Classic Chicken Sliders | Tyson® Foods

There are few things that entice me to stand outside in the Florida heat. The "perspire while getting the mail" heat. The "feel like you're putting you're buckling your baby into a roasting pan when you secure him in his car seat" heat. The "glasses steam up when you step out of the cold grocery store" heat. It's intense and atrocious around these parts, mid-summer. 

All that said, I totally stood in front of a searing hot grill cooking up these sliders last week. Because nothing quite compares to the taste of char and smoke and caramelized barbecue sauce, and it's worth taking a second shower to get that classic flavor that is synonymous with summer. 

I like to get fancy at the grill from time to time, but sometimes you just want plain and simple staples like grilled chicken slathered with barbecue sauce. And sweet & spicy pickles. Let's not forget those.

Slap these spice-rubbed Tyson® Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs {available for a great price at your local Walmart} on the grill, and it'll be like you rang the dinner bell. As the smell wafts out, the family will bring it in. They'll be happy to take a break from the pool floats and shade trees after a bite of these diminutive delights. Though they're small in size, the combo of dry rub, pickles and KC Masterpiece® Kansas City Classic Barbecue Sauce is brimming with flavor!

So go ahead and brace yourself for the heat with an icy lemonade or a cold beer -- these bites are worth a little sweat! 

Classic Chicken Sliders
Recipe courtesy of KC Masterpiece 

21 oz. bottle  KC Masterpiece® Kansas City Classic Barbecue Sauce
Tyson® Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
1 package dinner/slider rolls

Dry Rub:
1½ teaspoons onion salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander

Spicy Pickles:
16 ounces dill pickle chips
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
2 cloves minced garlic

1. Halve each chicken thigh to make small for sliders. Combine dry rub ingredients in a bowl. Liberally apply to both sides of cutlets.

2. Place pickles in a bowl, keeping the jar and discarding the juice. Add sugar, red pepper flakes, hot sauce and garlic. Stir and let stand until the sugar dissolves. Place the mixture back into the jar and refrigerate until needed.

3. Build a charcoal fire with Kingsford® charcoal for direct grilling. Grill chicken directly over the hot coals for 2-3 minutes per side (or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the center of the chicken is no longer pink).

4. In a small saucepan, heat the KC Masterpiece Kansas City Classic Barbecue Sauce until warm, about 5-10 minutes. Remove cutlets from the grill and dip them in the sauce. Assemble sliders by slicing dinner rolls, placing chicken on roll and topping with pickles. Spear with a toothpick and serve.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods Inc. The opinions and text are all mine.

Olive Oil Polenta Cake with Grilled Apricots & Raspberries

As much as I love summer cookouts, when I think "grill" I often think "meat." And yeah, I like a good turkey burger or tasty chicken kebab, but you know that my heart belongs to just about anything falling into the category of "dessert." Every party needs a little something sweet, and there's no need to turn off the grill when it's time to serve dessert at your grilling get-togethers this summer!

Thanks to my friends at Colavita, I had an arsenal of amazing, authentic Italian goodies to inspire me as I pondered ways to move dessert prep from oven to grill. No, really. I mean a triple-decker care package of foodie love.

Olive Oil Polenta Cake is served up with grilled apricots and raspberries that have taken a soak in fragrant raspberry vinegar. A scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of tangy balsamic glace and some fresh basil complement the flavors and work together to create a fantastic balance -- sweet, savory, tart and creamy.

This cake is just about foolproof; ideal for last minute baking. The texture of the cake is intriguing with its slightly crackly crust and moist chewy interior, polenta adding a little crunch and a hint of cornbread-like flavor to the mix.

The apricots become slightly soft and caramelized when grilled, and they are nothing short of heavenly when eaten with a bite of vanilla ice cream and balsamic glace. {If you've never tried ice cream with vinegar, I highly recommend it!}

Don't limit yourself to burgers and hot dogs at your next backyard barbecue. Save a space for some sweetness on those grates, and some room for this cake in your belly!

Get $1 off Colavita products or 15% off your online order with this offer. 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Colavita. As always, all opinions seen here are my own!
Olive Oil Polenta Cake with Grilled Apricots & Raspberries

For Fruit:
2 tablespoons Colavita Raspberry Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teapoon basil, finely chopped {plus extra for garnish}
4 apricots {or peaches}, halved, pits removed
4 ounces raspberries
Colavita Balsamic Glace

For Cake:
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups Colavita Fine Italian "00" Flour
1/4 cup Colavita Polenta
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional: Powdered sugar for garnish, Vanilla Ice Cream for Serving

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cake pan* by greasing liberally with butter. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together raspberry vinegar, olive oil, honey and basil. Add halved apricots and raspberries to mixture and gently toss to coat. Set aside while preparing cake.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together eggs and sugar until pale. Slowly stream in the olive oil until fully incorporated. Mix in vanilla extract.

4. Whisk together flour, polenta, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. With the mixer running at low speed, slowly incorporate dry ingredients into the wet mixture until fully incorporated.

5. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool completely before cutting.

For Fruit:

Scoop apricots from vinegar mixture. Heat a grill or grill pan to high heat. Place apricots or peaches cut side down onto grill and cook until slightly softened and grill marks have formed, about 5-7 minutes.

To serve: 

Place a piece of cake on plate. Top with a grilled apricot and raspberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired. Drizzle with balsamic glace and sprinkle of basil.

Note:
*I used a small, 6 inch cake pan for this recipe. The cake rose above the rim but did not spill over the sides, though I did place the cake pan on a baking sheet just to be safe. If you use a standard 9 inch, you may need to reduce the baking time.

#BurgerWeek: Asian Slaw Turkey Burgers

You know why I love my friends over at NoshOn.It? Because they get as excited about food as I do. {Plus, they're pretty cool in general.} They get so excited, in fact, that they dedicate an entire week to recipes honoring one type of food, and share all kinds of new and exciting ways to enjoy something that might seem like it's been done otherwise. My kind of folks.

This week, NoshOn.It is hosting #BurgerWeek and asked if I could come up with an original burger recipe to share for the occasion. I, of course, was happy to oblige.

So many possibilities swirled around my head... but I finally settled on these Asian Slaw Turkey Burgers. And I'm glad I did!

I probably haven't had a "real" {i.e. beef} burger in over 10 years. I stopped eating red meat a while ago and never looked back. It was sort of a natural progression since I was never much of a fan anyway. But sometimes it's nice to sink your teeth into a yummy, grilled patty... though to be honest, I think I like burgers more for the toppings than the meat itself!

I make turkey burgers all the time and love the versatility of turkey meat. It's a bit on the lighter side than beef {specifically if you buy lean, white meat turkey rather than the dark meat} and it agrees with me a lot more. Seasoned with Asian-inspired flavor in this recipe, the patties turn out anything but bland. Broccoli & carrot slaw tossed in ginger vinaigrette adds some crunch and zip to these flavorful burgers, and a runny egg adds delicious richness!

If you think you don't like turkey burgers, I suggest you give these a try first! You can certainly swap out the turkey meat for whichever type you prefer, but I promise these are worth making. And the best part is you can make them in a skillet, on a grill pan or -- the ultimate summertime method -- on the grill.

Do you want to become a grilling pro? Need a new grill? #BurgerWeek sponsor Broil King wants to give you the chance to win one of their high-performance gas grills (a $549+tax value) plus burger grilling accessories to use in your home!

Made entirely in North America, every one of Broil King’s gas grills are made of the highest-quality materials and engineering that allows you the versatility to sear the perfect burger or steak, roast chicken or vegetables, or even bake a dessert right on the grill. Their grills are already in more Canadian backyards than any other brand and they’re available in the U.S. at Lowe’s and many other retailers! To enter to win your own Broil King grill, just click on the banner below:

Need more burger inspiration? Head over to these blogs for more delectable ideas!

Jalapeno + Cheddar Burger with Charred Corn Mayo from Simply Scratch
Vegetarian Patty Melt from Naturally Ella
Pork Belly Pimento Cheese Burger from Climbing Grier Mountain
Chili Cheese Tot Burgers from A Zesty Bite

Turkey Reuben Burger from Mountain Mama Cooks

GF Vegetarian Tex-Mex Black Bean Burger from Beard and Bonnet
Peanut Butter Burger with Savory Strawberry Relish from Foodness Gracious
Al Pastor Burger from NoshOn.It

Asian Slaw Turkey Burgers
Makes 4 burgers 

1 lb ground turkey meat
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 - 2 teaspoons sriracha

1. Heat grill, grill pan or a large pan over medium-high heat.

2. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients until well-combined. {Try not to overmix and toughen the meat.}

3. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into patties. Cook over medium-high heat on a skill or grill pan, or grill for about 3-4 minutes on one side; flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side or until the meat is no longer pink in the middle.

4. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil until ready to assemble burgers.

For Slaw:
1/4 cup broccoli slaw
1/4 cup shredded carrots
3 tablespoons prepared ginger vinaigrette {I use this kind}
1 - 2 teaspoons mayonnaise

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl until slaw is well-coated. Set aside.

For Egg:
Fry or poach an egg to desired runniness. I like mine cooked for a couple of minutes on one side over high heat in a frying pan, then flipped and cooked for under a minute on the other side.

Assembly: 

Toast buns if desired. Place burgers on bun and top with a heaping serving of slaw, thinly sliced red onion, and an egg. Drizzle with extra sriracha if desired.