Rotisserie Chicken Flautas with Salsa Verde

Hubby wandered into the kitchen and wanted to know what we had planned for dinner. The man drives me nuts sometimes. I print out a schedule every Saturday morning before we go to the market of the week’s planned meals and stick it on the refrigerator door right under the schedule of weekend events in our area. He manages to notice if  there’s a car show nearby on any given weekend, but not what we’re having for dinner on any particular night. We all have our priorities, I suppose.

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Crescent Chicken Enchilada is Out of the Ordinary

As I pulled the Crescent Chicken Enchiladas from the oven and called my guys to the table, Hubby gave me a strange look. He had seen the menu for the week posted on the refrigerator as it always is. He knew we were having Chicken Enchiladas. He forgot about the “crescent” part of the description. I’ve got to tell you, as I made and baked the enchiladas, I had my doubts too. It was strangely out of the ordinary even for me. They were really long, one enchilada cut in half was more than you needed for a serving. As Hubby noted, they were different. Guess what? Different was down right delicious!

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Portuguese Grilled Burritos

One Sunday, I made what I consider the perfect Sunday supper, at least when I was growing up, and that’s Buttermilk Pan-Fried Chicken. Of course, you can’t have  buttermilk chicken without a big pot of mashed potatoes, plenty of gravy, sweet corn and fluffy biscuits.

Buttermilk Pan-Fried Baked Chicken (6)

As you know, most dinners and it’s just the three of us. While Hubby and Kiddo both have healthy appetites, left overs are to be expected. And so it was with all that delicious chicken. I put the chicken into a gallon zip-lock bag and stuck it in the refrigerator for future use. There it sat, next to two Tupperware containers of left over soups.

Hubby and I had talked about how both the inside and outside refrigerator were beginning to fill with left overs, and that there were only so many lunches to be made. It’s the slow season in the Event business, the lull after the holidays. Kiddo only works a few days a week, so it’s just Hubby turning left overs into hot lunches at the office. While there was a big Chuck Roast in the outside refrigerator just waiting to be transformed into my wonderful Mexican Roast Beef with Chipotle Cream Sauce, such a delicious meal was bound to render more left overs.

Mexican Roast Beef 5

It was time to get creative. As I stood in front of the open refrigerator door and stared at all the containers, a thought came to mind. We had plenty of tortillas on hand, always do. Portuguese Liguica Sausage wouldn’t take long to thaw. We had cheese, and sour cream and several cans of fire roasted tomatoes. It wasn’t long before a delicious stuffed tortilla recipe began to form in my mind. Kiddo had the day off. He joined me in the kitchen as we piled ingredients on the counter and bounced ideas back and forth. His input as far as seasonings and extras was of great help. Kiddo’s been working so much, I’ve missed these creative sessions we once enjoyed. One taste and between the two of us, we knew we had a hit on our hands.

Portuguese Grilled Burritos
2 Cups Cooked Chicken Meat
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Mexican Chili Powder
1 Link Liguica Sausage, diced
1 Can Ro-Tel Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chilies
2 roasted Jalapeno Peppers
6 Large Flour Tortillas
6 tablespoons Sour Cream
1 cup Mexican Cheese Blend, shredded

Chop chicken into small pieces. Place in a mixing bowl.

Season chopped chicken with Cumin, Cayenne Pepper and Chili Powder. Work seasoning into the meat with your fingers. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

Dice Liguica into small pieces. Set aside.

Heat a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add sausage to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until hot.

Add chopped chicken to the skillet. Stir and let heat through.

Open canned tomatoes, and pour into the skillet with the sausage-chicken mixture. Lower heat and let simmer.

portuguese chicken burritos (1)

Roast jalapeno peppers in a small cast iron skillet until just beginning to blacken and blister.

Stem peppers, dice and add to sausage-chicken mixture. Include seeds for more heat, discard pepper seeds if looking for a filling that is more to the mild side.

Heat a flat griddle over medium heat. Spray griddle with a little cooking spray.

Heat tortillas, spraying with cooking spray as needed to make tortillas pliable.

Stack warmed tortillas on a plate.

Spread sour cream inside tortilla, one at a time. Pile cheese down the center of the tortilla. Be generous. The cheese is going to add gooie deliciousness to every bite.

portuguese chicken burritos (2)

Spread several spoonfuls of filling over the top of the cheese. Fold in the ends, then fold/roll tortilla tightly.

portuguese chicken burritos (3)

Place filled tortilla on the griddle and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Repeat until all the tortillas have been filled, grilled and ready to serve.

portuguese chicken burritos (4)

Enjoy with a side of refried beans and a few more roasted jalapenos, if desired.

 

Chicken and Italian Cheese Stuffed Lasagna Roll-Ups

Have you ever had a Lasagna Roll-Up? These things are awesome! Great for supper time, pretty as an appetizer or to serve up something different at your next pot luck. I’ve made Lasagna Roll-Ups using just an Italian Cheese filler, with Italian Sausage, a traditional meat filling and with today’s share, cooked chicken. Any cooked chicken will do, from last night’s left over roasted chicken to a rotisserie chicken from your local deli.

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Taco Chicken Soup with Rice-A-Roni

How’s the weather in your neck of the woods? As I sit here, sipping my morning coffee and looking out the dining room window, I see just how foggy today is going to be. Cold and damp. It’s one of those mornings when you just want to snuggle under the blankets and hibernate. It’s also one of those mornings that makes you dream of big bowls of soup. Yeah, soup. I love soup on foggy days, don’t you?

Taco Chicken Soup with Rice-A-Roni
2 Cups cooked Chicken meat
1/2 White Onion, Chopped
2 Cups Mexican Corn
3 Cups Chicken Stock
1 Box Chicken Rice-A-Roni
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Celery Salt
1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (from tube) Continue reading “Taco Chicken Soup with Rice-A-Roni”

Rigatoni and Chicken Bake with Artichokes

Did you know that the artichoke, specifically the globe artichoke, is actually the unopened flower bud of a thistle-like plant. These unopened flowers were a passion of Catherine de Medici in fifteenth-century Florence, Italy. Catherine became the wife of Henry II, king of France. King Henry excluded Catherine from the political arena. Upon his death, she became ruler of France through her sons, each of whom she outlived.

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Kicking Salsa Verde Chicken with Cornbread Puffs

First off, I want to give special thanks to Kevin and Amanda over at kevinandamanda.com for this phenomenal recipe, originally posted on their site back in November 2012. If you aren’t familiar with Kevin and Amanda, be sure to check them out. Great pictures, interesting travel experiences, and step by step directions for terrific recipes that are always a success. To their original recipe, I made very little changes.

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Chicken Club Sandwich with Chipotle Mayonnaise

Have you ever done the same thing over and over again, without knowing why? Once upon a time, in a prior life, Hubby, Kiddo and I traveled. We traveled state side. We traveled abroad. We were roaming the country side. When traveling state side, it really didn’t seem to matter the destination or hotel chain, I was a creature of habit.

Touch down, retrieve the luggage and head for the hotel to settle in. Be it the Hilton, Hyatt, Four Seasons or the Ritz Carlton, it really didn’t seem to matter. Most hotels with room service usually include a Chicken Club on the menu. Some offered sprouts, others avocados, depending upon local demands and tastes. Some came with fries, others something a bit more healthy (yeah, like serving a healthy side of cottage cheese off-set the bacon on the sandwich). First things first – order room service, then unpack. By the time room service arrived, we were ready to relax, eat and let the vacation begin. While Hubby varied his selection and Kiddo picked something from the child’s menu, I always had the chicken club. Don’t ask me why – it’s just one of those creature of habit deals. (So was rearranging the furniture in the hotel room, but that’s a whole other issue).

Now that we are home-bodies, I still like a good Chicken Club every now and again. Sometimes I’ll stick one of those frilly toothpick into the sandwich, just to give it that “room service” touch. The addition of a spicy mayo and warm chicken meat seasoned with smokey Mesquite seasoning elevates my home version to a whole new dimension.

Chicken Club Sandwich with Chipotle Mayonnaise
Ingredients – Chipotle Mayo
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Chipotle Seasoning
¼ Teaspoon Lime Juice
Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, whisk to blend well. Chill until ready to use. The longer the mixture is allowed to chill, the more the flavors will blend for a delicious spread.  Save any remaining spread for later use – it’s great on burgers or just about any sandwich for a bit of flair.

Ingredients – Chicken Club Sandwich
1 Rotisserie Chicken from the deli
Mesquite Seasoning to taste
1 Tablespoon Butter
1/4 Cup Chicken Stock
1 Cup Mayonnaise or Chipotle Mayo (recipe above)
12 Thick Slices of Bacon, cooked crisp
12 Slices of Italian bread or Soft Sour Dough Bread

Pick up your chicken a few days in advance. It’s easier to work with a cold chicken. Place the Rotisserie Chicken on a cutting board. Remove all the skin from the breast. Remove and discard the wings. With a knife, cut chicken breast meat from the bone and set aside. Cut the thighs and legs from the body, then break them apart. Remove the skin from the dark meat. Chop all the chicken meat into chunks. Spread out on the cutting board and sprinkle with Mesquite Seasoning. Using your hands, rub the seasoning into the meat.

Place a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Melt a little butter into the skillet. Add the chicken meat. Moisten with Chicken Stock and heat until just warm. Keep warm until ready to assemble sandwiches.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Cut strips in half. Divide for 4 sandwiches and set aside.

Toast 4 slices of bread, place on individual plates. Place 4 more slices of bread into toaster.

Spread mayonnaise or Chipotle Mayo on first slices of toasted bread. Top with chicken.

Spread mayonnaise or Chipotle Mayo on second slices of toast and place spread side down on top of chicken.

Place remaining 4 slices of bread into toaster. Spread additional mayonnaise or Chipotle Mayo on second slice of bread (both sides are coated). Place bacon on top of second slice.

Top bacon with sliced tomato and lettuce leaf. Spread mayonnaise or Chipotle Mayo on final slice of toast, place on top of sandwich. Press down LIGHTLY and cut sandwich in half diagonally. If desired, secure each half with a toothpick.

Serve with a dill pickle spear, a side of fries or a scoop of deli potato salad.

Note: For less bread, simply eliminate the center slice. Pile on the chicken, the bacon, lettuce and tomato – it’s still a filling sandwich!

Pesto-Alfredo Pasta Chicken Bake

This beautiful recipe is inspired by The Cooking Jar. Farah has a wonderful approach to her blog – everyday cooking for everyday cooks. While I love experimenting with recipes. Sometimes I’ll find a recipe that forces me to google some of the ingredients as I wonder “What the heck is that?” With The Cooking Jar, you will recognize every ingredient – most of those “real” ingredients are probably already in you kitchen.

Continue reading “Pesto-Alfredo Pasta Chicken Bake”

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