This easy and fun maple BBQ bacon wrapped shrimp appetizer is a quick way to either wow your friends with your creativity or accidentally skewer your mouth on a stray toothpick, depending on how many glasses of wine you’ve had prior to indulging. It’s a great starter for get-togethers and parties, and will please almost any carnivore you meet. Pair with my vegan jackfruit buffalo dip with garlic herb dippers to please everyone in the family, plant-based and meat-eater alike!

I personally recommend a nice thick-cut bacon for this recipe, because that will give you maximum crisp on each and every shrimp and be relatively easy to skewer. And buy the largest jumbo shrimp you can find! In a perfect world, I would love to try throwing these on an outdoor grill, but unfortunately we don’t have one to test that out. If you’re feeling adventurous, though, try skewering a couple of these bacon wrapped shrimp on a larger bamboo stick and grill them up over some hot coals! That would give them a delicious smoky flavor that’s hard to beat.

Ingredients:

• 20-25 jumbo shrimp, tail-on
• 10-15 strips bacon
• 8 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp BBQ sauce
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder
• toothpicks (to secure)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Cut each strip of bacon in half width-wise.
3. Wrap the body of each shrimp in 1/2 strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
4. Place bacon-wrapped shrimp seam-side down on a wire rack over a tinfoil-lined baking sheet.
5. Repeat with remaining shrimp.
6. In a small bowl, melt butter. Mix BBQ sauce, maple syrup, chili powder, chipotle powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and mustard powder into the melted butter, and then brush onto each bacon-wrapped shrimp.
7. Bake for 5-7 minutes, remove from oven to flip shrimp and baste with the remaining seasoned butter, and then return to the oven for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until the bacon has begun to crisp and the shrimp are fully cooked through.

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Maple BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 20-25 jumbo shrimp tail-on
• 10-15 strips bacon
• 8 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp BBQ sauce
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder
• toothpicks to secure

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425F
• Cut each strip of bacon in half width-wise.
• Wrap the body of each shrimp in 1/2 strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
• Place bacon-wrapped shrimp seam-side down on a wire rack over a tinfoil-lined baking sheet.
• Repeat with remaining shrimp.
• In a small bowl, melt butter. Mix BBQ sauce, maple syrup, chili powder, chipotle powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and mustard powder into the melted butter, and then brush onto each bacon-wrapped shrimp.
• Bake for 5-7 minutes, remove from oven to flip shrimp and baste with the remaining seasoned butter, and then return to the oven for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until the bacon has begun to crisp and the shrimp are fully cooked through.

The post Maple BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp appeared first on I Forgot Salt!.

Like any good, self-respecting millennial, I am obsessed with avocado toast. After figuring out the trick to keeping avocados fresh for a few weeks at a time (the fridge, you fool!), I took it upon myself to end every Wegman’s trip with enough unripe organic avocados to shame even the most dedicated of Portland hipsters. What can I say? I’m a woman of taste, and that taste revolves almost entirely around mushy green superfoods. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or a midnight snack–if there’s a slice of bread and half of one of Mexico’s greatest agriculture contributions to the modern world rolling around in plastic wrap (I know, not the most environmentally friendly; I really need to get some of that cool beeswax paper), I’ll have my hands on a slice of avo-toast the minute hunger hits.

One of the best things about avocado toast–like all bread-based, sandwich-adjacent foods–is its unending versatility. You can literally open your fridge or pantry, stack whatever you find onto the bread/butter/avocado base, and end up with something absolutely delicious. Over the course of my whirlwind romance with The Reason Millennials Can’t Afford to Buy Homes (Fox New’s finest piece of journalism to date, for sure), I’ve indulged in everything from The Basic Bitch (simple salt and pepper, maybe a bit of lemon juice) to God’s Greatest Mistake (leftover Chinese take-out on sourdough, smothered in a runny fried egg), and every iteration I’ve devoured has been undeniably delicious. Just before sitting down to type this out, even, I took a break to feast on two slices of my current favorite combination, I Wouldn’t Put Effort Into This Even If You Paid Me (feta cheese and chipotle mayo, a bit of lime juice if I’m really feeling zesty) just to set the mood.

Truly, avocado toast has come to define the American millennial generation more than any other cultural touchstone in the last fifteen years. More controversial than Britney Spears, more despised than Twilight, more universal than the iPhone, and more uniting than the PSL (seriously–everyone loves those things), it is the stuff of legends. Every decade has a defining moment, a cornerstone that lingers beyond the test of time to become some immortal thing still playing an active role in people’s lives today, so many years after its heyday. The 1960s had The Beatles, the 1970s had high-waisted jeans, the 1980s had Super Mario Bros, the 1990s had Friends, and the early 2000’s had The Greatest American Financial Crisis Since World War II. And I believe the 2010s will be remembered for one thing and one thing alone: our Lord and Savior, avocado toast.

So, without further ado, I present three easy and delicious versions of this most blessed dish: I’m Only Dedicating Ten Minutes To My Lunch, Just A Little Bit Pretentious, and The Hangover: Part IV.

I’m Only Dedicating Ten Minutes To My Lunch

Ingredients:

• 1 slice bread
• butter (to toast)
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1/3 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• lime juice (to taste)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, thoroughly mash 1/2 ripe avocado.
2. Generously coat one side of the bread slice with butter. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and broil on LOW for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown.
3. Remove from oven, flip, and spread avocado on the soft/untoasted side of the bread.
4. Top with cheese, bell pepper, and chili powder. Return to oven and broil on LOW for additional 2-4 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
5. Garnish with lime juice and enjoy while warm.

Just A Little Bit Pretentious

Ingredients:

• 1 slice bread
• butter (to toast)
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1/2 cup raw, fresh spinach
• 1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt (to taste)
• black pepper (to taste)
• lemon juice (to taste)

Directions:

1. In a nonstick skillet heated to medium-high, add mushrooms, spinach, balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Pan fry for 5-7 minutes, or until spinach has wilted and mushrooms have browned. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, thoroughly mash 1/2 ripe avocado.
3. Generously coat one side of the bread slice with butter. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and broil on LOW for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown.
4. Remove from oven, flip, and spread avocado on the soft/untoasted side of the bread.
5. Top with sauteed mushrooms/spinach, feta cheese, and lime juice. Can be enjoyed either warm or room-temperature.

The Hangover: Part IV

Ingredients:

• 1 slice bread
• butter (to toast)
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 2-3 slices raw, thick-cut bacon
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp chipotle mayo
• 1 tsp chipotle Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 tsp cilantro

Directions:

1. In a large nonstick skillet, pan fry 2-3 slices thick-cut bacon until crispy.
2. Without removing any rendered bacon fat from the pan (no matter how much is left; Kirkland Signature usually yields about 1/4 cup per 5 slices of bacon), crack one egg directly into the hot pan and position so that the how oil pools across the top of the whites. Fry until bubbling and crispy on the bottom, then repeat with the second egg.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, thoroughly mash 1/2 ripe avocado.
4. Generously coat one side of the bread slice with butter. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and broil on LOW for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown.
5. Remove from oven, flip, and spread avocado on the soft/untoasted side of the bread.
6. Top with bacon, fried eggs, chipotle mayo, hot sauce, and cilantro. Serve immediately, while eggs are still hot. (Best eaten with a knife and fork.)

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Avocado Toast: I’m Only Dedicating Ten Minutes To My Lunch

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1 toast

Ingredients

• 1 slice bread
• butter to toast
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1/3 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• lime juice to taste

Instructions

• In a small bowl, thoroughly mash 1/2 ripe avocado.
• Generously coat one side of the bread slice with butter. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and broil on LOW for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Remove from oven, flip, and spread avocado on the soft/untoasted side of the bread.
• Top with cheese, bell pepper, and chili powder. Return to oven and broil on LOW for additional 2-4 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
• Garnish with lime juice and enjoy while warm.

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Avocado Toast: Just A Little Bit Pretentious

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 1 toast

Ingredients

• 1 slice bread
• butter to toast
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1/2 cup raw fresh spinach
• 1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• lemon juice to taste

Instructions

• In a nonstick skillet heated to medium-high, add mushrooms, spinach, balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Pan fry for 5-7 minutes, or until spinach has wilted and mushrooms have browned. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, thoroughly mash 1/2 ripe avocado.
• Generously coat one side of the bread slice with butter. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and broil on LOW for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Remove from oven, flip, and spread avocado on the soft/untoasted side of the bread.
• Top with sauteed mushrooms/spinach, feta cheese, and lime juice. Can be enjoyed either warm or room-temperature.

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Avocado Toast: The Hangover: Part IV

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 1 toast

Ingredients

• 1 slice bread
• butter to toast
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 2-3 slices raw thick-cut bacon
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp chipotle mayo
• 1 tsp chipotle Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 tsp cilantro

Instructions

• In a large nonstick skillet, pan fry 2-3 slices thick-cut bacon until crispy.
• Without removing any rendered bacon fat from the pan*, crack one egg directly into the hot pan and position so that the how oil pools across the top of the whites. Fry until bubbling and crispy on the bottom, then repeat with the second egg.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, thoroughly mash 1/2 ripe avocado.
• Generously coat one side of the bread slice with butter. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and broil on LOW for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Remove from oven, flip, and spread avocado on the soft/untoasted side of the bread.
• Top with bacon, fried eggs, chipotle mayo, hot sauce, and cilantro. Serve immediately, while eggs are still hot. (Best eaten with a knife and fork.)

Notes

*No matter how much is left; Kirkland Signature usually yields about 1/4 cup per 5 slices of bacon.

The post Avocado Toast Three Ways appeared first on I Forgot Salt!.

Improper jambalaya has been a quick-dinner and last-minute-lunch staple in our little apartment for the past few months. Nothing more than a pot of rice boiled with shrimp, bell peppers, and Cajun seasoning, it’s the perfect thirty-minute meal for the times when no one feels like cooking. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to have the real thing. My family has deep roots in the deeper South–my mother having been born and raised in Alabama and my father in Tennessee–and the rich flavors of Cajun cuisine from southwest Louisiana are something of a comfort. While most of the food I typically prepare takes inspiration from the Asian continent, perhaps in an attempt to establish my own culinary identity away from typical down-home cooking, there’s something magical about exploring your roots through the lens of a hobby you truly love.

Although classic jambalaya is not a dish we consistently ate as a family, the spirit of the meal brings up memories of eating breakfast for dinner and dancing around the basement adorned in purple, gold, and green as we watched the Mardi Gras parade on television. Of running through the front yard of my grandparents’ home in Huntsville, Alabama with my cousins, trying to catch fireflies and butterflies with plastic children’s nets from Harbor Freight, and those afternoons which inevitably devolved into us hurling shelled pecans from their tree at one another. Of long car rides through the Smoky Mountains spent playing Pokemon with my brother on our Nintendo Gameboys or trying to keep up a Yu-Gi-Oh game in spite of the bumpy roads, completely unaware that these moments would be some of my most enduring memories.

Quick and dirty jambalaya aside, I decided to take the free time afforded by my few days between finals and the holidays to cook a few things that I’d been meaning to for quite some time. One of those, of course, being something much closer to a traditional jambalaya. Contrary to popular belief, tomatoes are not typically included in the Cajun version of the dish–aptly named “brown jambalaya” for the excessive fond that builds up as a result of deeply browning smoked meats in the bottom of the pot or pan–and the spices are richer and more multi-dimensional than strictly “hot”. In this particular recipe, I substituted bacon for the more traditional chicken because I love the depth of flavor it brings to the dish… and because I forgot to thaw a bag of thighs.

This recipe makes six servings.

Ingredients:

• 15-20 shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2-4 Andouille sausage links
• 4-6 slices bacon, thick-cut
• 3-4 stalks celery
• 2 bell peppers
• 1 zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp jalapenos, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp light oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Finely chop celery stalks, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and jalapenos. Combine with minced garlic and set aside.
2. In a large high-walled skillet or pot, add light oil and heat on medium high. When oil has begun to sizzle, add sausage links and bacon, frying until crisp and golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add shrimp one at a time to the still-hot pan, dabbing off extra oil with a paper towel as necessary (Note: do not try to scrape off those delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pan!). Fry for 2-3 minutes each, flipping halfway through. When fully cooked, remove and set aside.
4. Add vegetable mixture and all spices (paprika, parsley, basil, oregano, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, thyme, rosemary, onion powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt, and cayenne) to the still hot pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to release some of the fond as liquid is released from the vegetables. (Note: You are essentially deglazing the pan with the moisture from the vegetables, capturing all of that flavor.)
5. Stir-fry for 5-7 minutes or until most of the fond has been released from the bottom of the pan, then add chicken brown and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to medium-low. Return bacon and sausage to the pan, and add uncooked rice, mixing to combine. (Note: Make sure that the uncooked rice is completely submerged in liquid by about 1/2 inch.)
6. Cover pan and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that there is no burning on the bottom.
7. When finished cooking, fluff rice and add lemon juice and shrimp, mixing to combine. Serve topped with red pepper flakes, cilantro, additional lemon juice, or chopped green onions.

This recipe reheats beautifully in the microwave, shrimp and all. We’ve actually been eating the leftovers for the past few days! Kept in an air-tight container in the fridge, it should last for up to a week–but you’ll likely each it all long before then!

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Sausage, Bacon, and Shrimp Jambalaya

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 361kcal

Ingredients

• 15-20 shrimp peeled and deveined
• 2-4 Andouille sausage links
• 4-6 slices bacon thick-cut
• 3-4 celery stalks
• 2 bell peppers
• 1 zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp jalapenos diced
• 1 tbsp garlic minced
• 1 tbsp light oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Finely chop celery stalks, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and jalapenos. Combine with minced garlic and set aside.
• In a large high-walled skillet or pot, add light oil and heat on medium high. When oil has begun to sizzle, add sausage links and bacon, frying until crisp and golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Add shrimp one at a time to the still-hot pan, dabbing off extra oil with a paper towel as necessary*. Fry for 2-3 minutes each, flipping halfway through. When fully cooked, remove and set aside.
• Add vegetable mixture and all spices (paprika, parsley, basil, oregano, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, thyme, rosemary, onion powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt, and cayenne) to the still hot pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to release some of the fond as liquid is released from the vegetables**.
• Stir-fry for 5-7 minutes or until most of the fond has been released from the bottom of the pan, then add chicken brown and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to medium-low. Return bacon and sausage to the pan, and add uncooked rice, mixing to combine***.
• Cover pan and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that there is no burning on the bottom.
• When finished cooking, fluff rice and add lemon juice and shrimp, mixing to combine. Serve topped with red pepper flakes, cilantro, additional lemon juice, or chopped green onions.

Notes

• *Do not try to scrape off those delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pan!
• **You are essentially deglazing the pan with the moisture from the vegetables, capturing all of that flavor.
• ***Make sure that the uncooked rice is completely submerged in liquid by about 1/2 inch.

The post Sausage, Bacon, and Shrimp Jambalaya appeared first on I Forgot Salt!.

In the spirit of complete and total honesty, I have a confession to make. After I finished taking a few pictures of this buffalo chicken dip appetizer, I sat on the floor for a solid fifteen minutes shoveling bread-fulls into my mouth while it was still so hot my tongue nearly melted off. Not my finest moment for sure, but–seriously–it tasted that good. I’ve been plowing through the leftovers over the day or so since I made this recipe, munching on bagel chips because I’m too lazy to remake the garlic crostini. The next time we have friends over, I will definitely be making this!

Speaking of getting together, it’s been an incredibly busy week here in Northern VA. The good kind of busy, I promise! A group of us met up this past Saturday and learned how to make authentic tamales from my friend’s mother. It was such a fun experience, and I’m really hoping to do a write up on the whole fiasco soon. I spent so long trying to take a time-lapse video of the squad trying and failing to spread the masa on corn husks that I only ended up with a few pictures of the process itself, but the fact that I now have sixty pictures of our slightly out-of-focus confused faces more than makes up for it. Probably.

Tonight, too, I’m getting together with the same group to celebrate another friend’s birthday with pizza, games, and a slow-cooker-kept-warm batch of my chicken fra diavolo alfredo pasta. He’s a huge fan of pasta, so I thought it might be fun to bring an extra treat to the evening. I’ll be making a few tweaks to my original recipe, too. For example, instead of 2 cups of parmesan cheese, I plan to split it 30/30/30 with Gruyere and Asiago. But! That’s an experiment I’ll write more about in another post. On to the bacon buffalo chicken dip that I know you’re here for!

Like the last recipe I posted, this is actually my second attempt at making a delicious buffalo chicken dip. The first iteration was a somewhat-classic (if there even is such a thing) slow-cooker version that I made for the Super Smash Brothers Ultimate release day party we held last year. It was a huge hit, but tasted more than a little bland to me. I like my food rich and spicy! This version ticks all of those boxes. It’s smoky, salty, spicy, creamy, and oh so delicious. And as soon as I finish typing this up, I plan on eating all of the remaining leftovers for lunch.

This recipe makes 8-10 servings.

Bacon Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs/2 lbs shredded rotisserie chicken
• 8oz cream cheese
• 6-7 slices thick-cut bacon
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, yellow
• 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, white
• 1 cup buffalo wing sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp dill weed
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp minced onion
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Shred cheese as needed, combine, and set aside.
3. If using raw chicken, poach chicken thighs in a large pot of salted boiling water for 20 minutes, or until completely cooked through. Alternatively, add chicken to an Instant pot with 2 cups water and pressure cook for 15 minutes. Shred with two forks and set aside.
4. In a nonstick skillet, add bacon slices and fry on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes or until browned and crispy, flipping every so often to ensure both sides have cooked evenly.
5. Remove bacon from pan and set aside to cool. When handle-able, roughly chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.
6. In a large pot, add cream cheese, Greek yogurt, wing sauce, dill weed, onion powder, minced onion, parsley, black pepper, and salt. Heat on medium/medium-high until cream cheese has melted and the sauce has become almost entirely liquid, stirring occasionally, about 5-7 minutes.
7. Reduce heat to low and add shredded chicken, chopped bacon, and 3/4 of the shredded cheese mixture, stirring until everything is completely coated with the sauce and the added cheese has melted.
8. Transfer dip to a roasting dish and top with the remaining 1/4 of the shredded cheese. Bake at 375F for 15 minutes, then broil on high for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the layer of cheese on top has browned lightly. Remove and top with chopped green onions; serve with garlic crostini.

Simple Garlic Crostini

Ingredients:

• 1 soft baguette
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Slice baguette into 1/2 inch thick rounds, taking care to keep the sizes relatively even.
3. Spread rounds on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp garlic powder onto the bread, flip each piece, and repeat with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp garlic powder.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping each piece halfway through.

This recipe–both the dip and crostini–keeps well in the fridge for several days. The dip reheats marvelously in the microwave when covered with a bit of plastic wrap, and, as I mention earlier, I have been eating the leftovers for most of the week since making this dish. So good!

The post Bacon Buffalo Chicken Dip with Simple Garlic Crostini appeared first on I Forgot Salt!.

This entire meal was a trip from start to finish, I can assure you of that. I didn’t start cooking until late into the evening due to a series of… delays (aka getting sucked into playing The Last of Us for literally the entire day), and Alex was trying to keg two of his beers (a black IPA and an experimental IPA) at the same time. We have a tiny apartment to begin with, and The Great Kitchen Sink War of 2019 left our carpet stained with spilled beer and our stomachs empty until around 10:30PM as we battled over a measly five feet of countertop space. At the end of it all, though, we had a good meal and a good laugh, so that’s just another lesson learned about the growing pains that come with living with your significant other (and the dangers of waiting until the last minute to do something that’ll take a decent chunk of time). Plan ahead, people!

This recipe makes six servings.

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken breasts
• 2 packages (about 1lb) soft goat cheese
• 5 cups (about 6 oz) fresh spinach, stems removed
• 5 bell peppers
• 18-20 strips (about 1lb) bacon
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ¾ tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 3 cups broccoli (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Toss broccoli (if using) in salt, black pepper, and 1 tbsp olive oil.
3. Core and halve peppers lengthwise. Lay peppers and broccoli (if using) on two baking sheets, pressing the peppers down so they lay relatively flat.
4. Roast vegetables for 20-25 minutes, or until they have begun to brown.
5. Remove and set broccoli aside (it’s done). Slice roasted peppers into strips.
6. In a large bowl, combine sliced roasted peppers, spinach, goat cheese, garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, and remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Mix with your hands until all ingredients are mixed and the spices have evenly distributed throughout the filling.
7. Slice each chicken breast from the side, taking care not to cut any in half, so that a “pocket” forms.
8. Add ¾-1 cup filling to each “pocket”, depending on the size of your chicken breasts. (NOTE: Don’t worry if it looks like your filling is spilling out. The bacon helps keep everything inside, and when the spinach wilts in the oven it will be less bulky.)
9. Wrap 3-4 strips of bacon tightly around each chicken breast, tucking the ends underneath. (NOTE: If you need to, you can use toothpicks or broken soaked skewers to hold everything together, but I had no problem because I opened a fresh package of bacon that was still very pliable. If you’re using bacon with solidified fat, you might need these extra tools.)
10. Lay each assembled chicken breast on a baking sheet. Sprinkle 1/8 tsp garlic powder and a pinch of salt onto each.
11. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Flip and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
12. If desired, flip again and broil on high for 3-4 minutes, or until the bacon begins to crisp. Serve with previously-roasted broccoli or your side of choice!

This recipe keeps well in the fridge, and lasts up to 5 days in a sealed container. It reheats well in the microwave (as you can see in the above pictures–I didn’t take any decent ones the night I made this so Alex took some at work!). Enjoy!

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Goat Cheese, Spinach, and Pepper Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

• 6 chicken breasts
• 1 lb soft goat cheese
• 5 cups fresh spinach stems removed
• 5 bell peppers
• 18-20 strips bacon
• 2 tbsp garlic minced
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ¾ tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil divided
• 3 cups broccoli optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425F.
• Toss broccoli (if using) in salt, black pepper, and 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Core and halve peppers lengthwise. Lay peppers and broccoli (if using) on two baking sheets, pressing the peppers down so they lay relatively flat.
• Roast vegetables for 20-25 minutes, or until they have begun to brown.
• Remove and set broccoli aside (it’s done). Slice roasted peppers into strips.
• In a large bowl, combine sliced roasted peppers, spinach, goat cheese, garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, and remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Mix with your hands until all ingredients are mixed and the spices have evenly distributed throughout the filling.
• Slice each chicken breast from the side, taking care not to cut any in half, so that a “pocket” forms.
• Add ¾-1 cup filling to each “pocket”, depending on the size of your chicken breasts.*
• Wrap 3-4 strips of bacon tightly around each chicken breast, tucking the ends underneath. **
• Lay each assembled chicken breast on a baking sheet. Sprinkle 1/8 tsp garlic powder and a pinch of salt onto each.
• Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Flip and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
• If desired, flip again and broil on high for 3-4 minutes, or until the bacon begins to crisp. Serve with previously-roasted broccoli or your side of choice!

Notes

• *Don’t worry if it looks like your filling is spilling out. The bacon helps keep everything inside, and when the spinach wilts in the oven it will be less bulky.
• **If you need to, you can use toothpicks or broken soaked skewers to hold everything together, but I had no problem because I opened a fresh package of bacon that was still very pliable. If you’re using bacon with solidified fat, you might need these extra tools.

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