Last night’s Baked Chicken & Rice made a plethora of chicken and rice. Rather than have the same meal two nights in a row, I turned last night’s leftovers into tonight’s cheesy chicken tacos.
Slice 1 & 1/2 chicken breasts into big pieces, then use 2 forks to shred into smaller pieces.
Using a fork, pull out the roasted veggies from last night’s dinner and coarsely chop into smaller pieces. Heat a bit of olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the veggies, chicken, a small can of spicy tomato sauce and half a cup of water. Season with salt, garlic powder, chile powder, crushed red pepper and black pepper. Salsa would work well here, as well as regular tomato sauce. Simmer together, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, heat corn tortillas either on the stove top, or in the microwave. To serve, fill warm tortillas with the spicy chicken & veggies. Top with shredded cheese. This filling would also be awesome in enchiladas, tostadas, nachos and tortas.
I topped these with sriracha sauce, and sides of shredded lettuce, tomato, diced onion and sliced olives. Rice and beans make a nice side dish.
This meal pulls together so easily, it’s ridiculous. Using leftover chicken cuts the cooking time to just chopping and reheating. The spicy flavors, texture and components are completely different than dinner from the night before. And by using leftovers, tonight’s dinner really only cost the price of the corn tortillas, a small can of tomato sauce and the spices used to season it. Oh so inexpensive, and compared to take out, it’s so much healthier! High protein, lots of hidden veggies, whole grain corn tortillas, low saturated fats and even the cheese is full of calcium! Low cost, delicious and good for you.
*M*
Pat Brogan
/ November 5, 2012Luv Mexican food, keep them coming! great stuff,
cheers,
pat