This is another one of those recipes that sat on my radar for quite some time before I actually decided to give it a try. And I must say, that in the process of combining all of the ingredients on the stove I was really hesitant. In my mind, chips+chicken broth= mushy mess. Boy, was I wrong! This dish is awesome. Its all of the traditional Mexican flavors that I love all combined in one easy skillet meal. I changed up the original recipe to make it more pantry-friendly, and I was really pleased with the results. I know we are all looking for ways to use up some of those Tostitos in our pantry. Pull them out and try this! It is so good, and so different than other Mexican dishes that you've tried. I promise!
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 onion, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-3/4 cups chicken broth
5 cups Tostitos, then broken into pieces
1 can Rotel, drained
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Preheat the broiler. Trim the chicken breasts of any excess fat and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in an oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook on both sides until golden-brown, 5-7 minutes total (the chicken will NOT be cooked through at this point). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the remaining oil, onion, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the broth and scrape up any brown bits, and bring to a simmer.
Stir in half of the tortilla chips. Nestle the chicken into the broth and cook over medium low heat until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, and when cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces.
Return the chicken to the skillet (over low heat) with the drained Rotel, 1 cup cheese, and 1 tablespoon cilantro or parsley. Stir in the other half of the tortilla chips until they are incorporated and moistened (the mixture will be thick).
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and broil until the cheese is melted and browning, 2-3 minutes. Top with remaining cilantro or parsley and serve with refried beans or a salad.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Annie's Eats and Pink Parsley)
This is such a great recipe! Especially with the Super Bowl around the corner. Not to mention, it puts those Tostitos Scoops to good use! I found this one several years ago and have made it a couple of times before. It only calls for a handful of ingredients, all of which I had on hand (except the chives, but I just left them out).You can add so much to these and really jazz them up. See below the recipe for some of my suggestions and how I changed it up tonight. One of the comments on the Rachael Ray site said they used biscuits shells like the Taco Puffs and filled them with this cheesy filling. What a great idea! I saved some of the filling and will do that on Saturday! I'll update this with the details.
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese (or whatever you have)
1 large egg
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels (I used canned)
48 Tostitos Scoops
chopped chives or cilantro, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, pepper jack cheese, egg and corn (I used my stand mixer).
Arrnage the chips on a large rimmed baking sheet and place 1 teaspoon corn mixture in each. Bake until the filling sets. About 20 minutes.
Sprinkle the corn bites with the chives; serve warm.
**I sauteed some diced chicken breasts (2) with taco seasoning. I wasn't sure how I was going to work it, but I ended up topping the corn bites with a chunk of the seasoned cooked chicken after they came out the oven. YUM-O! You could really dress it up however you like. Add the chives, a pickled jalapeno, some sour cream, maybe a slice of an olive...its endless! Put this one on the Game-Day spread!!
Enjoy!
(adpated from Rachael Ray Magazine)
My Mom and Dad got me started on these. This dinner is a staple in their house. It is so quick to pull together for a weeknight meal, and you only have the one pot to clean. It uses my recipe for Taco Meat that I used in the Corn and Black Bean Burritos. And don't forget to make a little extra to use for Taco Puffs another night! This week Publix has their Tostitos chips B1G1. I have the beans, meat and cheese leftover from previous weeks' sales. The corn I put in the meat was what I had leftover from the Corn Muffins last night. Buy ground beef when it is on sale and put it in the freezer in 1 lb. portions. I take mine out the freezer when I'm ready to cook. Place it in a skillet frozen, cover it with a lid and cook over medium. Flip occassionally and scrape off the meat as it browns. Crumble with the back of a wooden spoon. Works every time!
Taco Meat: (for 4-6 taco salads)
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 can corn, drained (optional)
3/4 cup salsa
Taco Salad:
Taco Meat
Tostitos Corn Chips
Shredded Cheese
Iceburg Lettuce, chopped
Sour Cream
Salsa
Avacado+ Lime (optional)
Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink. Drain off excess fat and return to pan. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Cook over medium heat about 3-5 minutes. Add in the beans, corn and salsa. Cook for another 3-5 minutes over medium heat, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Cover and simmer over low heat for at least 15 minutes. This really allows the flavors to combine.
Take a handful of chips and put in the bottom of a plate or large pasta bowl and crush with your fingers. This makes the "bed" for the salad. Top with taco meat, cheese, lettuce, sour cream and then salsa. If you have avocado on hand, chop it up with a squeeze of lime juice and put on top of the salad. So good!
Enjoy!
Thanks Mom!
