When I was little, my sisters and I would spend every summer in Lawton, Oklahoma visiting our grandparents.I remember these summers fondly and think of them as some of the best times of my childhood.
I used to sit for hours and watch my grandma cooking in the kitchen. She would make everything from pies to country fried chicken to biscuits with gravy. She was the best cook around and I loved to just be in her presence and spend time in that kitchen with her.
While I was in the kitchen with my grandma, my older sister was running around outside in that Oklahoma heat and humidity.
We have always joked that I got the cooking gene from my grandma and my poor older sister didn't. (I actually remember having to teach her how to open a can).
I started this food blog with her in mind. She has always been so scared of the kitchen and has always said she just couldn't cook. She didn't have it in her.
When I started this blog I included the step by step pictures so she could see how easy cooking could actually be. Over the last year or so of her reading this blog, she's become more and more confident. Now she makes things like cranberry pecan crusted tilapia and blackberry cobbler.
To say that I'm proud of her would be a gross understatement. She is such an inspiration and hearing about her cooking makes me absolutely ecstatic.
When I was trying to figure out who to ask to guest post on Jolts & Jollies while I was moving I actually thought of my dear older sister. I wanted to show that she could cook and also inspire even more confidence in her. I believe in her and her ability wholeheartedly and I want her to as well.
So today, I'm sharing with you a post from my older sister. I was lucky enough to be here to not only watch her cook but also taste how truly delicious this dish is.
Take it away Tiff!
When my sister first asked me to do a guest post on her blog it took me a minute to realize she meant the food blog. You see I'm not known to be much of a cook. In fact, I'm usually kicked out of the kitchen. However, I've recently begun to cook and have been experimenting to find a way to eat healthy and lose weight. One of my favorite inspirations is Hungry Girl. Hungry Girl is amazing taking real food ideas and making them healthy. None of this is diet food but real food that tastes good and is filling too. Since I'm fairly new to the world of cooking I've started with fairly easy recipes like Hungry Girl's new trios selections. This bacon ranch chicken is adapted from Hungry Girl's Ranch-O Bacon Chicken Trio. It's super easy, has three ingredients (four if you count the black pepper), tastes amazing, and surprisingly won't hurt your bottom line.
The ingredients are fairly straight forward and simple: boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, dry ranch mix, pre-cooked bacon crumbles, and black pepper.
Season each side of the chicken breast with black pepper. Then sprinkle the dry ranch mix over the tops of each piece.
Put bacon evenly on the top of each breast, pressing down with a spatula to keep them from falling off.
Cook it up and enjoy!! Sound easy? Well it really is and it's a favorite for everyone in my family. Thanks to Hungry Girl and my dear sister for being an inspiration and helping even someone like me to learn to cook!
Bacon Ranch Chicken
Retrieved from Hungry Girl
Ingredients:
- One 5-oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast cutlet
- 1/2 tsp. dry ranch dressing/dip mix (I accidentally used 1/2 a tablespoon but ended up preferring it that way.)
- 1 tbsp. precooked real crumbled bacon (like the kind by Oscar Mayer) (I put as much bacon as needed or desired to cover the tops of each breast)
- Spices: black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray. Season each side of the chicken with a dash of black pepper, and then place the chicken in the pan. Season the top of the chicken with ranch dressing/dip mix
- Evenly place bacon over the top of the chicken. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to gently press down and help the bacon adhere.
- Bake in the oven until chicken is fully cooked, 20 - 25 minutes.
See I told you it was easy! I hope you all enjoy this quick, easy, and healthy recipe adapted from Hungry Girl's Ranch-O Bacon Chicken Trio.