Food | Travel | Family | Life
We make these cheesy chicken enchiladas with leftover rotisserie chicken. Makes an easy and tasty dinner that everyone loves.
Around here, rotisserie chicken goes a long way. We eat it for one meal but leftovers are used the next day for a different meal and then the bones are used to make stock. Nothing gets wasted. We use the leftovers in sandwiches, pasta, salads and these enchiladas.
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Pasta is always a go-to for anyone wanting a quick and filling meal. Barilla has found a way to get pasta done even quicker! With their new Pronto line, there is no waiting for water to boil or no need to drain the water. For someone like me who has no patience, this is a very great feature.
Basically, you cover the pasta with cold water and cook it on high heat until the water is absorbed, around 10 minutes. I was actually quite surprised at how perfect the pasta cooked.
I tried out Pronto and made this quick Panang Chicken Penne. The chicken and sauce cooked while the pasta boiled and dinner was ready in no time.
Want to try Barilla Pronto for yourself? See the ways to enter below for
a chance to win a prize pack with one box each of macaroni, spaghetti,
rotini and penne. Contest closes on Friday, October 7th at 11:59pm MST
and is open to residents of Canada. A winner will be chosen at random
and will have 48 hours to reply back. Good luck!
Panang Chicken Penne
1 box Barilla Pronto Penne
1/4 cup zucchini, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 small red pepper, chopped
2 TB panang curry paste
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup + 1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tsp sugar
Cook the penne according to package directions.
Heat oil in a pan and stir-fry the curry paste with the vegetables. Add 1 cup of coconut milk and the chicken and let cook. Add the remaining coconut milk, water and sugar and heat until boiling. Add the cooked pasta and stir until the pasta is coated with the sauce. Enjoy!
It’s no secret that I love appetizers. I would prefer a whole meal of appetizers if given the choice.When we head out for Vietnamese or Thai food, we love ordering chicken satay skewers.
This is a spin on the satay chicken – chicken strips marinated in hoisin sauce with garlic and ginger. Grilled up, these are the perfect vehicle for some peanut dipping sauce. Even hubby who is not a fan of peanut butter loved the sauce. Hooray! Peanut butter is combined with lime juice, coconut milk and sambal oelek and made into a luscious sauce that you will want to lick off your plate. So much yum!
Chicken Skewers with Peanut Dipping Sauce
4 chicken breasts, sliced in strips
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1, 2″ piece of ginger, grated
2 TB peanut butter
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp sambal oelek
1/4 cup coconut milk
cilantro
Marinate the chicken in hoisin sauce, garlic and ginger for at least an hour. Thread the chicken onto skewers and grill until done.
Mix the peanut butter, lime juice, sambal oelek and coconut milk until well combined. Add some chopped cilantro and serve with the grilled chicken skewers.
One of my favourite East African meals to eat is Mogo. It’s a chicken or
beef dish with cassava in a creamy sauce. It’s pure comfort food but
also a great way to feed a crowd.
There are so many different ways to make this – with creamed coconut or
coconut milk, chunky or blended… This is my family’s version, the way I
grew up eating it.
Top this off with some cilantro and crushed up potato chips, a drizzle
of tamarind chutney, and you’ve got yourself a delicious dinner.
Creamy Coconut Cassava with Chicken (Mogo)
1 lb chicken, cut into pieces or cubes
2 tsp ginger
salt
2 1/2 cups water
800 g cassava, cut into cubes (2 small packages)
3 1/2 cups water
2 tomatoes, chopped
salt
1 150g box of creamed coconut
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garlic
1 tsp cumin powder
cilantro
Cook chicken with ginger and salt until the chicken is cooked.
Boil cassava with tomatoes and salt and cook until the cassava is fork tender. Add the cooked chicken along with the liquid, the coconut and spices and cook for about half an hour. Add a handful of chopped cilantro and stir it into creamy mixture. Serve topped with cilantro and tamarind chutney.
As great as it was to escape to paradise, it was nice to come home on the weekend. Sure we came back to a little cold and snow but there’s no place like home.
Since we hardly slept on the way home, we were exhausted and all of us had a nice long nap. We were starving when we woke up but had no desire to cook. Amato Gelato to the rescue!
Amato Gelato in Chestermere has opened a side business in their gelato shop, Al’s Grill. Al’s Grill features East African specialties like fried cassava, pili pili fries and chicken poussin.
We ordered the mishkaki chicken combo which came with 3 skewers of marinated chicken, salad, fries and naan. It was delicious! The chicken was flavourful and moist and I loved the skinny fries that it came with. The best part was that Z, who had refused to eat anything for a few meals, loved the chicken and devoured a couple of sticks of chicken. Made this mamma very happy!
We also had the fried cassava which was cooked to perfection. It was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and perfect with the tamarind chutney that it came with.
We can’t wait to go back and enjoy some more of their delicious food. Next time, we will have to leave room for dessert! We are definitely lucky to have this gem in Chestermere. With great service and friendly owners, it’s definitely a business that deserves support.
I’m a sucker for chicken wings. The crispier and saucier, the better. They are the perfect appetizer (no cutlery!), take very little prep time and a great vehicle for some tasty sauce.
For anyone who tries these crispy wings, they won’t even
know that they are baked! They are super easy to prepare, just throw a few things together and throw them in the oven. Place wings in a bowl, add some corn starch, salt and pepper until the wings are coated. Place on a greased cookie sheet and then spray with some cooking spray. Cook at 375 degrees until cooked. For about ten wings, I added a couple tablespoons of corn starch. The wings baked for approximately 45 minutes.
Once the wings are done, sprinkle some salt and eat as is or toss them in your favourite sauce. Gochujang are Q’s favourite so I tossed the wings in some bibimbap sauce – so so good!
The days are getting cold and all we want to eat around here is something warm and comforting. This chicken chili hits the spot! I’m always looking for ways to use up leftover chicken, whether it be bbq’d or rotisserie and this is the perfect way to do it.
This chili tastes great if you let it simmer on the stove for a while, let all the ingredients come together. The house will smell incredible and be filled with warmth. Perfect for these cold days.
Chicken Chili
2 pounds cooked chicken, shredded
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cans (540mL) mixed beans
1 can (796 mL) crushed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp paprika
1 TB olive oil
1/2 cup water
salt
pepper
chili powder, as desired
In a large pot, add oil and cook the onions and carrots until softened. Add the chicken, beans, tomatoes and spices along with the water and let simmer for 30 – 45 minutes. Top with cheese and cilantro.
One of my favourite Korean dishes is bibimbap. Bibimbap is a dish with steamed rice topped with vegetables, meat, a runny egg and a red pepper paste sauce. Any dish topped with a runny egg is a winner in my books. The best part of this dish though (besides the name) is the sauce. It’s made with gochujang, a red pepper paste with additions like garlic, soya sauce and sugar. We love this sauce so much that lately there has been a batch in the fridge to top off any meal.
The components of bibimbap are cooked separately and placed on top of the rice. It is usually stirred together right before eating. The combination of the rice, veggies, meat, egg and sauce is tasty and comforting. This is the perfect dish to use up leftovers. Just use what protein and veggies you have and you’ve got dinner!
Bibimbap
Chicken:
1 pound chicken thighs
3 TB soya sauce
1.5 TB sesame oil
2 tsp crushed ginger
2 tsp crushed garlic
salt pepper
Marinate for at least an hour. Stir fry in a little bit of oil. Remove from the pan and cook your vegetables.
Veggies:
Whatever you have on hand. I used mushrooms, zucchini, carrots and bok choy
Rice:
Steamed rice.
Egg:
Sunnyside up
Bibimbap Sauce (From Food.com):
2 TB gochujang (red pepper paste)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TB rice vinegar
1 TB soya sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sugar
Mix all ingredients together.
Every couple of weeks, I always try and pick up a rotisserie chicken on my shopping trip. The rotisserie chickens are so versatile – you can eat them as is or use the chicken in so many ways. From sandwiches, to soups to stock, one chicken can go a long way!
One way to use the chicken is to make chicken salad. The creaminess of the mayo, the crunch of the green onions and that distinct kick from the Dijon make this the perfect lunch. Sandwiched between bread or scooped up with crackers, its a great way to use leftovers.
Chicken Salad
1 cup shredded chicken
1/4 cup mayo
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp oregano
1 green onion
salt
pepper
Sweet and simple – put everything into a bowl and mix.
Starting on Friday, it’s everyone’s favourite week – YYC Pizza Week! What better way to support Meals on Wheels than by stuffing your face with delicious pie at participating restaurants. With so many options to choose from, you could technically have pizza for every meal – all for a good cause, of course.
I was happy to participate once again in the Food Blogger Pizza Challenge. We were supposed to pick two out of the four ingredients from The Italian Store to come up with our creation. The four ingredients were: fig spread, homemade pesto, ricotta, pitted assorted olives.
I chose to use fig spread and ricotta and Hubby helped in creating the Fiery Fig BBQ Chicken Pizza. The fig spread was used in creating the fiery bbq sauce. Made with the spread, poblano peppers, ketchup, balsamic and spices, the sauce was tangy and sweet and oh so good. We literally licked the pot clean.
I topped the pizza with cheese, bbq’d chicken and red onions. Once out of the oven, I topped the pie with ricotta fresca, which added a creamy, cool component to the pizza.
The pizzas from all the challengers will be posted on Friday where you’ll have a chance to vote. Be sure to visit a participating restaurant next week and support Meals on Wheels!
Fiery Fig BBQ Sauce
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 TB fig spread
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 poblano pepper, roasted
salt
pepper
oil
sriracha, as hot as you like it
Heat some oil in a pan and add the onions and garlic. Add the ketchup, vinegar, fig spread and spices and cook for a few minutes. Add the mixture to a blender along with the pepper and sriracha. Blend until smooth. Enough for one pizza.