Mexican Chicken Salad

Posted on November 2, 2023 by admin

This is the perfect use of leftovers from taco night. I mixed up shredded chicken with part mayo and part avocado before adding corn and black beans. Customize it with any add ins from the leftovers!

It is great scooped up with chips or on a roll! It even keeps pretty well.

Mexican Chicken Salad
Ingredients: (for 2 servings)
1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
1 small avocado
2 tablespoons mayo
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1/4 cup corn
1/4 cup black beans

Directions:
Mix together the chicken, avocado, mayo, and taco seasoning. Gently mix in the corn and black beans.

Serve with tortilla chips or on a bun. Top with pickled onions or jalapeños or cilantro or tomatoes and spice it up as you like.

This was so good. I refrigerated a portion to see how it was the next day – survey says: yup! It was good! I squeezed some lime to wake it up and loosen it up. The avocado isn’t the same green the next day, but the whole thing didn’t look as sad as old guac.

Honey Mustard Lettuce Wraps

Posted on August 24, 2023 by admin

This is so so easy, and we all can use some easy ones, right? I will preface that the kids were meh on this but I attribute that to being ohh-so-tired after a busy day at the playground and meeting friends at the pool.

The Three Bite Rule - Honey Mustard Lettuce Wraps

There are all the ways in the world to customize this. I mostly see lettuce wraps with sesame/teriyaki flavors and wanted something totally different. These are honey mustard and pickles. Ranch and bacon would of course be crowd pleasers here. Caesar and cukes would be fun too!

Honey Mustard Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients (serves 4):
24 oz package Popcorn Chicken (or any breaded chicken cut up)
1 head bibb lettuce
1/4 cup honey mustard dressing
1/4 cup pickles (I did some with bread & butter pickles & some with dill pickles)
1 small tomato
additional toppings: avocado, cheese, pickled onions

Directions:
Cook the chicken according to the package (mine needed 18 minutes in the air fryer)

While the chicken in cooking, chop the pickles and tomatoes to become a relish.
Allow the chicken to cool a bit just to a not-hot temp.
Toss the chicken in about half the dressing.
Assemble the lettuce wraps with chicken, pickle topping, more dressing if desired, and any other toppings!
Enjoy!

If it is hard for little hands, use a tortilla instead, or put the whole thing inside a tortilla. I chopped the chicken into bite-size pieces for the kids.

I’d totally make these again. Maybe another day or another flavor would work as a dinner when the stars align. I don’t count them out one time. These are so easy that these could also be a quick lunch or a solo-dinner as you can make as much or as little as you need. I’m on my way to make another version to be my lunch today!

Tomato Basil Chicken

Posted on August 9, 2023 by admin

{originally published in 2015 and updated in 2023}

When I originally made this, I breaded the chicken and this time around I wanted to update it with grilled chicken. I served it over pasta (these kids love love love pasta) and would also be happy to serve it over parmesan orzo like the first time around.

Grilled chicken felt so fitting to top with tomatoes, basil, and a balsamic reduction.

Tomato Basil Chicken
Ingredients: (for 4 servings)
4 chicken thighs
2 tablespoons Italian Seasonings
1 large tomato
~6 basil leaves
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tbs balsamic reduction
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Directions:
Marinate the chicken in the seasoning, salt, and pepper and preheat the grill.
Grill the chicken to cook through fully.
Chop the tomatoes and basil. Add the olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and stir.

Serve the chicken with a few spoonfuls of the tomato basil mixture.
Enjoy!

Pan frying cutlets was really good last time, but both the patience and mess doesn’t feel worth it, especially during the season of fresh tomatoes and fresh basil.

The balsamic reduction is from the grocery store lasts forever and is great on salad or sandwiches. Reducing balsamic is easy too.

Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Loaded Fries

Posted on April 20, 2023 by admin

Yes. The answer is yes. These are exactly what you need. Chicken, bacon and ranch fries are delectable and so good for a quick lunch, for a crowd, as a meal, or the hefty snack.

The Three Bite Rule - Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Loaded Fries

These fries have rotisserie chicken, bacon crumbles, white cheddar, white queso and are finished with a drizzle of ranch.

Chicken, Bacon & Ranch Loaded Fries
Ingredients: (for 1 as a meal, or 2 as snacks)
2 cups fries
1 teaspoon ranch dressing powder mix
1 cup roasted chicken
2 strips of bacon
2 tablespoons queso blanco
2 tablespoons ranch dressing
1 green onion sprig, chopped up

Directions:
Cook the fries until crispy – I airfried mine for ~10 min from frozen.

Shake the hot fries in the ranch powder mix and add half of the fries to a pan and top with half the cheese, half the bacon, half the chicken, and half the queso. Repeat.

Bake for 5-10 minutes until all melted and warmed through.
Drizzle with ranch.

Sprinkle with green onions.
Enjoy!

They’re kind of a fork (or close-friends) loaded fries as you will be licking your fingers. I think the layers are key – otherwise only a few fries will have anything fun! These are a great way to use a small amount of these ingredients. Try it with waffle fries, or as nachos.

Chicken, Bacon & Ranch Grilled Sandwich

Posted on April 12, 2023 by admin

All our loves together on one sandwich – chicken thighs get sprinkled with ranch, grilled, and topped with cheese and bacon, plus more ranch for good measure.

The Three Bite Rule - Grilled Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Sandwich

I loved this. We eat grilled chicken often so putting it on a bun didn’t seem like a big variation. One kid said they’d rather it be a burger & the other ate it disassembled. Cool, cool.

Grilled Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Sandwiches
Ingredients: (for 4)
3-4 chicken thighs
1 tablespoon ranch mix powder
4 brioche buns
4 slices of cheese (mine was an herb fontina)
2 bacon strips/2 tablespoons bacon crumbles
4 tablespoons ranch dressing

Directions:
Sprinkle the chicken with ranch mix and a sprinkle of pepper, on both sides.
Grill until cooked through – 170-degrees on the thermometer.
Slice cheese, buns, lettuce and get bacon crumbles and ranch dressing ready.

Melt the cheese over the chicken and remove from the grill.
Assemble with ranch on each side of the buns, lettuce, the chicken, and bacon.

Yum! I loved this. The littlest kiddo had hers without bacon (what?) and ate the parts separately (but mmmm’ed so that seemed fine) and big brother ate about half then wished it was a burger but finished the bun and most of the chicken.

It’d work well in a wrap too!

We had it with a side of tomato & mozzarella & pesto salad which the kids love.