barbecue chicken taters

This is something of my own creation. I had lots of potatoes on hand, some chicken and barbecue sauce. I was going to make oven potatoes and grilled chicken, and wham-o! Inspiration!

I chose to boil the chicken rather than grill it, just for the sake of time and speed. The boiled chicken cooked more quickly and evenly, and it cooked faster as well. As soon as it was cool, I shredded it.

This was set aside while I prepared what would make this meal something really special.

Crispy onion straws! The real key to this is to get the onions sliced so thin that they only have one side! The best way to judge that is when you are slicing, if you can see the knife through the onion slice, then you are on the right path.

Soak the onions in buttermilk for about 5 minutes. They don't need to be drowning in milk, but everyone needs to be in the pool. Remember, if you don't have buttermilk, you can use 1 cup of milk and 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar.

Into seasoned flour! All I added to the flour was salt, pepper and a little cayenne.

Toss, toss, toss... grab a bunch and shake off the excess flour.

Into the oil! They don't take long to fry- only about 3 minutes. Make sure you toss them around a few times so everyone is crisped evenly.

Remove from oil, drain on a paper towel and season with salt. Try not to eat too many of the before the potatoes are done.

I took the easy route and cooked the potatoes in the microwave.

I reheated the chicken a little bit by warming the barbecue sauce on the stove before mixing it into the shreds.

Now we're in the home stretch! Slice the potatoes...

Chicken then cheese.... and finally the onion straws. If there are any left. One large onion makes a surprisingly large amount, so they should go pretty far. Serve with sour cream, and add this one to the rotation!

Barbecue Chicken Taters
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 large potatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, your choice
1 large onion, sliced paper thin
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon pepper
1/2 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 quart vegetable oil, for frying
Sour cream, optional

Bring water to a rolling boil over high heat on the stove. Add chicken and boil until completely cooked and internal temperature is 165 degrees, about 15 minutes. Remove from water and allow to cool. When chicken is cooled, shred and set aside. Preheat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the very thinly sliced onions to a pan with the buttermilk and let set for 5 minutes. Combine together flour, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper in a large mixing bowl. Toss onions into seasoned flour with tongs. Grab a small amount, shake off excess flour and drop into hot oil. Toss in oil and allow to fry for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Be sure to stir often in oil. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Season with salt. Meanwhile, heat barbecue sauce on stove top. Cook potatoes in microwave (or oven) until internal temperature is 140 degrees and soft. Toss shredded chicken in hot barbecue sauce. Slice open potatoes and top with barbecue chicken, shredded cheddar cheese and onion straws. Serve with sour cream and enjoy!