Yummy bacon-wrapped chicken

I needed to get out of my dinner rut, and what better way to do that than anything wrapped in bacon? I had already done my crockpot chili with squash, and my usual Asian inspired noodles, so smoky, barbecue flavors seemed appropriate for my next weeknight meal. I prepped the chicken before I left for work. It's a super easy dish that's tasty enough for a dinner party but easy enough to whip up anytime. Caution: don't forget to use aluminum foil on your baking dish for easy clean up!

See why you need to use foil?

Easy Bacon-Wrapped Barbecue Chicken Thighs

serves 4

Ingredients

8 boneless chicken thighs
8 strips of bacon
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (Bulls-Eye is my fave)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
8 toothpicks or skewers

Directions

Preheat oven to convection bake at 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine the barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Assemble the wrapped chicken thighs by coating each one lightly in the barbecue sauce mixture then fold the thigh in halve, wrap the piece of bacon around the thigh and secure with a toothpick or skewer. Repeat until each chicken thigh is sauced, rolled and wrapped. Place the chicken on a foil-covered sheet pan, and rub any excess barbecue sauce over the top of the chicken thigh. The chicken can be covered and refrigerated at this point. If that's the case, obviously don't turn on the oven before you assemble them.

Bake chicken for 45 minutes, flipping once halfway through the cooking process to evenly cook the bacon. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Don't forget to remove the toothpicks or skewers before eating. Enjoy with rice and an arugula salad.

Other ways to cook this chicken? You could try par-cooking them in the oven for 25 minutes, then finish them on the grill. Or, better yet, in a smoker, although you may need to crisp up the bacon at the end.

Thai Coconut Crock Pot Pork

Ingredients

*updated 3/1/13

2 lbs boneless pork butt, cubed in 2 inch pieces

1 shallot, sliced

1 can coconut milk (13.5 fl. oz.)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 lime, the zest and juice

1 tablespoon minced ginger

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon raw sugar (optional)

1 can diced tomato (optional)

Directions

Spray the interior of your slow cooker/crock pot with nonstick spray for easy clean-up. Add all of the ingredients and stir to combine. No precooking is necessary! Set slow cooker/crock pot on low for 9 hours. After 9 hours and before serving, check for seasoning. Add additional salt if necessary. Serve over rice, or alone. We added Sriracha for additional heat.

A few notes on this recipe:

1. Shallots, unlike onions, cook and break down in a slow cooker. They should be your new best friend.

2. I've done this recipe with and without the tomatoes. I enjoy it both ways, just make sure you drain the tomatoes or else the pork will be too watery.

3. I know there's nothing traditionally Thai about this dish other than the addition of fish sauce. Let's just say I let myself be inspired by Thai cooking...