Barbecue Chicken, The Sequel

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to summer: swimming pools, barbecues, and lazy days of taking in blockbusters at the local theater. But for all the new movies just out, there is something also very familiar about a lot of them. The Hangover was so successful the first time, the same group of guys decided to blackout an evening all over again, cue shenanigans. Kung Fu Panda is back with his animated moves for a second time. And Pirates of the Caribbean is up to high seas hijinks for yet a fourth time. I guess if we were to take a clue from the movie industry it would be: for summer success, if something was good once, do it again just a little bit different the second, or fourth, time around.

It is in that vein of promised guaranteed returns I am releasing Barbecue Chicken 2, a tale of three common barbecued chickens given a second chance at stardom. These humble chickens received praise from the dinner table after a cookout and then fell to obscurity in the back of the refrigerator as leftovers. This summer the once ignored barbecue leftover receives that classic summer movie trick, a makeover!, and will be reintroduced to the world (or family) in a slightly familiar but sizzling new guise. This is sure to be a hit.

Barbecue Sauce Chicken Pizza is a known star. Smothered in Uncle Jim’s famous sweet and tangy sauce it steals the show many a summer night. But to save BBQ Sauced Chicken from slipping into leftover obscurity, an Italian-American remake is in order. On a store bought crust spread a thin layer of barbecue sauce in lieu of traditional tomato sauce. Layer on grated smoked mozzarella or gouda, shredded barbecued chicken, corn kernels, thinly sliced red onions and diced tomatoes. Cook according to the crust directions or until crust is browned, cheese is melted, and chicken warmed through. Top with a sprinkling of cilantro leaves and serve hot.

Lemon and Herb Chicken is another barbecue favorite with recurring roles on the grill this time of year. This chicken’s revival is best envisioned as pasta where the lemon and herb of the chicken can play a strong supporting role to other ingredients. Briefly sauté garlic and halved grape tomatoes in olive oil. Reheat some shredded lemon herb barbecued chicken with a little of the pasta cooking water. Toss in al dente whole-wheat pasta, a few handfuls of arugula, pesto and some cubed fresh mozzarella. Serve immediately before the arugula completely wilts and while the fresh cheese is warmed but not melted.

Asian Barbecued Chicken, of the soy sauce and brown sugar variety, can be one of the hardest to rework into a dinner, part two. That sweet and savory, sometimes spicy flavor combination does not translate well into pasta and might overwhelm a salad. But maybe, in a surprise fish-out-of-water plot twist, the Asian chicken goes to Mexico and comes back as a taco smothered in spicy Sriracha and topped with a cool Napa cabbage slaw.

Part Twos are nothing new, not with movies and not with dinner. But if history tells us anything, if people liked it once, they’ll probably like it again in a slightly different format. Give the characters a quick makeover, dress them up in a different way, and set them out in a new part of the world and just like at the movies, the barbecue chicken sequel is sure to be a blockbuster.

Serves/Makes: 8

• 1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
• salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 cups shredded, cooked chicken (such as barbecued chicken with lemon and herbs)
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 4 ounces arugula
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup pesto sauce
• pepper