Success the Second Time Around

Back in September I went to a childhood friend's wedding. The ceremony was beautiful, the view was breathtaking, and the food was fantastic.

The one station we kept going back to for more was the chicken parm sliders table. They were delicious. For something so small, bite-sized, they packed a punch of wonderful flavor. And I remember sitting at the table with my friends and saying, "I need to make these at home."

And finally, one Saturday in February, I did. Unfortunately, my first try left a lot to be desired. They patties were more burger-sized than slider-sized, and they cooked unevenly as a result. I tried to get creative with the flavors as well, but in the end, I felt it tasted like I was trying to hard to put my own spin on it, as opposed to honoring the classic flavors of chicken parmesan.

Then one night, something I heard Rachael Ray say years ago came to mind: "It's all about the method. Once you've mastered that, you can change up the ingredients." I knew what I had done wrong, and with that quote, I knew how to fix it.

For a few years now I've been making a recipe from a newlywed message board called "Beefed Up Biscuits," a big hit with my family. This was my method. All I had to do was swap out the ingredients.

And my recipe for sloppy chicken parm sliders was born!

Sloppy Chicken Parm Sliders
A Country Cooking Original Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, plus more
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus more
• 1 can refrigerated flakey biscuits
• Provolone cheese slices
• 1 tsp. jarred minced garlic, divided
• Olive oil
• Cooking spray
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat skillet coated with cooking spray. Add chicken and brown. Add onions, garlic, and bell pepper.
3. When chicken is cooked through add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese to skillet. Cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Coat 13x9 pyrex with cooking spray. Arrange the bottom half of the biscuits in the dish. Spoon chicken on top of each biscuit half. Top each with provolone slices and top half of biscuits.
5. Brush each top with olive oil. Sprinkle each top of Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese, and 1/8 tsp. of jarred minced garlic.
6. Bake for 25 minutes.