BBQ Chicken Bowls

There’s been radio silence on my end the past few days because I haven’t been able to move.

Literally.

Not because I’m injured, or in pain—no. It’s because our air conditioner went out late Saturday night, and Rob and I have spent the last two hottest days of the year (so far) with just the use of fans and cold, wet towels.

We finally had to break down and buy a window unit air conditioner yesterday before the complex can fix whatever is wrong with our A/C. I couldn’t bear it. If there’s one thing I hate in this life, it’s sleeping while hot. I can’t take it. I need my sleeping quarters to be bitterly cold, and cover myself up under layers upon layers of blankets.

Here’s hoping the rest of our summer is better. We already reaching the 90’s during the day, and next week we could see mid-100’s. May has already been one of the hottest on record, and I surmise June and July and August will too. I think this year will end up a lot like 2011…when we had 100+ days of 100 degree temperatures in a row. Yuck.

To cool myself off, I’ve been eating a lot of cucmbers. A LOT. I’m shocked Im used to hate cucumbers. I can’t get enough of them now.

I wanted to make a barbecue chicken style bowl for work this week and I figured I would use some homemade ranch slathered cukes in the recipe. What else is summery and barbecuey? Grilled corn! Perfect for this bowl. I also added a bed of pinto beans, because why not. I would’ve used baked beans but they have so much sodium in them I couldn’t bring myself to using them.

Use your favorite barbecue rub and sauce for the chicken. I used Head Country for both (an Oklahoma favorite) and was pleasantly surprised with how they came out. My grill pan was put to good use here and I figure I will use it even more throughout the summer.

Expect more cool summer recipes to come!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Heat olive oil on grill pan over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and barbecue seasoning. Grill for 4-5 minutes per side, until no longer pink and slightly charred. Remove to a pan and toss with barbecue sauce.

In a small bowl, stir together milk, mayonnaise, and ranch dressing mix. Add sliced cucumbers and toss until coated.

Grill corn on grill pan about 6-7 minutes per side. Add to a pot of boiling water to finish cooking and boil for about 8 minutes. Drain.

Build the bowl: start with beans and add 2-3 chicken strips, a corn cob, and a spoonful of cucumbers.