I find myself being un-impressed with most store-bought ‘spicy’ potato chips. Yeah, some are spicy, but they don’t taste good. And some taste great, but they sure aren’t spicy. The solution? Make some quick fix Nashville hot chicken potato chips at home. Done in minutes, spiced just like I want, these are the chips I was searching for! All I need are some chips and Kosmo’s Q Nashville hot wing dust! No more unimpressive store-bought chips for me.
Ruffled Chips For The Win
I prefer to use wavy ruffled chips any time I make my quick fix Nashville hot chicken potato chips. The thick chips hold up to being tossed in the seasoning. And the ridges give the seasoning more and more places to cling to, making sure I get nothing but flavor in each and every bite!
Note: This recipe was developed using the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Fryer. If you are cooking using the Char-Broil Smoker-Roaster Grill you should cook with the lid open and the temperature set to High. You might also need to adjust the cooking time.
Oh me. Just thinking back to these apple pie baked beans on the Char-Broil Big Easy has me wanting to make another batch. Now. Right now. In just over an hour I could be enjoying these slightly sweet, flavor-packed beans. And so could a few others, because this recipe makes a big batch.
A Bunk Bed Basket makes it even easier
To make these apple pie baked beans on the Char-Broil Big Easy, I needed a few things. First, a Bunk Bed basket. This is the first thing you should buy after getting a Big Easy. It nearly doubles your cooking space and makes sides dishes like this one a breeze. It also makes it easier to add and remove dishes from your cooker. You can fit three baskets in the Big Easy at once, but it takes a good bit of adjusting and luck to make it work.
Next up, I needed pans for the apple pie baked beans on the Char-Broil Big Easy. I recently discovered that Dutch oven line pans fit perfectly. They are 8″ in diameter and have tall sides so they hold a lot of food. They’re great so I ordered a big lot of them. I know I’ll use them up quick because I use my Big Easy a lot.
Place pie filling into a blender and pulse a few times. You don't want to puree the filling, you just want to chop up the larger pieces of apple. Transfer to a bowl.
Add the beans, BBQ sauce and BBQ seasoning plus any add-ons if using. Stir to combine.
Divide the bean mixture between two pans (they'll be completely full) and carefully transfer the pans to the Big Easy basket and bunk bed basket.
Lower the basket into the Big Easy and cook for 1 hour. If possible, stir the beans every 15 minutes or so. It can be hard to stir the bottom pan. Don't worry if you can't stir they'll be just fine either way. If you've added bell pepper or onion you might want to check if they've cooked to your liking. They might require another 15-30 minutes of cooking time.
Once the beans are hot and bubbly remove the basket from the Big Easy.
Let cool slightly before carefully removing the pans. Remember the pans are full and aren't rigid. Try to support the bottoms of the pans as you remove them.
Because I’m a chicken wing nut, I have a lot of various wing seasonings on hand at all times. And I do mean a lot. But, you know those seasonings (and any other of my favorites) are great on potato chips? No reason to be locked into only a handful of flavored chips at the store when you can make them taste however you want! Today I made a batch of my quick fix lemon pepper potato chips. Chips. Lemon pepper seasoning. That’s it! And oh-so-good!
Cheap Chips For The Win
You don’t need to grab the expensive chips when you make quick fix lemon pepper potato chips. The key here is to warm up the chips just enough that the oils they were cooked in come back to the surface of the chips. That gives the seasoning something to cling to. No big pile of seasoning at the bottom of the bowl with these chips, nope. Nothing but flavor.
Of course, you can make homemade potato chips in a deep-fryer and then toss them in the seasoning too! Just don’t over-drain the chips as they come out of the hot oil or the flavors won’t have anything to adhere to. Make sure you get them good and coated.
What’s better than ‘fried’ chicken made using the Vortex BBQ insert? If you’ve made it before, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t made it before, you’re missing out. In fact, you need to stop reading this point right now and order one for your charcoal grill. Then make this southern marinated fried chicken using the Vortex. It’s amazing. Crunchy skin. Tender, juicy meat. And packed with flavor and then some. You’ll swear it was fried in oil.
Tender, Juicy Chicken With That Great Crunchy Skin
The seasoning is the key to the flavor in this southern marinated fried chicken using the Vortex. Nothing fancy, but oh so good on chicken. Left to marinate overnight, the seasoning ends up flavoring every bite, all the way through. And with no trouble at all, the Vortex cooks the chicken up perfectly.
I’ve never had leftover ‘fried’ chicken made using the Vortex. And I don’t think I ever will. There’s nothing about it but goodness. And even though I’ve made it hundreds of times, I’m still impressed each and every time. I still think that I’m enjoying fried chicken even though it’s grilled. It’s an amazing experience that is easy to boot.
Add HALF of the seasoning. Seal, and toss to coat. Refrigerate overnight.
Fire up your Vortex with a full load of coals. Let them ash over before cooking.
Combine the remaining seasoning with the pepper and flour.
Roll chicken in the flour mixture and coat well.
Place the chicken on the grill grate around the Vortex.
Close the lid (leaving the top vent open) and cook for 45 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 F. You may turn the lid 90 degrees every 15 minutes of cooking if desired.
Lightly brush the tops of the chicken pieces with oil and cook another 5 minutes to crisp the skin.
My wife declared this potluck macaroni and cheese our go-to dish for family get-togethers. I agree, it’s not just darned good but it makes a mighty big batch to boot. You can make it in a (big) crockpot or on the stovetop (in a pretty big pot). It’s creamy, cheesy and downright yummy. And I do mean mega creamy and mega cheesy, too. No one is gonna be screaming for more cheese.
The Mexican cheese adds a wonderfully different flavor but it doesn’t make the dish spicy. If you want to spice up your mac and cheese, substitute Mexican Velveeta. Don’t worry, it won’t be so hot that it’ll run grandma off. But you might want to warn her a bit.
Like Having A Cheesy Canvas For Other Flavors
You can make hundreds more variations on this recipe for potluck macaroni and cheese. I like to add drained jarred pimentos. Or chopped roasted red bell peppers. Or roasted green chiles or jalapenos. The possibilities are endless. Oh, and don’t be afraid to use different kinds of cheeses.
You can make hundreds more variations on this recipe for potluck macaroni and cheese. I like to add drained jarred pimentos. Or chopped roasted red bell peppers. Or roasted green chiles or jalapenos.
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain well.
Transfer to a 5 quart or larger slow cooker that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
Stir in the remaining ingredients.
Cook, covered, on low for 2-1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
Notes
You can also cook this on the stovetop. Instead of transferring to a slow cooker, just return the drained pasta to the pot in which you cooked it. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until the cheeses have melted and the mixture is heated thoroughly, stirring often.
I got tired of sitting around whining that no one was making good new flavors of potato chips. Oh sure, every once-in-a-while there’d be something new, but nothing seemed to wow me and I always ended up with the classics, BBQ, sour cream and onion and well, plain. Nothing wrong with the classics. They are classics for a reason. But I wanted something new. I had a pouch of garlic Parmesan wing dust from Kosmo’s sitting around and thought… Hmmmmm. I bet that’d be great on chips. It’s sure as heck fantastic on wings. Quick fix garlic Parmesan potato chips to the rescue!
Nothing But Flavor And Crunch
These quick fix garlic Parmesan potato chips were delicious. Kosmo’s wing dusts are never, ever lacking in flavor. It didn’t take a whole lot of dust to really amp up what was just a bag of good-ole plain ruffled chips. My faith in chips is back!
Of course, you can make homemade potato chips in a deep-fryer and then toss them in the seasoning too! Just don’t over-drain the chips as they come out of the hot oil or the flavors won’t have anything to adhere to. Make sure you get them good and coated.
I picked up a copy of Jeff Mauro’s new book, Come on Over just the other day. You’d think that the first recipe I would make out of the book would be for a sandwich (he is the Sandwich Guy after all), but instead I decided on making the creamy garlic salad dressing. After all, it was Salad Week here (and sadly, not Sandwich Week). And boy, am I ever glad that it was. This is by far our favorite homemade salad dressing. It’s perfectly creamy. It has a good garlic flavor (it’s not lacking in the garlic department). And it has just the right amount of blue cheese tang. You know. That little ‘funk’. Yummy stuff.
The Perfect Dressing
This creamy garlic salad dressing is divine on salads, but it is also great for dipping vegetables. So make an extra batch because you’ll find yourself as addicted to it as we were. Heck, for the first time in a while, I was happy that it was Salad Week!
Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!
This is my go-to spicy chicken nugget recipe. I keep a big batch of the seasoning on-hand in the pantry. The chicken comes out slightly crispy, with an out-of-this-world flavor that’s just a tad smoky and spicy. I serve them with whatever dipping sauce I have on hand, which is usually out of a bottle of wing sauce I have in the fridge. Wing sauces were made for nuggets, too.
A Great Batter For Chicken Sandwiches Too!
This approach for making spicy chicken nuggets also makes for absolutely great chicken sandwiches. Just use thin-slices of chicken breast instead of bite-sized cubes. Fry them up (they’ll take a bit longer than the nuggets to cook through). Place them on hamburger buns with spicy mayonnaise, lettuce, onion and tomato. Sit down and enjoy one heck of a sandwich.
I use a pretty straight-forward air fryer, that doesn’t have a lot of bells (ok, it has a bell for when the timer goes off!) and whistles. It gets the job done.
Place the chicken breast pieces into a shallow dish. Add the buttermilk and hot sauce, if using. Turn the chicken pieces a few times to coat.
Let chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Make the seasoning (see below).
Heat oil to 350 F in a Dutch oven, skillet or deep fryer.
Working in batches if needed, remove chicken bites from the marinade. Shake off excess and transfer to the seasoning. Coat well on all sides.
Transfer to the hot oil and fry 5-6 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked thoroughly. Remove to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.
For the seasoning
In a shallow baking dish or large resealable bag or container, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Whisk together.
Add in a few tablespoons of the buttermilk from the chicken marinade and mix.
Notes
These nuggets freeze and reheat great so make extra!
This is my kind of eats. Roadside seafood fried shrimp is exactly what I would order from any highway joint, traveling the back roads. If you drive by those mom-and-pop diners on the way to some chain restaurant, you’re missing out. Crispy fries, battered and fried shrimp and plenty of ketchup (and cocktail sauce please!) and I’m one happy guy.
The Shrimp Of Dreams
The original recipe for this roadside seafood fried shrimp recipe came from a (now closed) restaurant in Charleston, SC. I scaled it down a bit. I like a little spiciness, so I’d be tempted to add more hot sauce next time. If you don’t have blackened seasoning, Creole or Cajun seasoning make for a great substitute. You want to really season the seafood breading well.
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
Yes, the serving size does say this recipe feeds four. I personally love shrimp so much that I’d be more inclined to say it serves two. At most. And since there’s just the two of us, I used my Fry Daddy fryer to make these. It’s small, uses little oil and does a knock-out job on shrimp and anything else!
Give me a grill, a Vortex full of lit charcoal, and a few pieces of chicken and I’m one happy guy. One of my all-time favorite things to make on charcoal my grill is ‘fried’ chicken using the Vortex. I’ve made countless variations, all fantastic. Like this spicy hot fried chicken using the Vortex. Just like all my others, it tastes and looks just like chicken fried in oil. This version brings a bit of heat. Just the right amount. And oh, so tender, juicy meat. This is a great, easy way to prepare delicious chicken. You’ll seriously not think this was done over coals and you’ll definitely think it’s deep fried in oil.
So Simple. So Delicious.
I have a few Vortex inserts because, well, I have a few grills. By far my favorite setup is the Vortex in my Weber charcoal grill. I can easily fit 8 large bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts around the grill without crowding them. They have never come out anything but fantastic. It’s as easy as you can get to make something like this spicy hot fried Chicken using the Vortex. You just need a few ingredients and some charcoal and you’re ready to cook!
