- 1 Rotisserie Chicken = 2 Meals
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Jalapeno Cheese Cornbread
- Chicken Pot Shepherd’s Pie
I buy rotisserie chickens from the market because it’s a short cut in making meals. It’s definitely worth it if it’s on sale or in this case, when you’re able to get two full meals out of it. I simply take all the meat off the chicken and shred it. I don’t include the skin in my recipes but if you love it, why not toss it in! After I shred everything, I divide it into two piles and refrigerate one for the other recipe later in the week.
Chicken Tortilla Soup:
For my chicken tortilla soup, it’s thick. I wanted to create something that mimicked the soup from Island’s restaurant because of the thickness and it’s hearty consistency. This recipe has been such a great success every single time. (Note: The soup should be a little thicker than a broth based soup but nowhere near porridge consistency)
Serves 4-5
- 2 tblsp of canola oil
- 5-6 corn tortillas (the more authentic and thick, the better. The big name brands don’t work as well with this soup)
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro (chop a little extra for garnish)
- 1 onion chopped
- 20 oz. can of diced tomatoes
- 1 tblsp of cumin
- 1 tblsp of chili powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups of chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp. of cayenne
- 1/2 of the rotiserrie chicken shredded
- 1 tblsp of sour cream
- Squeeze of half a lemon
- Avocado for topping
- Cheese for topping
Start by chopping the onion, garlic and cilantro. Then cut the tortilla into little squares (approx 1in x 1 in). Heat the oil in a medium sized soup pot and toss in the onion, garlic, cilantro and tortillas. Saute for a couple of minutes until the onions become semi transluscent. Then add the tonatoes, spices and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then simmer on low for about 30 minutes. Stir the soup every 10 minutes so that the tortillas continue breaking up and thickening the soup up. After 30 minutes, the soup should be thicker than what it started as. Add the shredded chicken, sour cream and lemon and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve and top with diced avocado, cilantro, sour cream and cheese.
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread (Ina Garten’s Recipe):
This is a great side to compliment the soup. For me personally, it’s a bit heavy on the butter so I’m going to be testing new recipes out in order to reduce the fat. Thanks to Ina Garten and the Food Network, I have posted the recipe below:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups milk
- 3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the pan
- 8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided
- 1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish, 3 scallions
- 3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers
Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don’t overmix! Mix in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar, the scallions and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Chicken Pot Shepherd’s Pie:
My family loves the chicken pot pie I make. I also bought an economy sized box of instant mashed potatoes over the holidays (it has 16 pouches that each serve 8… I know… a little much). i thought of this simple and easy recipe because it’s another take on the traditional shepherd’s pie but it’s a lot lighter and easier to make.
Serves 4-6
- 1/2 rotisserie chicken shredded
- 1 pack of the Honest Earth All Natural Creamy Mash (it is 6.4 oz dry so if you find something equivalent, that should be fine)
- Salt and Pepper
- 1/2 cup of frozen peas
- 1 cup medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic finely minced
- 1 cup of carrots diced
- 1 cup of celery diced
- 1 tsp of thyme
- 1 tsp of rosemary
- 1 tbslp of oil
- 1 tblsp of flour
- 1/2 cup of broth
- 1 tblsp of cream cheese
- Parmesan cheese for topping
- Parsley for garnish
Prepare the mashed potatoes according to the directions and set aside. In a large pan, cook together the onion, garlic, carrots and celery for about 5-7 minutes until the vegetables start becoming tender. Add in the peas and herbs and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Scoot everything over to one side of the pan and add 1 tablespoon of oil onto the empty side of the pan and whisk in the tablespoon of flour (making a roux). Once the flour has cooked off, slowly add in the broth and whisk it in to break up any clumps of flour. You can add more broth if it’s still too thick but the consistency should be of a thick soup. Once it reaches that consistency, mix it into all of the vegetables and add the cream cheese and stir it in well. Using a 9×9 baking dish, put the chicken and vegetable mixture evenly on the bottom and top it with the mashed potatoes. Spread the potatoes evenly over the whole dish and sprinkle parmesan cheese. Place it under the broiler for about 5 minutes until the cheese has melted and the top is lightly browned.
I hope you enjoy making both meals!
