes a buffalo chicken and potato bake that will drop your hunger.  Like it's hot. This recipe has a fair amount of prep work but the cooking is easy.

Gather your ingredients…

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 8-10 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes  (I leave the skin on)
• 1/3 cup olive oil 
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 TBS. freshly ground pepper
• 1 TBS. paprika 
• 2 TBS. garlic powder 
• 6 TBS. hot sauce 

Topping:

• 2 c. Fiesta Blend Cheese or a mix of Cheddar & Monterey Jack
• 1 c. crumbled bacon 
• 1 c diced green onion

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Crazy hot, I know.  Wash the potatoes and cube them up real nice.  Leave the skins on…they will get nice in crispy in the oven.

Get all of your seasonings in a big mixing bowl with the olive oil and hot sauce...dump your potatoes in and give them a nice spray tan orange coating.  

As you can tell from the pictures below...I put the potatoes in first then all the seasonings.  That was really, incredibly stupid and I'll regret it for the rest of my life.  Don't do that.  

Then get them into a pan and into the oven...leave as much of the sauce behind in the mixing bowl as possible. 

Wash and cube your boneless skinless chicken breasts...I used a little dark as well.   Then get them chickens in the mixing bowl and coat them too. Add more of the same seasoning mix if you'd like.   

Also dice your bacon and green onions in with the chicken.

The recipe calls for cheddar or colby jack cheese…but I like bleu cheese with my buffalo chicken so I used mostly bleu with a little bit of cheddar.  And I didn't have any shredded cheddar so I tore up some cheddar slices.  WT...I know.  This would also be a good time to add some ranch dressing in there if you wanted...I rolled sans ranch.  

When the potatoes have been in for 45 minutes, pour the chicken-cheese-bacon-onion mixture on top and put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes (longer if you used bone pieces of chicken).  Reduce the heat to 400.  

(no picture for this... my photog lost interest apparently)

Put yourself a side in the microwave…a can of beans, bag of broccoli and cheese…whatever gets it done for you.  This loaded chicken bake isn't the healthiest so probably something green would be good.  Your heart will hate you a little less.  

Pull that crap out and eat it like a champ.  Simple, cheap, delicious.  Boom. 

West African Chicken Stew

So after a brief hiatus...I'm out of the apartment and into my new home...with some upgraded gear...and rocketing back into the blogosphere with .... West African Chicken Stew.  My analytics tell me that no one from Africa is actually looking at my blog...but then again they probably don't have computers
over there.

So who wants AIDS?  Well go somewhere else...because this stew won't give you any.  No Malaria neither.  Here's what you'll need:

2 lbs of chicken...I used a combination of boneless skinless breasts and thighs

1 onion

1 sweet potato

1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 tbs of tomato paste

1 can of white beans

1 can of corn

1/4 cup of peanut butter

2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ginger

1-2 tbs oil

Wash and cut up your chicken however you'd like.  I removed most of the skin and fat from the thighs but left a little for flavor.

Get the chicken into a pan with the oil over medium heat and let it fry until it is no longer pink.

While that's going, check your yard for a supply drop from UNICEF containing your veggies.  Not there? Ok, well thats pretty much just like Africa too.  Make sure there are no warlords on your property stealing your supplies.

Peel and cube the sweet potato.  I also used a couple of yukon gold potatoes.  I peeled and minced the ginger...it stayed pretty crunchy in the final product...I'd recommend smashing it into more of a paste if you are using fresh.  

Then peel and chop your onion and garlic.     

Open your canned veggies with a sharp rock or stick.  Pour them into your big soup pot and add the rest of the veggies, seasonings, and the peanut butter.

Put the chicken in and bring it to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer for about 30-45 minutes.  Voila.  Your stew is done.  Share it with your tribe.  Refrigerate or freeze the leftovers.