dinner: a new outfit for old chicken.

for the love of chicken.

My mother was always a whiz in the kitchen. She was pretty much a whiz at everything but her main domain was the kitchen. From having a catering company to a sandwich delivery shop to food stylist for the movies to having her own cafe up north, food has always been her thing. So by default food has been prominent in mine and my sister's lives. I have heard tell of stories of me rolling spanokopitas at the table at age 5 to being quite proud of my styled buffet at the age of 17 - complete with a four tiered fruit cascade - for an Adam Sandler movie (unfortunately not featured in the end result).

But the one thing that has always stuck in my mind was her power over leftovers. She could make something and you would believe that she started anew rather than jazzing up something that was about to walk out of the fridge. 

This recipe here has always been my favorite. Chicken Enchiladas. Not traditional in any sense of the word, just traditional in appearance and the fact that you can't stop eating them! I always make a big pan in hopes of getting two meals out of it when really I should make two pans! I actually will create leftovers (or buy a store bought rotisserie chicken) if I know this is one the menu for the week. Want to wow a crowd? Make these! (great also for leftover turkey!)

my chicken enchiladas

** this recipe has no measurements, it's all by feel and what you have in the fridge.

vegetable oil

shredded leftover roast chicken

sliced onions (about 1 and half depending on how much chicken you have)

sliced red pepper (about 1-2, you can substitute any other pepper - you just really want some in there)

Optional: Sweet corn, black beans, fresh diced tomatoes - Have fun with it!!!! 

Optional: Salsa

Flour tortillas - 6 to 10 depending on how much filling you have, small or large.

Tomato Sauce

Shredded Cheese

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish with some vegetable oil and set aside.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for about 5 minutes until soft and slightly translucent. Add peppers and cook until soft. Add shredded chicken and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes to get in all hot and slightly browned. Now add any extra ingredients you want in there - I add some salsa at this point for a little liquid and heat inside. Sautee together for a couple of minutes then turn off heat.

Place your flour tortillas in a stack beside your pan and start filling them. Place filling in the center and roll up and place seam side down in the dish. Repeat until all the filling is gone.

Cover rolls generously with tomato sauce and then sprinkle shredded cheese down the center. Place in pre-heated oven for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve! Optional condiments: Franks Red Hot Sauce, Diced scallions, sliced black olives, salsa, sour cream.