Chicken Salad Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I'm a sucker for a good rotisserie chicken. I really can't pass them up. Their versatility makes them ideal to have on hand. The problem for me is that in a house with 2 people, a chicken is too much for one meal. One of my favorite things to do with the leftovers is make chicken salad because it's great for lunch and snacks. But after a day or so, what do I do with the chicken salad that's still left? I have to make something that changes the chicken salad enough that Hubby doesn't notice that we're eating it again. That's when I came up with stuffed poblano peppers. He loves them! Winner!! Here's what you'll need:

Start by opening the peppers. With a sharp paring knife, make a horizontal cut through the top layer of the pepper just below the stem. Then make a vertical cut through the top layer from the horizontal cut to the bottom of the pepper. Gently open the pepper and remove the seeds.

With a spoon, fill the pepper with the chicken salad.

Top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and the pepper is warmed  through.

Enjoy!

Lynn

Chipotle Pulled Pork Pizza

Here's another use for the leftover chipotle pulled pork. This was made with a portion that I had frozen in a zip top bag. I decided to make this at 5 this afternoon and by 7 we had a homemade pizza better than anything we could have ordered. Normally if I am planning to make pizza, I make the dough early in the day so that it has plenty of time to rise, but this worked out just fine.

I added fresh rosemary and red pepper flakes to the dough to give the crust a little extra zing. I also went very lightly on the cheese because we are still recuperating from the holidays and so I have been cutting back wherever I can without compromising the flavor. Feel free to add more cheese if you're so inclined. We didn't miss it at all. The spinach is also of the frozen variety. This entire pizza was made with either staples that I always have on hand or something that I pulled from the freezer, but you would never guess that by the taste. Here's what you'll need:

  • 1 recipe pizza dough ( I added about 1 tsp of red pepper flakes and 1 TBL fresh rosemary)
  • olive oil
  • ricotta cheese
  • chipotle pulled pork
  • 1 shallot
  • parmesan cheese, grated
  • fresh rosemary, chopped
  • serrano pepper
  • frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture

Start by rolling out the pizza dough. We like it pretty thin, but if you like it thick that works too.

Drizzle the crust with olive oil. I added a little red pepper infuse olive oil as well.

Add the pulled pork.

Add the spinach.

Thinly slice the shallot and separate into rings and add to the pizza.

Slice the Serrano pepper and add. I leave the seeds in because we like spicy food, but remove the seeds if you want a milder flavor. 

Mince the fresh rosemary and add.

Now add as much ricotta as you want. I just spoon on dollops.

Top all of the ingredients with the greated parmesan.

Bake on a pizza stone in a preheated 500 degree oven until the crust is brown.

At this point I should say that I can't live without my pizza stones. If you want a crust that is really crisp on the outside but still tender on the inside, you need to use a pizza stone. Cookie sheets and the metal pizza pans just don't do the trick. I keep my stone in the oven all the time so I don't have to worry about storing them. They also have the added benefit of keeping the temperature of the oven even.

Enjoy!

Lynn



Chipotle Pulled Pork Enchiladas

Here's another way to use your leftover chipotle pulled pork. Enchiladas! The pork is a perfectly tender filling for these gooey, slightly spicy tubes of deliciousness. Am I going on too much? I don't think so. One of my requirements for a successful use of leftovers is that they taste totally different from the original. these fit that bill perfectly. It's a bonus that there are only 5 ingredients and simple to assemble. You can adjust the recipe to make as many enchiladas as you want. the measurements I give here will make 12 enchiladas. Here's what you'll need:

  • 2 C chipotle pulled pork
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 2 cans enchilada sauce (my favorite brand is Hatch) 
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 C colby jack cheese, grated

Start by heating the enchilada sauce in a skillet. I used 1 can of tex-mex style and 1 can of roasted red pepper sauce. The sauce comes in different degrees of spiciness, so go with the type you like. You can also add hot sauce if it's not spicy enough.

Make an area that you can set up an assembly line with your ingredients. Spray your casserole with non-stick spray and then you're ready. 

Using tongs, dip a corn tortilla into the sauce. Let it soak for about 15-30 seconds. This usually takes a bit of a trial and error before I get the timing right. If your tortillas are very fresh, it won't take long. A quick dip is enough or else they will start to fall apart. If the tortillas are a little more dry, you will ant to leave them in to absorb more sauce. 

When the tortilla isa ready, lay it in the bottom of the casserole and spoon some of the pork down the middle.  

Next, sprinkle on some of the chopped onion. 

Now roll the tortilla and place seam side down. Repeat this process with the remaining tortillas. 

Once all the enchiladas have been rolled, pour any remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining chopped onions. 

Sprinkle the enchiladas with the grated cheese.  

Bake, uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is hot and bubbly. 

After you remove the enchiladas from the oven, lightly score the melted cheese so that you can see each enchilada. This make serving much easier. 

Tonight I served these enchiladas with a salad.  

Enjoy! 

Lynn