Costco Chickens

I try to keep my love of big breasts in check, but man, Costco chickens make me really happy! (where did you think this blog post was going?!)

Each Costco trip, about monthly, I buy a rotissery chicken. They are cheap, big and make for quick and easy meals. When I come home, my amazing husband pulls all the meat off and tosses the bones/skin/parts into a big crock pot with some onions, water and other yummys and makes a fabulous batch of stock. (Hint: toss in a few tablespoons of vinegar. It will pull minerals from the bones and cook off so you don't taste it. Very nutritious!) The stock is then cooked all night, frozen and pulled out for soup, risotto or other things.

Now for all that yummy cooked chicken, just waiting for inspiration! Sometimes it just becomes a batch of chicken salad for lunches. Other times it gets tossed on raw spinach with other veggies for a dinner salad. This week, I was needing a Mexican fix, which happens a lot on the East coast. While we might have some amazing things out here, Mexican food is sadly not one of them.

I came across a recipe on pinterest that inspired me. I would like to say I followed the recipe but we all know that just doesn't happen.

Mexican Chicken Casserole:

1 can ranch beans or red beans

1 cup salsa

1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream

2 cups cut up cooked chicken or about 1 lb cooked ground beef

1 T. taco seasoning

2 cups crushed corn chips

1-2 cups shredded cheese

Toss everything in the crock pot, stir up, top with the cheese. Be aware of a couple of things: first, how spicy are your beans, salsa and taco seasoning? If all have a kick, when mixed together you might have a meal with some fire. Which, in our house, leads to lots of griping from the little people. Also, if your chips are the left-at-the-bottom of the bag variety, like mine, you might find your dish to be a bit salty.

This recipe combines my love of many things; Mexican flavors, creamy cheesy dishes and the ability to clean things out of my pantry.

I have an inability to throw away the last of a bag of chips.The way I save things you would think I was raised in poverty or in the great depression. I like corn chips and it seems like such a waste to toss out the little guys at the bottom. Sure, you get salsa up to your knuckles if you try to use them for dipping, but that doesn't mean they are worthless! This recipie makes me feel better on so many levels.

I see a blog post in my future about the many uses of crumbs from the bottom of the bag.