Randomly, this week my bank had a giveaway of tortilla bowl molds so I eagerly snatched a couple up…apparently one of the only people to get excited about tortilla bowls around these parts. Tonight, I made us Mexican tortilla salads with shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, salsa, chopped tomato, diced jalapeño, a dash of Chipotle chili powder, fresh cilantro, and some sour cream. I also added in some shredded chicken using this recipe. I only used one chicken breast since I had so much else going into the tortilla salads and used spinach tortillas for the bowls.

©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

I have seen that if you don’t have a tortilla bowl mold you can flip over a muffin tin, spray it with a little cooking spray, and lay a couple tortillas on top to mold around the muffin cups. Bake them in a 300ºF oven for 4-5 minutes until slightly stiff. To make this even better I would have added avocado if I had any…next time! Also, you could use a rotisserie chicken to speed things up even more. It was a healthy and good alternative for dinnertime. Here’s my own tortilla salads:

Tortilla Salad©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

Simple Shredded Chicken

Recipe from: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.com, 2012,
Inspired by a method from: America’s Test Kitchen

Makes 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup water or low-sodium chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot and rippling. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the chicken top-side down in the hot skillet and let the chicken cook for 5 minutes until golden brown on top.

2. Flip the chicken, add the water or chicken broth, cover the skillet and let the chicken simmer gently over medium heat for 7-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (it will register 160ºF on a thermometer). Don’t overcook or it might be dry. While the chicken is simmering, add additional water 1/4 cup at a time if the liquid evaporates too quickly.

3. Remove the chicken from the skillet. Let it cool slightly before shredding. The cooked chicken will keep well-covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or can be frozen for up to 2 months.