Grilled Chicken, Corn and Jicama Chop Salad with Sweet-Heat BBQ Vinaigrette

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Jennifer FIsher

This post is sponsored by Stubb’s Legendary Bar-B-Q, however the recipes, opinions and enthusiasm are all my own!

There is so much to love about May! The weather is warmer, daylight lasts longer and backyard patios, porches and pergolas are prime party spots for good friends and great food. I don’t know about you, but my go-to cooking method from early spring well into the fall season is grilling. Whether I’m entertaining company or it’s just the family, my trusty grill is this mom’s solution when it comes to whipping up creative, healthy and quick meals.

I will grill anything and everything. I get fired up for grilling the gamut . . . meats and seafood to fruit, veggies and dessert (mmmm, banana boats)! Today, I’m sharing a recipe for Chicken, Corn and Jicama Chopped Salad with Sweet-Heat BBQ Vinaigrette that relies on one of my secret weapons when it comes to grilling and barbeque – Stubb’s Bar-B-Q Sauces, Marinades and Rubs.

Grilled corn and chicken are the stars of this simple grilled salad recipe – Stubb’s Chicken Spice Rub gives just the right amount of seasoning to poultry and vegetables without being overpowering or too spicy for my kids to eat. This is the original rub of Stubb’s fame, crafted by the legend himself at his original Texas Bar-B-Q joint — “It all starts with good rub.”

To dress this chopped chicken salad that also features jicama and avocado , I’ve created a simple barbecue sauce vinaigrette that is a bit spicy, a bit sweet – and certainly fun to eat! Using Stubb’s Sweet Heat Bar-B-Q Sauce is my not-so-secret shortcut to prepping this dressing in mere minutes. Of course, this BBQ sauce with hints of brown sugar and chipotle peppers is also excellent used in the traditional way to drizzle or douse on everything from baby back ribs and burgers to pizza and sweet potatoes.

It’s also the sauce I use in my Brisket & Bean Skillet Nachos. I love that Stubb’s Bar-B-Q sauces get their bold flavors from real, wholesome ingredients with no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners. Also, you’ll find absolutely NO (none, zip, nada) high-fructose corn syrup in these quality condiments.

Stubb’s Legendary Bar-B-Q, maker the No. 1 brand of barbecue sauce, rubs and marinades in the the country, is located right here in Austin, Texas — so I can head over and dive head-first in a vat, if I want! But, these barbecue “helpers” are also sold in 85% of grocery stores nationwide — so, run out and getcha some!

Grilled Chicken, Corn and Jicama Chop Salad with Sweet-Heat BBQ Vinaigrette is such an easy grilled recipe and the perfect fixin’s for a potluck or picnic – whether for Memorial Day, a graduation or any summer time celebration. You can also make it the night before, the dish is delicious served cold and the vinegar and lemon juice in the dressing help keep the avocado fresh for up to a day in the fridge. If you want to enjoy as a side dish or vegetarian meal — just omit the chicken and dig in!

Chicken-Corn-Jicama Chop Salad w/ Sweet-Heat BBQ Vinaigrette @stubbsbbq #stubbsinsider

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What have you been tossing on the grill lately? Any big weekend plans for Memorial Day — a race, a party, a picnic? Please share in the comments below – XOXO, Jennifer

Grilled Chicken, Corn and Jicama Chop Salad with Sweet-Heat BBQ Vinaigrette

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

35 mins

Course: Condiment, Main Dish, Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 medium ears corn, husk and silks removed
2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
3 tablespoons Stubb’s Chicken Spice Rub (divided)
1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped jicama
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 large avocado, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

For Sweet Heat BBQ Vinaigrette

1/4 cup Stubb’s Sweet Heat Bar-B-Q Sauce Sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Instructions

Rub uncooked chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon olive oil and rub with 2 tablespoons Stubb’s Chicken Spice Rub.
Heat charcoal or gas grill to approximately 400 F degrees and grill chicken approximately 15 – 20 minutes, flipping once, or until cooked through and internal temperature reads 165F degrees.
While chicken is cooking, rub corn cobs with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon Stubb’s Chicken Spice Rub.
Place corn on grill with chicken and grill for approximately 10 minutes, rotating occasionally, or until turning tender and browning in spots.
Remove chicken and corn from grill and let rest for 10 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
Chop chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. Slice corn kernels off the cob. Add both to medium bowl along with jicama, red onion, red bell pepper and avocado. Set aside while making dressing.
To make dressing, whisk Stubb’s Sweet Heat Bar-B-Q Sauce together with olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, honey and pepper.
Pour dressing over salad and toss gently. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Complete BBQ Chicken Dinner in a Jar! #FullnRichFlavor

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Jennifer FIsher

Life got you jumping like grease on a hot skillet? My schedule is sizzling (that’s a good thing), but I’m often so busy that forgetting to eat (or grabbing something bad right before bed) could be a real issue if it weren’t for my three teen boys asking “what’s for dinner” as soon as we roll in from after their school activities. Geeze, all I want to do is take a quick nap.

But, that’s when the panic can start to set in about making nutritious and flavorful dinners, knowing I don’t have anything simmering all day in a slow cooker or thawing and ready to throw on the grill. I don’t want my boys to be one of the estimated 20 percent of Americans who eats at least one fast food meal a day in the car. But, now I can get my nap and still make quick flavorful dinners in a snap thanks by keeping fresh produce and healthier convenience foods on hand like Birds Eye® Flavor Full vegetables and Farm Rich® Smokehouse high-quality, high protein cuts of meat. Both of these time and sanity-saving products are recipe ready, straight from the freezer.

I have a super quick and easy recipe to share today for BBQ Chicken Dinner in a Jar – it’s hearty yet nicely-balanced, perfect to serve my whole passel of hungry boys in under 15 minutes! All the yummy things you’d find on a barbecue dinner plate – like corn, coleslaw, beans, smoked chicken and pickles are piled up with love in a glass mason jar.

Another perk of these healthy flavorful dinners in a jar is that they can be eaten on-the-go and in the car (gasp)! Just layer them up warm (or reheat premade jars) and the kids can eat them right out of the jar on the way to or from tutoring, sports games, band practices or what-have-you. When done, screw back on the lid and deal with the “dishes” when you get home. This quick and easy dinner recipe can also be prepped and eaten cold – it’s actually quite good on top of a bed of lettuce!

If you need a comprehensive tailgate recipe or hosting an outdoor hoedown or some other fall-season festivity, these BBQ Chicken Dinners can be assembled in plastic glasses – guests can still see the beautiful layers of barbeque ingredients, but clean-up is super easy-breezy.

Making a healthy, balanced meal like these Barbeque Chicken Jars does not have to be difficult if you have products from Birds Eye® and Farm Rich® Smokehouse. The high-protein, high-quality meats from Farm Rich® Smokehouse can be prepared in minutes; the hours of flavor-infusing smoking have been done on your behalf! I also appreciate how Birds Eye Flavor Full vegetables deliver the flavor my family wants (Buffalo Cauliflower, Ranch Broccoli, Sour Cream & Onion Potatoes, Teriyaki Broccoli and Barbecue Sweet Corn) with the nutrition they need. Find both these brands in the freezer aisle at Walmart.

For a limited time, earn $0.75 on Birds Eye Vegetables and unlock $1.00 off one Farm Rich® Smokehouse product with Ibotta while supplies last. Note: If you haven’t used Ibotta, you have to download the app available on iOs and Android. Before you shop, be sure to unlock the rebates for both Birds Eye Vegetables and Farm Rich® Smokehouse. Then, shop! Buy the products that you’ve unlocked at major retailers. Finally, verify your purchase by scanning your barcodes and submitting a photo of your receipt!

Make dinner easy, quick (and to-go) BBQ Chicken Dinner in a Jar @BirdsEye @FarmRichSnacks. #FullnRichFlavor #Ad #Pmedia

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What night of the week is craziest for you? How do you deal with dinner with only a few free minutes? Please share in the comments – XOXO, Jennifer

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group®, Birds Eye®, and Farm Rich® but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #FullnRichFlavor http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV”

BBQ Chicken Dinner in a Mason Jar

Prep Time

5 mins

Total Time

5 mins

Make a complete BBQ Chicken Dinner in 5 minutes, layer ingredients up in a jar to eat on the go, at a football game, tailgating or other outdoor parties.

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Southern, Southwestern

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

1 10 ounce bag Birds Eye Flavor Full BBQ Sweet Corn, thawed
1 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
8 ounces rainbow slaw mix
12 ounces Farm Rich Smokehouse Dry Rub Chicken from 20 oz package, thawed
1/2 cup reduced fat ranch dressing
1/2 cup spicy BBQ sauce
pickles and grape tomatoes for garnish

Instructions

May be served warm or cold. To prepare warm, heat beans, corn and chicken in separate containers according to instructions on packages. Skip this step if preparing cold.
Using 16-ounce glass mason jars or 12 - 16 ounce "squatty" clear plastic glasses, layer ingredients in each container in this order, starting at bottom -- approx 4 oz beans, 2.5 oz corn, generous handful rainbow slaw, 2 tbs. dollop of ranch dressing, 3 oz chicken and 2 tbs. dollop of BBQ sauce.
Skewer pickle slices and grape tomatoes together on toothpick and add as garnish. Serve immediately.
May be prepared cold and stored in refrigerator (with lid or cover) for up to 3 days.

Brisket Tacos with Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce and Pickled Rind Relish #TacoTakedown

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Jennifer FIsher

I enjoyed a one-of-a-kind, sorta-strange experience as only Austin can host at the Taco Takedown that was held this past weekend near the be-hip-or-go-home scene at SXSW (South by Southwest). I’ve been in quite a few cook-offs including the iconic Pillsbury Bake Off in Vegas with $1 Million prize (obviously I didn’t win), the Crisco Cook Off in Nashville as part of the Country Music Festival, and even many times in my home-town Hatch Green Chile Cook Off where I hold bragging rights as the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winner.

The right to battle it off as a finalist in most of these showdowns required each recipe to make it through some sort of qualifying round, being made and examined in a test kitchen by professional chefs and pre-judged on factors like presentation, fit within a certain category, creativity, convenience, taste and so on. Typically, pages of rules, do’s and don’ts, and lists of disqualifications were also involved. However, not at the Taco Takedown – basically all the info I was given was just show up with your best taco. So, of course I started over analyzing and guessing at the non-existent details. And, in the end I decided to fly by the seat of my pants. I wondered what kind of taco would win – surely in Austin, a freaky taco would beat a traditional taco any day.

My Beefy Man Hunk Taco Model

That’s why I wrapped all my loves, as strange as the combo might sound, in one tortilla – viola, a Beef Brisket Taco with Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce (and Pickled Rind Relish) recipe was born. Well, I guessed wrong because a Crispy Chicken with Avocado Taco dished up by Evin at Food Good, Laundry Bad took top honors. As partial as I was to my wacky yet wonderful watermelon beef taco, I have to admit, the winner was really, super-ultra-deluxe good – and it was fried, how could I compete with that?! But, I got to go home with the beefy man-hunk taco model — so, really, I was the WINNER!

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of meaty beef, and summer-sweet watermelon and a surprise of spiciness, these are a few of my favorite things (is there a song here . . )? I knew these flavors would mingle together for a memorable taco –as they did. I didn’t want to smoke the brisket, so I had four massive slow-cookers breaking down the beef into the perfect tenderness for fork shredding. But, holy-moly, it took a long time to shred 27 pounds of brisket! The BBQ sauce was a not-too-vinegary, not-to-tomatoey sauce sweetened with watermelon just and spiced up with Sriracha. Probably the most unique thing going on was the pickled watermelon rind that was diced up in the salsa. A true southerner uses ALL parts of the watermelon. And, of course, I topped it all off with some salty, crumbly queso fresco cheese.

Use this Spicy Watermelon Barbecue Sauce on beef — but also on chicken, baked beans, fish, sausage, pork and more. I’ve also used it as a salad dressing!

Because you’re probably not cooking for a 250 person crowd, I’ve scaled down the recipe for you to feed about 8 and maybe some leftovers!

Brisket Tacos w/ Spicy Waterrmelon BBQ Sauce, Pickled Rind Relish #SXSW #TacoTakedown

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What’s the craziest thing you’ve wrapped in a tortilla and called a taco? Please share in the comments!

Beef Brisket Taco with Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce and Pickled Rind Relish

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

10 hrs

Total Time

10 hrs 20 mins

Beef Brisket Taco with Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce and Pickled Rind Relish -- a strange but good recipe that will rock your next backyard party.

Course: Condiment, Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

For Brisket:

2 lbs. Beef Brisket preferably center cut

4 cups water can substitute beef broth or beer!
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 medium sweet yellow onion sliced thinly
3 jalapenos seeded and quartered

For Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce:

3/4 cup watermelon juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic minced
4 ounces tomato paste
2 tbsp Sriracha pepper sauce more or less, to taste

Pickled Watermelon Rind Relish:

1 cup diced watermelon drained of excess juice
1/2 cup diced pickled watermelon rind homemade or oldsouth.com
2 tbsp liquid from picked watermelon rind
2 plum tomatoes seeded and diced
1 jalapeno seeded and minced
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

Other:

16 tortillas
1/2 cup queso fresco cheese, crumbled

Instructions

For Brisket:

Add ingredients for brisket into 6 - 8 quart capacity slow cooker. Cook on low setting for 10 hours. Remove brisket from cooking juices and strain out onions and peppers. Chop of onions and peppers, set aside. Cut excess fat of brisket and use fork or fingers to shred beef. Stir back in onions and peppers.

For Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce:

Prepare BBQ sauce by adding all ingredients together in medium sauce pan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and reduce to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Pour desired amount over beef, remainder may be stored in the refrigerator for a week. Makes about 2 cups.

For Picked Rind Relish:

To make relish, toss together all ingredients in medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To Serve:

To serve, place sauced, shredded brisket in tortilla. Top with relish and queso fresco.

Recipe Notes

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The Fit Fork

Tag Archives: barbecue

Grilled Chicken, Corn and Jicama Chop Salad with Sweet-Heat BBQ Vinaigrette

Complete BBQ Chicken Dinner in a Jar! #FullnRichFlavor

Brisket Tacos with Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce and Pickled Rind Relish #TacoTakedown