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There are so many southern comfort food recipes that I find it hard to chose just one. So I don’t. You can find a comfort food for just about any occasion. There are times that I find myself craving something to munch on. Having a few of my favorite comfort foods on hand and ready really helps me to destress over cooking a full meal.

Southern Fried Dill Flavored Chicken bites

I love chicken tenders. However, processed chicken tenders just have too much sodium in it. So, I am always trying new recipes to avoid cooking processed foods. Having grandkids that love eating at McDonald’s, Burger King and Chic-Fil-a, finding home cooked meals that they enjoy can sometimes be challenging. But I think I have hit the jackpot with this new recipe that I have mixed together. So here goes if you want an amazing treat to try.

What you need:

1. 3 good sized skinless boneless chicken breasts and 3 skinless boneless chicken thighs cubed
2. 3 cups of self-rising flour
3. 2 tablespoon of each: adobo seasonings, dill weed, Original Badia sazon complete seasoning, onion powder, garlic and pepper.
4. Extra dill weed to sprinkle on chicken before dipping.

Now take the wet, thawed or fresh chicken cubes and sprinkle with the dill weed seasoning and set aside. Then get a gallon ziploc bag and put in flour, all the seasoning and another. Make sure that the chicken is wet. That is the key. I know that most people want to dry the chicken and use an egg wash, but this works perfect.

Using an iron deep dish fryer, get the oil hot but not boiling. Then add the chicken cubes about 10-15 at a time and toss in the flour. Coating should be doughy not powdery. Drop into grease. Depending on the size of your pan, you may be able to add more chicken. Fry until chicken rises to the top and then cook for an additional 10 minutes. Then, remove from grease and set to drain on napkin. Then serve. Once you get to the end, if you need to add more flour to your baggie, then just dash additional seasonings accordingly.

MEATBALLS

I love meatballs!! They are good for just about any occasion.  Bring them to potluck dinners, make a meal for your family or just keep some in the frig for those quick meal or late night snacks.  You can make them large so you can cut them up or small bite size pieces.  

Need the recipe, well here is mine for meatballs.  

I use 2 pounds of 80/20 hamburger meat.  1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs.  3 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup of chopped onions, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 2 medium eggs.  

In a large bowl, mix it all together and roll into bite-sized balls or whatever size ball you want.  Then bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, depending on the size.  

To make the sauce, you will need 2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce, 4 tablespoons of your favorite jelly, most people use grape, but apple jelly is delicious also.  Then add 1/2 of red wine.  In a medium size sauce pot, mix it all together over medium-low heat.  Once heated, add meatballs and simmer for about 10 minutes to combine the flavors.  

Now sit back and enjoy!!!

You can leave of the barbeque sauce and serve them as a meatball sub or even have Swedish meatballs with a white sauce. Add noodles and you have a whole different meal idea.

PIGS IN A BLANKET – SOUTHERN COMFORT FOOD RECIPES

Pigs in a blanket are another quick Southern Comfort food that can be made for dinner parties as well as just something to munch on while lounging around the house. With the right hotdog and buttery dough, these mouth watering treats will be the life of the party or snack time for kids during the summer or after school treats.

CHEESE AND CRACKERS

A block of cheese and some Town House crackers is a meal for me. When I am alone, which is very rare, cooking is not something I am inclined to do. So I cut up some slices of sharp cheddar cheese and load up some crackers on a plate with some ranch dressing and I have a snack and meal all in one. Add some pepperoni, cheese on the cracker and microwave for about 15 seconds and instant pizza. Sitting at home in the quiet reading a book or writing a new blog page, this is the ultimate in comfort food for me.

WINGS (ANY STYLE)

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Wings, wings, wings!!! We all love them. Whether it is bone in or bone out, wings seem to be the ultimate Southern comfort food. There isn’t a restaurant you can go to that does not have these on their menu. Not only can you get Southern fried wings, but also teriyaki, barbecue, spicy, ranch, wet or dry rub. These are just a few of the varieties that you can find. Having these on hand at home can sometimes hit the spot for that late night craving. Pair it with a salad or some veggies and you have a quick easy meal. The best part about wings, they taste good hot or cold. Just like Southern Fried Chicken. But that is another topic.

SOUPS AND STEWS – SOUTHERN COMFORT FOOD RECIPES

Nothing hits the spot in the cold and raining weather like a bowl of hot soup or a good thick hearty stew. I personally love chili during these times. However, my second favorite is potato soup or stew. These are easy to make and last for a couple of days in the frig. All you have to do is pull it out and heat up a bowl. If you are like me, I make about a 8 quart pot and then freeze some for a later date. When I am snowed in or on a cold, rainy day, snuggling up with a good book and a bowl of hot stew is just what I need. These Southern comfort food recipes are by far my most favorite.

My Chili recipe:

INGREDIENTS: 

• 2 pounds of hamburger meat.  You can choose which meat you want to add.
• 1 package of smoked sausage links
• 1 whole chopped onion
• 4 whole chopped bell peppers- 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 red and 1 green
• 2 cans of stewed tomatoes
• 1 small jalapeno pepper – optional for spicy flavor
• 3 cans of beans – 1 black bean, 1 kidney bean, 1 pinto bean or 1 bag of your favorite dried beans.  If using dried beans, let them soak over night in cold water.  This helps release the gas within the bean. 
• 2 cans of corn
• 1 cup of baby carrots diced
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 cup of red wine – not sweet
• 3 tablespoons of chili powder or to taste
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of crushed red peppers – if you opt not to use Jalapenos. 
• salt and pepper to taste 
• water to cover

POTATO SOUP RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:  You will need 6-10 medium potatoes, 2-3 stewed chicken breasts with or without bone, 16-oz can of condensed chicken stock, 1/2 cup of chopped onions, 2 cans of condensed mushroom soup, 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, 2 tablespoon of chopped chives and salt and pepper to taste.

To get started, boil the chicken breast and then chop or shred.  Save the stock.  Wash the potatoes.  You can peel them or not. Dice them and add to the chicken stock.  Add all the ingredients together, if need add water to cover everything. Then bring to boil, stirring to keep from sticking.  Boil for 5 minutes, then lower temperature to medium-low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. (at this time, you can add broccoli or other veggies if you want). Add salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with sharp cheddar cheese, parsley, chives and bacon bits and you are good to go!!

PASTA AND SALADS

Pasta and salads are not necessarily Southern but we can include them in our Southern comfort food recipes.  Why, because everyone loves pasta and salads.  Moreover, you can make pasta salads.  What a concept.  I have a great pasta salad recipe as well as a veggie winter mix salad recipe that I love to make.  At any given time, you can find one of these salads in my frig.  These make great quick meals, snacks and are a great idea for any kind of social or get together. 

Here is my recipe for my favorite pasta salad. Hope you enjoy it. 

Ingredients:

1. Use 1-box of your favorite pasta – Adjust portions to the amount of people you are feeding. 
2. 1 or 2- can(s) of beans – black beans, red kidney beans, pintos 
3. This is optional but I like them – 1 – jar of olives – black or green – your choice
4. For just a bit of spice – 1 – can of Rotella’s diced tomatoes with green onions
5. 1 – 16 or 32 oz bottle of zesty Italian salad dressing 
6. Meat adds your protein for healthy meal planning.  Add one of these to your dish – 1 lbs of diced cooked chicken or any type of meat you want to use, shrimp, beef, bacon, ham, pepperoni
7. 1 serving of grape tomatoes
8. 1/2 cup of seedless grapes
9. 1/2 chopped nuts
10. 1 cup of each steamed – broccoli florets, diced carrots, sweet peas
11. 2 – cucumbers diced
12. 1/2 cup – chopped onion, bell pepper

Boil the chicken in water and add 1/2 cup of white wine until done.  Dice or shred chicken. Meantime, cook pasta according to directions on the packaging substituting 1 cup of the water for 1 full cup of white wine.  When finished drain and run under cool water to reduce the heat.  Set aside to cool completely.  In a separate microwavable dish, add broccoli, carrots, beans, peas, and drained Rotella diced tomatoes.  Microwave for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside. 

In a large bowl, add diced onions, your choice meat, peppers, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, nuts, diced seedless grapes, and olives. Stir.   Add pasta and mix.  Then add the steamed bowl of veggies to the mix and stir.  Next, add the Zesty Italian dressing and toss until coated with Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve on a cool plate.  Garnish with shredded cheese, bacon bits and dried chives.  Pair this dish with a great red wine or Rose. 

CONCLUSION ON SOUTHERN COMFORT FOOD RECIPES

Well I am going to wrap this page up for now. However, there are so many great Southern comfort food recipes out there I am sure I could write a book on them. These are just some of my favorite and I wanted to present them to you. I hope you enjoy them and will give them a try. Who knows, you might find your next favorite recipe or comfort food.

Oh, and by the way, don’t forget to have your favorite bottle of wine, beer or beverage on hand when trying these recipes. The perfect beverage will enhance the flavor of any food. If you don’t have a favorite beverage, I have a page for you to check out to help you discover it.