Today we’re going to cook sauteed barbecue chicken and baked potatoes.

Now, this is a fairly traditional “meat and potatoes” kind of recipe. It’s a good balance of protein and carbs, and is excellent if garnished with a few leftover vegetables (maybe you didn’t use all of the vegetables from the vegetarian lasagna we made on Monday).

Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make this excellent recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 large potato per person
• 1/2 – 1 boneless chicken breast per person
• 1-2 T of olive oil (or other vegetable oil).
• Turmeric and Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
• Your favorite Barbecue Sauce

The Process:

1. Defrost your chicken breasts.
2. Wash and scrub your potatoes under cool running water.
3. Wipe any excess water off the potatoes, and proceed to poke holes in them with a fork.  Poke each potato 3 or 4 times; these holes will allow moisture to escape during the cooking process, and ensure that the potatoes do not rupture as they cook.
4. If you have a microwave, check to see if it has a baked potato setting; if it does, you’re in luck.  If not, don’t worry.  You can cook baked potatoes in the microwave without a special setting by using this guide: 1 potato takes about 7 minutes in the microwave; 2 potatoes take about 11 minutes; 3 potatoes will take 14-15 minutes, 4 potatoes should be done in approximately 20 minutes.  Each microwave is different, though, so you might want to check your potatoes about 3/4 of the way through the cooking process and again when the microwave is finished. A well baked potato should allow a knife or fork to glide into its center with little resistance; if the potato is still crunch, it’s not done yet.
5. While your potatoes bake in the microwave, cut your chicken breasts into bite-size pieces.
6. Saute the chicken pieces in an open skillet with 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil (or other vegetable oil) on medium – medium high heat; sauteing is essentially the process of grilling food in a light amount of oil on a stove top.  Your chicken should cook quickly, and will be ready around the same time as your potatoes, if you time it well.
7. As the chicken cooks, add some turmeric and a little crushed red pepper to give it some kick.
8. About 30-60 seconds before you remove the chicken from the heat, pour barbecue sauce over the sauteed pieces of meat, and stir it well, ensuring every piece of chicken is coated evenly.  It’s very important that you not add the sauce until the very end; add it too soon, and the sauce will thicken and burn, giving your chicken a nasty, charcoal taste.  Your goal is to have a warm barbecue glaze coating each piece of chicken, not a black, flaky goo.
9. Remove the sauteed barbecue chicken from the heat and serve with your baked potatoes.

Popular toppings for baked potatoes include sour cream, ranch dressing, cheese, bacon bits, garlic powder, salt, pepper, butter, and salsa.  Add whatever toppings you like (or eat the potato plain, if you want), and enjoy!

This recipe can be adjusted to feed as many people as you want.  It’s entirely up to you.