Let's Talk Rotisserie!

Chicken Chilaquiles, $1.29 per serving (This makes a lot--I got six generous servings--so be prepared for leftovers! But the leftovers are oh, so good! The flavors meld together for an even better dish the next day!)

(Also, I'm experimenting with photography here, so bear with me. I am a few weeks away from a new camera, so I'm excited to play around with that on here.)

I love rotisserie chicken. I always have, and I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it. Not all rotisserie chicken is created equal though. I’ve experimented with roasting my own chicken with marginal success (I think absolute success will come with experience for this). But picking up a piping hot rotisserie chicken from the meat section is just so quick and easy (and depending on where you get it -- cheap!, but more on that later).

I remember my mom roasting (or maybe she poached it?) chicken for her chicken noodle soup recipe. She had to continually swat my hand away as I swooped in to steal a few of the pieces. I love it ... the meat is so tender and mouthwateringly delicious that I could, if I let myself, eat half a bird. And as much as I know the skin is the fattiest part and the part that is supposed to be discarded with bones, I can’t help slipping a few pieces in my mouth and have them melt like nothing else does.

Okay, I’m getting away from myself here. The recipe I’m giving today uses rotisserie chicken (or, if you’re ambitious, you can roast your own) and the only place I go for my chicken is Costco. Their Kirkland Signature Rotisserie Chicken is one of their best sellers for a reason -- they are delicious, perfectly and simply cooked with the right seasonings and so ridiculously cheap ($4.99 for a 3 pounder) that in this case, it’s cheaper to get the premade than make it yourself. Head to your nearest Costco to pick one up and you’ll see what I mean (while you’re at it, pick up the dried Montgomery Cherries too! They are so good!)!

Now for the recipe. I found this recipe in the Everyday Food “Great Food Fast” cookbook (which, ironically, I got at Costco!). This is a great cookbook that breaks the recipes up by season and has approachable meals that even I can master. The Chicken Chilaquiles is one of them. (Extra points if you know how to say chilaquiles.) I’ve made this several times and each time, I fall in love again. It’s smoky and has a little bit of a kick, thanks to the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (an ingredient that really isn’t as intimidating as it seems); their smokiness is offset by the coolness of the sour cream and freshness of the cilantro.

This recipe is really easy to make and requires very little prep (save for dissecting the rotisserie chicken). While I love the spice the peppers bring, it’s not very kid friendly. I think you can make part of the batch without the chipotle for the kids and the rest of the batch with the added kick for the adults in the crowd (don’t skip them all together though--they bring a ton of flavor to the dish).

This meal doesn’t really require any side dishes either just the few garnishes that the recipe suggests: tortilla chips, sour cream and feta cheese.

RECIPE

Chicken Chilaquiles

Great Food Fast from Everyday Food, copyright 2007 (page 44)

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 can (28 ounce) whole peeled tomatoes in puree

2 chipotle chiles in adobo (from a small can), finely chopped (about 1 heaping tablespoon), plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from same can)

Coarse salt

1 small roasted chicken (about 1 3/4 pounds) or cooked rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded (about 4 cups), carcass discarded

1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped, plus additional sprigs for garnish

4 cups (about 3 ounces) tortilla chips

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 2 ounces)

Combine the oil and garlic in a large (3- to 4-quart) saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and sizzling, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their puree (breaking tomatoes up), chipotles and adobo sauce, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil; season with salt. Reduce the heat and simmer rapidly until lightly thickened, 6-8 minutes.

Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until hot, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat; stir in the chopped cilantro.

Divide the chips among 4 shallow bowls; top with the chicken mixture and sauce. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, sour cream and feta. Serve.

Notes: I usually just use the whole rotisserie chicken, rather than just four cups (I consistently get 5 cups out of one), so my final dish turns out to be a little thicker than intended. Also, the smallest can of chipotle peppers in adobo is still too big for this recipe, so I place the extras in individual snack bags (usually two peppers to a bag) and freeze them. They last about two months frozen. For the tortilla chips I like the yellow corn round variety and rather than putting them at the bottom of the dishes, I prefer to use them as a dippers and scoopers.

RECEIPT

I ended up getting really cheap ingredients for this dish, so my amount may be a little skewed, but it shouldn’t be too out of whack.

28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes: $0.95

2 chipotle peppers: $0.25

Rotisserie Chicken: $4.99

Cilantro: $0.15

MIssion Tortilla Chips: $0.21

Sour cream: $0.43

Feta Cheese: $0.75

Total: $7.73 / 6 servings = $1.29

Off Topic: I found a great drink!! Dry Soda’s Cucumber Soda -- sounds weird, I know, but it’s strangely refreshing! This is a local brand so I’m not sure if you all will be able to find it, but I picked mine up at Starbucks. They have several other flavors as well such as Lavender and Kumquat. Bonus: no High Fructose Corn Syrup!!