I'm obsessed with this BBQ crockpot chicken

I've made this recipe, no joke, every week for the past month. I'm not even that big of a chicken fan, but I can't get enough of it. It goes well on a potato bun, in a lettuce wrap, or just mixed in with white rice and sliced peppers. It's all just freaking delicious. I cook it in the crockpot and then boil the liquid down into a spicy vinegar drip

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (can be boneless or bone in. both work great, but bone in makes more broth)
TJ's coffee garlic dry rup
Salt
Smoked Paprika or Chipotle pepper powder
Apple cider vinegar
Ketchup
Chili flakes
Brown sugar


1) Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt. Sprinkle VERY LIBERALLY with smoked paprika and then the TJ's dry rub. You want all sides of the chicken to be completely covered, and you can't overdo the seasoning, so don't be shy with it. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes.

2) Pour 1/8th a cup of apple cider vinegar in your crockpot and lay the chicken breasts flat on top. Cook on low for 3 hours, turning once halfway through so both sides get the spices cooked in.

3) When done, pull the chicken breasts out (reserve the liquid! this will make your drip) and shred the chicken in a mixing bowl while it's still hot. If you've got quality boneless chicken, you should be able to just take a fork and smash and mix about the breasts until it's all shredded. If you've got bone in, shred by hand.

4) Pour the reserved liquid in a medium size sauce pan and put on medium heat and bring it to a large simmer (not quite boiling).

5) Add:
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons more apple cider vinegar
3 good squirts of ketchup
2 shakes of salt
5 good shakes of smoked paprika
3 good shakes of chili pepper flakes

I also sometimes throw in a couple drops of liquid smoke, or maybe also some Tabasco or Frank's red hot.

6) Boil the drip until it starts to get thick. It will be thicker than water; you'll notice when it gets there.

7) Take a piece of chicken and dip it into the drip to taste test. To modify the drip to your preference, add these ingredients one at a time for the desired effect:

For more sour: 1 teaspoon vinegar
For sweeter: 1 large three-finger pinch of brown sugar (I really wouldn't do more than three or four of these, otherwise it gets super sweet)
For spicier: Either two shakes of the paprika or one shake of the chili flakes.

8) Boil a couple minutes longer to incorporate your flavor changes, then remove from heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Once cool, pour it all over the chicken and mix well.

Perfect Imitation Curry

Curry's actually pretty difficult to figure out if all you've got is a cooking background of the WASP variety. I love Indian food, but for years I was never able to pull off an actual, quality curry dish. Oh, I've got a curry chicken salad, a seven boy curry (a dish which I've never once seen in a restaurant and seems to be a distinctly "white folk" meal), and I've even thrown together a mostly satisfying curry-in-a-hurry. But that wonderful, orange/red sauce? That heavenly aroma that fills the house (and that you can never quite seem to achieve with McCormick's yellow curry mix)? It was always just out of my grasp.
But at last, I have finally found the secret. I still use McCormick's curry powder, BUT I also use their garam masala mix. It should be noted I don't mix my own curry or garam masala (fun fact: these are spice mixes, not individual spices! I went many years not knowing that). Really, who has the time to do all that mixing? But combing the two pre-made, plus a couple extra spices, finally gets me to that wonderfully full aroma of a true curry dish. And the sauce? The answer, ladies and gentlemen, is stewed and pureed tomatoes and onions (and maybe even some cream).
Give this recipe a shot; it'll satisfy all your cravings in the comfort of your own home.

Ingredients:

1 block extra firm tofu / OR 2-3 chicken breasts, chopped into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsps. Butter
1 11 oz. can petite diced tomatoes (if you don't have a blender, instead use one can tomato sauce)
1 large sweet onion
1 green bell pepper cut into 1 inch squares
1 tsp fresh minced garlic (equal to one clove)
3/4 cups frozen peas (this is a guestimate. I usually just sprinkle them in until it looks like there's proportionally enough in the dish)
McCormick's garam masala
McCormick's yellow curry powder (Badia could work too, but I find it to be too salty)
Cumin
Turmeric
Salt to taste

Optional:
8 oz can chickpeas
1/4th cup chopped peanuts
Raisins
Grated coconut

Optional, for butter chicken:
Ground Fenugreek
Ground Cardamom
1/3 cup heavy cream


To Cook:

1) Cut tofu or chicken into one inch cubes; toss into a bowl and coat with garam masala (don't sprinkle; COAT). Set aside.

2) Cut the onion in half. Set one half aside and finely dice the other half. In a deep pan, melt butter and toss in diced onion. Saute until translucent and then pour in the diced tomatoes and add the garlic. Let simmer for about 5 minutes.

3) If you have an immersion blender: Pour tomato and onion sauce into a large pot and blend until smooth. Leave in pot.
    If you don't have an immersion blender: Let the sauce cool a bit and then pour into a normal blender. Blend until smooth and then pour into a large pot.
    If you have no blender: Leave as is and pour into a large pot.

4) Put the pot of sauce to simmer.

5) Take the deep pan previously used (not need to rinse or wash). Heat the pan back up and throw in your tofu/chicken. Brown on all sides, using a little sauce to wet the pan every now and then if it gets too dry. Once browned, put the tofu/chicken in the pot with the sauce. If you'd like to add chickpeas, add them now.

6) Chop the bell pepper and other half of the onion into 1 inch squares. Saute in the pan for 2-3 minutes with a little sauce and butter. Once done, add to the pot with the sauce and tofu.

7) Add frozen peas to the pot. Sprinkle liberally with curry powder. Sprinkle less liberally with cumin and turmeric. If you're making butter chicken, sprinkle fenugreek and cardamom. Add salt to taste. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes. (Before simmering, it might be fun to add a handful of raisins, but I've never tried it)

8) If you're making butter chicken, turn off heat and stir in the heavy cream.

Serve over rice and add as much raisins, peanuts, and coconut as you'd like!

Lemony/Peppery/Herby Chicken Dinner Over Couscous

Maybe one of you fine readers can help me think up a more eloquent name for this dish.

You'll Need:
4 chicken breasts
1 medium sweet onion
1 large yellow squash
1 large bell pepper, any color
Small grain couscous
1 17 oz. container of chicken broth
Butter
Olive oil
lemon juice
Cracked black pepper
Salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon minced garlic, dried
1 teaspoon dill
Baking pan deep enough to hold the chicken breasts
Meatloaf pan (for the veggies)
Large saucepan

1) Set your oven to broil. Place chicken breasts in pan with 4 tablespoons of butter; sprinkle both sides of the breasts generously with lemon juice. In a bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsps cracked black pepper, and 1 tsp dried oregano. Sprinkle half of the spice mix over the chicken breasts, flip the breasts and sprinkle with the other half of the mix.
2) Slice the squash, onion, and pepper, and lightly coat with olive oil. Place in meatloaf pan and season with salt and pepper.
3) Place chicken and vegetables in the broiler, making sure to flip the chicken and stir the veggies every three minutes until done (should take 9-12 minutes total to cook).
4) While the chicken and veggies are cooking, begin making the couscous according to the directions on it's package. Instead of water, use chicken broth to make the couscous in. Once the couscous is done, stir in 1 tsp dill, and season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

Serve chicken and veggies over couscous.