How I Make BBQ Chicken Baked Potatoes

If ever there was an easy dinner, this one has to be it.

When my husband and I were in college, the pizza place down the road made a variety of loaded baked potatoes, and we ate our weight in them. It's not a difficult concept, is it? Take a potato, fill it with whatever makes your heart happy, top it with gooey melted cheese, and you have a no-brainer budget item for dinner. We've been making them at home ever since we graduated from college.

I start by baking my potatoes in my Crock Pot. Have you tried this yet? I wash them, prick them with a knife, turn the Crock Pot on high, and let it go for four hours or so. They turn out perfectly every. Single. Time. I do put a little water in the bottom, although I've heard that's not necessary. I figure I'd rather be safe than sorry. I also "bake" more potatoes than I need for this meal while I'm at it...tomorrow's dinner is supposed to be Cheesy Sausage Potato Soup, so I might as well have the potatoes ready to go beforehand.

About 30-45 minutes before it's time to eat, I'll go ahead and cook my chicken breasts. One tip that I've found to work well is to splash a little vinegar into the water that I'll boil the chicken in; it helps tenderize the meat and make it easier to shred (I also do this with pork and beef). Once the chicken is cooked, I'll shred it and mix barbecue sauce in.

Then I pull the baked potatoes out, and using a fork, I'll pull the insides away from the skin. Then I'll butter and salt them...

..and top them with the barbecue chicken and cheese. I'll pop them into the microwave just long enough to melt the cheese.

My husband is a big fan of hot wings, so sometimes I mix some Frank's Red Hot in with his chicken and let him have a Buffalo Chicken Baked Potato. This is another one of those dinners that can go as far as your imagination takes you...you could make a veggie potato, or an Italian one (with Italian sausage, pepperoni, and salami), or you could use ham, pulled pork, bacon...really, the possiblities are endless. Serve it with a green salad and a crusty loaf of bread and you have a perfect, easy fall dinner.

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