People ask me all the time where I get my ideas for recipes. The short answer? Everywhere. The long answer? Random ideas pop into my head from day to day and I jot them down in a notebook or log them in my phone to make later. Other ideas come from my mother’s old cookbooks, magazines, recipes I remember having in my childhood, something I see on television, a meal described by a friend or family member, lots of inspiration from the internet, and dishes I have had at restaurants. This particular recipe today was inspired by a restaurant dish I’ve never actually even had. I’ve eaten at Ruby Tuesday before – I love it – and I remember getting the barbecue chicken 2 or 3 times there along with the salad bar – which, by the way, is the home of their really really awesome housemate balsamic dressing. Annnnyway, the barbecue chicken. Delicious. But I was looking at their menu online the other day and I noticed a dish I hadn’t tried before but wished I could immediately get my hands on – Smoky Mountain Chicken. Chicken in barbecue sauce, topped with bacon and cheese. YES PLEASE. We don’t actually live by a Ruby Tuesday, the only one we ever visit is in Park City where we frequently have weekend getaways. Those weekend getaways are on hold for a minute while we have two brand new babes at home but I couldn’t wait a few more months to try this smoky mountain chicken so, naturally, I created this restaurant-inspired amazingness you are witnessing today. The best part? This FIVE INGREDIENT DISH (<—- I love those words) is made right in the crockpot. You literally have 5 minutes of prep and that’s it. And the flavors. Ohhhhmygosh. I mean seriously. Bacon + barbecue + cheese. What’s not to love here?!
