Who you callin' chicken?

Ok, stupid post title, but whatever. It's past my bedtime and my normal razor wit isn't quite up to snuff.

Since some of you seem to like my recipes, I decided to post some more. These are my favorite recipes using a Costco rotisserie chicken. If you've never bought one, you're missing out. We usually eat the wings as soon as we get home, then the rest goes for some of our favorite easy meals.

This first one is a family favorite that I got from my mom. Anytime I take this to a ward function, half a dozen people ask for the recipe. You'd think they all had it by now, but two people asked me for it tonight. We make it with whole wheat pasta, and serve it with french bread for an easy dinner.

Chicken Poppy Seed Pasta Salad
(All quantities are guessed, I don't measure anything in this..serves about six)

About a half a rotisserie chicken, boned and diced.
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 purple onion, diced OR about 1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 stalks celery, diced
1 cup purple grapes, sliced in half
1 can pineapple chunks
1 pkg rotini pasta, cooked to package directions (like a 12-16 oz pkg)
1 cup cashews or almonds...pecans might be good, too
1 bottle of your favorite poppy seed dressing

So, you throw everything but the nuts in a big bowl, add salad dressing until it's all moistened good.
Don't put the nuts in until just before you serve it, as they get soggy and lose their crunch.
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This next one is Sam's favorite recipe from his mommy. I don't make it as much as I used to, the rice has too many carbs....I have made it with brown rice and I like it, but Sam and Meg aren't crazy about brown rice. This is great comfort food, though, cheesy and creamy and carby.

Grandma Bailey's Chicken Rice Casserole

3 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (we use cream of chicken, as we have 'room haters here)
1 cup mayo or miracle whip
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 cups finely chopped celery
1 can drained, sliced water chestnuts
1/3 cup lemon juice (leave this out if you use Miracle Whip instead of mayo)
4 cups cooked rice
3 cups grated cheddar or cheddar jack or jack or whatever cheese you have on hand
Potato chips or sliced almonds

Mix it all up (except for the cheese). I find it's easiest to mix everything but the rice really well, then add the rice. Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam and dump the mix in. Top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Top with crumbled potato chips or sliced almonds and cook for another 10 minutes. We serve it with a salad or a hot veggie.

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This is an easy one that we really like. Me especially, because we usually have all the ingredients on hand and so it takes hardly any prep. Also, we make each person's plate individually, so they get exactly what they want in their enchilada. If you make it with 2% cheese and don't use too much of it, it's not even terribly fattening.

Individual Microwave Chicken Enchiladas

1 to 2 corn tortillas for each person (or 3, if you're Susan Bailey)
Diced rotisserie chicken, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup per tortilla (this is also good with leftover beef, pork, carnitas, shrimp, etc)
Grated cheddar or jack cheese
Your favorite canned enchilada sauce. Mine is Macayo's, but I don't think you can get it outside of AZ.
Chopped onions or green onions
Sour cream or guacamole, or just sliced avocados for the top.

Put the corn tortillas in little plastic sandwich bag, and nuke them for about 30 seconds. You can do about four tortillas at a time. They should be soft enough to roll when they come out. Place one or two on a plate, pour a little sauce down the middle of each one, then some grated cheese, then some chicken and onions. Roll them up, and leave them seam side down. Pour more enchilada sauce over the top and top with more grated cheese. Invert another plate over the enchilada plate (that keeps it from spattering all over the microwave) and nuke for two minutes. Top with sour cream, green onions, avocado or guac or whatever. I use the inverted plate to make the next plateful. When I'm done, I've dirtied one extra plate, but no other dishes. Serve a salad on the side.

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Ok, the last one is Vietnamese Spring Rolls, but it's an involved recipe. Not hard, just a lot of ingredients. If enough people are interested, I'll post it. Or you can come to my house and I'll teach you.