smothered chicken

As I have spoken to more and more moms on the subject of feeding our kids, I have come to the realization that we are all just winging it. Some of us wing it more than others, but if we are all honest, very few would have all of their meals planned out. Sometimes I am better at planning than others. I am trying my best to be more organized, especially as our schedules become more and more busy; however, there are times that throwing chicken on the grill at the last minute is “what’s for dinner.”

Last weekend, after a long day of hopping from one soccer game to the next (with some other errands thrown in the mix), the boys asked “what’s for dinner?” I replied…grilled chicken. Instead of a chorus of singing angels and wild applause my announcement was met with silence. Evidently, this response was not good news to William. He informed me he hated grilled chicken. What? How can you hate grilled chicken? Not having time to come up with another plan, I decided that it was time to start winging it a bit to keep this kid on board.

This creation (while I have seen ideas like this on numerous menus) was a mom’s attempt to get a kid to eat his grilled chicken. It worked….who can say no to bacon? Thankfully, William decided that this was an okay way to eat grilled chicken. So as I continue to wing it and feed my family night after night, it is good to know that I can throw some frozen chicken on the grill because I have been too busy to sit down and plan for something more elaborate. Sometimes I can wing it and still keep my family fed and mostly happy.

Smothered Grilled Chicken

ingredients:
chicken breasts (I used frozen ones I buy in a big bag at Costco. Yes I throw them on the grill while they are still frozen.)
olive oil
salt
pepper
barbecue sauce (those in KC try Rufus Teague’s it’s our current favorite)
colby jack cheese slices
cooked bacon (1 per piece of chicken)
cilantro, for garnish

directions:
Prepare the grill. While the grill is heating brush the chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. When the grill is hot, place the chicken on the grill and cook until done flipping halfway through cooking. When the chicken is done, brush with barbecue sauce flip, brush the other side with sauce and top with bacon and cheese. Close the lid to the grill and leave for just a minute or two until the cheese is melted. Remove and place on platter and top with chopped cilantro.

*You can also grill the chicken and then finish under the broiler in your oven to melt the cheese and heat up the barbecue sauce.