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1 large package of (fresh or frozen) chicken drumsticks
2 cups butter
1 bottle of favorite barbecue sauce
seasonings: worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, salt, pepper

Melt butter in a bowl, add generous amount of seasonings and mix together well. Dip chicken pieces into butter mixture one at a time, coat thoroughly and place into baking dish.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and baste generously with barbecue sauce. Place back in oven for another 15-20 minutes until meat is cooked properly. BBQ sauce should appear “baked on” at this point.

Serve with freshly steamed green beans tossed in butter, salt, and cilantro. If you want a starch you can whip up some mash potatoes while the chicken is cooking, or wrap sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and bake in the oven at the same time as the chicken.

This bbq chicken turns out super juicy and so tender it practically falls off the bone! Whenever I fix this people usually go back for seconds and thirds, so make plenty! It stores well in the fridge as a leftover, too.

GFCF Version—_{for those avoiding gluten & dairy}
1) select a safe bbq sauce (Kraft makes several for example)
2) use a butter alternative like Earth Balance or Smart Balance Organic
3) either eliminate the soy sauce or use a substitute like Braggs’ Liquid Aminos

This is a GFCF recipe that my kids LOVE. It is so simple and quick to make:

2 boxes of DeBoles rice pasta (spirals work well)
1 can of pineapple chunks
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (check ingredients!)

Drain the pineapple chunks but keep the juice! Fill a pot for cooking the noodles and add the pineapple juice to this. Cook pasta until done, then drain. Pour on spaghetti sauce and throw in the pineapple chunks. Mix everything together. Serve!

That’s all! It’s deliciously simple.

Optional: cook ground hamburger, chicken, or meatballs in a separate pan (or the over). Toss together with the other items when ready.

I made two versions of dinner tonight, one special for the kids and one for DH and I. The kids took turns breaking the asparagus but I think they enjoyed eating it even more—it’s their favorite veggie. Ala filled the pots with water for the asparagus and rice penne, then he kept an eye on everything as it cooked. He loves being in the kitchen and seeing things change before his eyes!

Both versions were soooo good!! They smelled delicious when they were cooking in the oven and tasted even better! We had a yummy, well-balanced dinner and everyone felt satisfied afterward. We will definitely be making these chicken dishes again.

MAKES 8-10 SERVINGS
—We had enough leftover for everyone in our family of 4 to have a 2nd meal

Dish Basics
1) mix ingredients for sauce together and pour into casserole dish
2) cut fresh or thawed chicken breasts into large pieces, place in sauce
3) bake uncovered at 400 degrees for approx 30 minutes
4) serve on bed of warm, drained pasta noddles
5) steam a bundle or two of fresh asparagus, salt to taste

Our Sauce
—Mix Together: large (family size) can of cream of mushroom soup, 1 package of cream cheese (softened in microwave), sliced mushrooms (2 cans or 3 cups fresh), 1 cup melted butter, 1 cup sour cream, 2 heavy splashes of Worcestershire sauce, several pinches of garlic, salt, and pepper
—When done baking top with a generous sprinkling of cilantro and shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Kids’ GFCF Sauce
—Mix Together: melted Earth Balance butter, Prego mushroom-tomato pasta sauce, sliced mushrooms, Tofutti ‘better than’ sour cream, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper
—We use DeBoles Rice noodles for pasta because they are GFCF

_{1) GFCF means gluten-free, casein-free; we cook this way for our kids because they have food allergies and we enjoy creating yummy new ‘safe’ meals for them}

_{2) I rarely list measurements for anything because I experiment a lot and make dishes up as I go along, but the ingredients are listed in the order of the quantity I used, from most to least}