Rotisserie chicken

I like to take time and cook meals entirely from scratch. There are some dishes that you simply can't make in a flash, they require time and attention. But on the other hand, when you have young children, a full-time job and many other commitments on your plate, it's always nice to take advantage of a few kitchen shortcuts. One of my favorites is the store-bought, pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. I've mentioned this before, but it's such a great helper that I think it's worth mentioning again!

This recipe was in the Kansas City Star recently. I would definitely recommend it. The soup is kind of southwest in flavor and you can kick up the "spicy factor" pretty easily if you like. Besides being tasty, it;s very simple to make quickly.

A few notes: I used smoky sun dried tomatoes and garlic flavored chicken broth. I substituted two cans of Rotel for the tomatoes and green chilies called for here and I cut the chicken broth back by about half a cup. Chips and avocado were great for garnish; we opted to pass on the pumpkin seeds.


Sun-dried Tomato Rotisserie Chicken Stew

Makes 8 servings
2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 (14.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added whole tomatoes, chopped
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies
4 cups 99 percent fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 cups frozen corn
1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed and meat cut into small pieces
1 avocado, pitted and sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted shelled pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/2 cup crushed baked tortilla chips

Using kitchen scissors, cut dried tomatoes into fourths. Combine dried tomatoes and red wine and let stand at least 5 minutes to soften.

Place canned tomatoes, green chilies and red wine-tomato mixture in a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven. Heat 3 to 5 minutes, then add chicken broth, chili powder and cumin; bring to a boil. Add corn and chicken, and cook 7 to 8 minutes. Place in warmed bowls and top with avocado, pumpkin seeds and crushed tortilla chips.