Versatile Chicken

I was in the mood to eat chicken tacos.  Not everyone embraces them like I do.  That's why I have to make versatile meals.  This time I went for easy.  

The ingredients for chicken tacos are:

at least 1 lb. chicken breast tenders

about 2 quarts of water to boil

yellow corn tortillas

lemon pepper

salsa

Pilgrim's chicken breast tenders

Mrs. Dash lemon pepper flavor

Mission yellow corn tortillas

Pace salsa for the tacos

Boiled chicken breast tenders

This time, I boiled about two pounds of chicken breast tenders.  The only thing I added was Mrs. Dash's lemon pepper for seasoning.

Chicken breast tenders chopped up

Once I knew that the chicken was done, I took about half of the tenders out of what became broth and cut them up with a knife.

Tortillas filled with chicken breast tender pieces

Then, I grabbed two corn tortillas and filled them with some of the shredded chicken.  I poured some salsa onto the chicken and closed the tortilla up like an enchilada.  I poured some more of the salsa on top of the tortillas.

Chicken tacos in the microwave oven

Chicken tacos covered to avoid splatter

I took the microwave safe plate, which was carrying the chicken tacos, and put it in the microwave to soften the tortillas and warm the salsa.  I covered the plate with another similar plate just so the inside of the microwave wouldn't receive the splatter of the salsa.  I left a gap for air to escape.

The result was delicious!  Of course, I added my rice and beans to the side of my tacos.

Salad ingredients available at the table

I made the croutons, diced tomatoes (not shown), ranch dressing, and spinach available for those who wanted to make a salad. 

Daughter's chicken salad

Since I know the kids are not in favor of tacos with salsa, I gave them the alternative of eating the chicken tacos plain.  I let them know that they could eat the chicken by itself--diced or whole chicken breast tenders.  I even told my teenage daughter that she could eat a chicken salad.

Everyone ate what they wanted, and I did not force my kids to eat my type of chicken tacos.  

Son's spinach salad

One son had a spinach salad without the chicken because he had already eaten some of the shredded chicken by itself.

I think it's more important to encourage the children to eat spinach, which is healthy for you, than to berate a child for not trying out a salsa-filled taco.  Don't you agree?

I'm coming back to the leftover chicken that I didn't cut up; I must say that I expected them to be leftover.  I was glad that my hubby had bought a big package of chicken.  It allowed me to cook all of the chicken at once for more than one meal.  I am hoping to use the whole chicken tenders for a soup later on.  The broth is there, and all I need to do is add the vegetables and some more spices.

Well, thanks for reading about how versatile a package of chicken tenders really is. 

I hope you enjoyed this blog entry and that you got some ideas for your own meals.

 

What about you, my readers? Do you like chicken tenders? What would you add or subtract from chicken tacos?  What would you make with chicken tenders?  I encourage you to get creative.  Don't shy away from allowing your family members to eat what they want to eat, as long as they are eating from the recommended food groups.

May God bless you with His peace and wisdom, my beloveds.

This has been an entry for Saturday Spreads. I hope you enjoyed it!