Chicken and Waffles Casserole

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Does anyone else ever think about how scary it is that we're all so dependent on technology? I've been thinking about it a lot this week as I deal with a broken laptop. Actually "broken" is a generous adjective for the condition my laptop is in -- it's dead.

I wasted hours of time on vacation time trying to fix it. Did you catch that? I wasted VACATION TIME because of a broken laptop. And I'm sure many of you would do the same thing. The unknown of whether it would work or not gave me extreme anxiety. 

I use my laptop to sort through emails, to study and read my textbook, to blog, to edit photos... It's my link to the outside world. Except, somewhere along the way I must have forgotten that I'm actually living in the "outside world," and I don't need a "link" to it because I'm in it!

I realize a lot of our dependence to technology is just a result of the direction the world is moving. And most people have obligations that require the use of technology. So my suggestion to you is that the next time you experience a laptop or computer problem, try to embrace it instead of becoming upset or anxious. Use it as an opportunity to disconnect and channel your energy toward more simple things in life. Learn from my mistakes!

Okay, now someone lend me a hand so I can get down from my soapbox.

I first learned about the "chicken and waffles" combination just a few years ago. Savory, sweet, and an incredible combination of textures. This is definitely a recipe I'd be interested in sharing with friends. But then I think about how I would be stuck in the kitchen serving up waffles while everyone else eats. No thank you. I am already the world's slowest eater. so you don't want me eating last.

That's why I like breakfast casseroles. Make them the night before, pop the whole thing in the oven, and everyone gets to eat at the same time! But wait, chicken and waffles can be turned into a casserole too! And that's exactly what I did.

Let's first talk about the waffles. I made cornbread maple waffles -- great texture and the perfect amount of sweetness. You could absolutely use freezer waffles if you prefer, but I feel like nothing compares to a homemade waffle.

For the fried chicken, I bought popcorn chicken from the freezer section of the grocery store. I chose the popcorn variety because it's already in bite-size pieces. But you can make you own fried chicken, oven fry your chicken, or buy it from your favorite restaurant.

I layered the waffles and the chicken in an 8 x 8 pan with cheese because why not cheese. And then I added a mixture of eggs, milk, maple syrup and spices to hold it together.

It was actually better than I imagined, and the pieces came out of the pan really well!

Chicken and Waffles Casserole

Yield: Serves about 8 people

Ingredients

For the waffles

• 2 (8.5 ounce) boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix
• 2 eggs
• 4 Tablespoons Challenge butter, melted
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

For the egg mixture

• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Also...

• 2 pounds fried popcorn chicken
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

For the waffles

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix Jiffy mix, eggs, butter, milk, maple syrup, and brown sugar until there are no lumps.
3. Use batter to make waffles; cube waffles and set aside.

For the egg mixture

1. Combine eggs, milk, maple syrup, chili powder, garlic powder, and dry mustard; set aside

Assembly

1. Spray 8 x 8-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray
2. Add 1/2 of cubed waffles to bottom of pan; layer with 1 pound of popcorn chicken and 1/2 of cup cheese.
3. Repeat adding the rest of the waffles, chicken, and cheese
4. Pour egg mixture on top.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with more maple syrup if desired.

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Blueberry Lemon Monkey Bread

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Every year on Mother’s Day I’m stumped. I have the hardest time trying to find a gift for my mother.

What do you get the most important woman in your world? What do you get the woman who gave you life… the woman who selflessly serves the needs of your family… the woman who compromises her sleep to ensure your well-being… the woman who loves you unconditionally?

If you have the answer, let me know. In the meantime, my mom’s getting a plant, ha!

But seriously, my mother is the hardest person to shop for. She’s definitely not a “material girl,” and she doesn’t care for perfumes or jewelry or purses. So if you’re in a similar situation, I recommend making your mom something to eat! The way to any woman’s heart is through her stomach. That saying is typically reserved for men, but trust me, it applies to women too!

This year for Mother’s Day I really wanted to make something unique. One of my favorite spring flavor combinations is blueberry-lemon, and somehow I got the idea that it would work well as a monkey bread. I always have monkey bread on my mind. And although it took a few tries to perfect, I love the way it turned out. I think it’s the most beautiful brunch recipe I’ve ever made.

I’m going to walk you through the process of how I made it so you don’t make the same mistakes I initially did.

The first step is to macerate your blueberries, and it’s important to note that you should allow plenty of time for this. If you don’t know, macerating draws out the natural juices in fruit so it develops a thin syrup. You do this by adding sugar to the bowl of berries. That’s really all it takes. Because blueberries have skin, the maceration process takes a bit longer. I recommend doing this step up at least several hours in advance. If you didn't prep that far ahead, don’t worry about! But try to at least let them macerate for a half hour.

Secondly, don't forget to add butter to the dough mixture! If you skip this step, the dough is more likely to stick to the pan. I always use Challenge butter because they use 100% real cream without any hormones, additives, or fillers, and I think it makes a big difference in the taste.

Next, when you add the blueberries to the bundt pan, add half of the biscuit dough first, then add all of the blueberries, and finish with the remaining biscuit dough. It’s important that the blueberry layer goes in the middle. I tried adding the blueberries a couple of different ways, and this looks the best by far!

Lastly, don’t wait too long to flip the monkey bread out of the bundt pan after you bake it! I like to invert the monkey bread onto a plate about 20 minutes after removing it from the oven. If you wait too long, it will stick to the pan and fall out in pieces. I’ve had that happen before, and it’s the worst!

Let me know if you make Blueberry Lemon Monkey Bread for your mom for Mother’s Day, and thank you to all of the strong, gracious mothers out there! You don’t hear it enough, but we appreciate you!

Blueberry Lemon Monkey Bread

Ingredients

Macerate the blueberries

• 1/2 pint blueberries
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

For the monkey bread

• 2 (16 ounce) cans refrigerated biscuit dough
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 Tablespoons lemon zest
• 4 Tablespoons Challenge butter, melted

Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Macerate the blueberries

1. Combine blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice; set aside until ready to use. You can make this up to a day in advance.

For the monkey bread

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit; prepare bundt pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
2. Cut each biscuit into quarters, and add dough to large bowl.
3. Add sugar and lemon zest to bowl, and mix until all of the sugar sticks to the dough.
4. Add melted butter to bowl, and mix until dough is coated.
5. Evenly spread half of dough along bottom of bundt pan; add all of the blueberries.
6. Finish by layering the remaining dough on top of the blueberries.
7. Bake monkey bread for 30 to 35 minutes, or until dough looks golden brown.
8. Let monkey bread cool for 15 to 20 minutes before inverting it onto a plate.

For the icing

1. Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. The icing should be thick, but it should flow enough that you can still drizzle it. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.
2. Drizzle icing over monkey bread and serve.

Recipe adapted from Mind Over Batter

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Breakfast Pigs in a Blanket

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

This time of year I'm always looking for new brunch and breakfast ideas with Mother's Day and Father's Day coming up. I look for easy recipes that can be prepped in just a few minutes and made ahead of time, ad this recipe for Breakfast Pigs in a Blanket definitely fits the bill.

All you need is one can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls and sausage links. You ca use regular sausage or turkey sausage. Personally, I prefer the sausage that's already cooked because it makes the prep even easier. Then you just take a cinnamon roll, unravel it, and cut it into 3 or 4 equal parts. (Obviously you can get a higher yield if you cut it into 4 parts, but if you don't have many sausage links, you can just cut it into 3 parts.) And then just wrap the cinnamon roll around the sausage.

After the Pigs in a Blanket finish cooking, I like to add a maple glaze on top. It's just a few ingredients (butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar), but it makes a huge difference in taste!

And that's it! The result is a portable treat that's the perfect combination of a little salty and a little sweet. The yield is pretty large, so these would also be great for a tailgate or bridal shower or other brunch function with a big group of people.



Breakfast Pigs in a Blanket
Yield: Makes between 15 and 20 Pigs in a Blanket
Ingredients

• 1 can Grands Cinnamon Rolls (you can use another cinnamon roll brand as long as it unravels)
• 15 to 20 sausage links
• 4 Tablespoons Challenge butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit; line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
2. Unravel each of the 5 cinnamon rolls and cut into 3 or 4 equal pieces
3. Wrap one piece of dough around each sausage link and place on baking sheet
4. Bake between 20 to 25 minutes, or until cinnamon roll starts to turn golden brown
5. Mix together butter and maple syrup; slowly add powdered sugar and mix until combined and there are no lumps
6. Drizzle glaze over pigs in a blanket and serve

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