Easy Recipes using Roasted Chicken from grocery stores

Part I

One of my favorite meals is to buy a roasted chicken from Wegman’s, Sam’s, Costco (all are usually just under $5.00) or even from our local grocery stores (usually less than $9.00).

I swear they must be putting something addictive in these chickens! The flavor is delicious, the skin is crispy and one chicken will last Ken and I through 3 or even 4 meals. 

The price, if I buy it from Wegman’s, Sam’s, or Costco is less than if I bought a whole raw chicken and baked t myself. I’m also now in the habit of calling my neighbor’s Wayne and Wanetta to see if they need me to pick up one for them. I brought them home one about 6 months ago and that was all it took! Now they usually want me to pick them up one when I buy for Ken and I.

Wegman’s is my favorite place to buy them since they have them in a variety of flavors including lemon, and barbeque! But alas, it’s a longer drive than I want to do at the end of a busy work day. I usually buy one a week at Sam’s.  But Wegman's also has Kosher roasted chickens!   They are a bit more expensive but even better!  

I stopped in on Sam’s on Wednesday night to pick up a prescription and decided to pick up a chicken for us due to the big storm coming in. It was a party while more than a dozen of us waited for the chickens to be taken out of the roasters! Conversations buzzed with, not the impending storm, but how good the chickens are and what we do with them! LOL.

Here are two examples of my favorite uses for the roasted chickens. First let me say that in my house these chickens get divided perfectly. Ken loves breast meat, and I love the dark meat. Ken eats ½ chicken breast for a sandwich or just with some steamed veggies for dinner. I’ll warm up a thigh or leg and do up a wrap for lunch.

After about the second day I start picking the meat off the bone for the recipes below. Oh, by the way, I cook up the bones and make extra broth and use it in soups.

Enchilada Suizzas

We first had this recipe in Acapulco, Mexico. We were stuck in the bay on our sailboat waiting out the storm season after a very scary aborted attempt to get to Hualtulco, Mexico, which is below the hurricane belt. 

After a full day’s attempt, during which we ran into a very bad storm, and lost the ability to use our rudder, we ended up back in Acapulco Bay looking for repairs. Also at my insistence, we were looking for another person, with sailing experience, to travel with us for a bit. This is when we met Jon, an Acapulco University student who wanted to learn English. I talked about him in an earlier post.

We had to put Cadenza up on the hard, (positioned on stands on land) for repairs at the Acapulco Yacht Club. In search of an inexpensive meal one day we stumbled on Mama Mia’s just a few blocks from the Yacht club. 

What a find it turned out to be! For $2.99 a person we got a soup of the day, an entrée, and a beverage! So the three of us could eat for under $10.00. What made it even better and more worthwhile was that the food was cooked fresh, was very tasty, and served on the patio of the owner’s home. We were shaded by trees, had just enough of a breeze and the gals who cooked and served were always a delight to talk to!

Their enchilada suizzas were new to us and we quickly learned the best day of the week to find them on the menu. As is usually the way with us, we analyzed what was in the dish so I could recreate it when we were no longer in Acapulco.

The main ingredient is salsa verde made with tomatillos. 

If you are not familiar with the name tomatillos, you probably have seen them near the tomatoes or in the exotic fruits and vegetables section of your grocery store. Tomatillos are in the shape of tomatoes but are green with a papery husk around them. You peel off the husk and there is a bit of a sticky substance on the skin. Wash that off and you have a wonderfully citrusy vegetable that looks likes a green tomato.

I’ve often made my own salsa verde because most of the commercials versions have so much vinegar and lack any other flavor that I can’t stand them. So when I can find tomatillos at a good price, less than $2.00 a pound, I’ll buy a couple of pounds and make the salsa and then can or freeze it.

But I’ve also learned that there is one brand that is excellent. It’s imported from Texas to Brown’s Orchard, here in York and Loganville, PA. Bless this store! It’s expensive at $6.99 a jar, but great to have as a backup when I don’t have any homemade on the shelf or in the freezer!

I haven’t written down the recipe at this point, so will have to do that soon. In the meantime, buy or order a few jars of D.L. Jardines Roasted Tomatillo Salsa. It is worth the price! http://jardinefoods.elsstore.com/view/product/?id=35719&cid=2871

Let’s finally get started with this recipe!

8’x8’ cake pan coated with Pam on the inside

1 jar of D.L. Jardines Roasted Tomatillo Salsa or 2 c of your homemade Salsa Verde

Shredded 4 blend Mexican cheese (variety of brands in the stores) or a blend of shredded jalapeno jack cheese and cheddar cheese and Queso Mexican cheese

Shredded roasted chicken with skin removed

½ chopped white or Spanish onion

6 corn or flour tortillas

Warm up the salsa in the microwave on the stove. If using corn tortillas you want it very warm. Pour the salsa onto a plate of pie pan.

Put a tortilla into the salsa to coat it on both sides. Lay into the cake pan and put in a Tblsp or two of chicken, onion, and then cheeses. Roll up enchilada style. Push over to the corner. 

Repeat for all 6 tortillas. Pour left over salsa over the rolled up and stuffed tortillas. Sprinkle the leftover cheeses on the salsa and left over onions.

Bake for 20 or 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or microwave at 70% for 10 minutes or so.

Let sit for a few minutes. Serve with a salad on the side, chips and any salsa you want.  This is just as good reheated as well!