McCaffrey’s meat department Meal Shortcuts

Get a step ahead on lunch or dinner tonight with delicious rotisserie chicken

Rotisserie chicken makes it easy to turn out delicious and quick meals any day of the week. The convenience of picking up a fully cooked rotisserie chicken offers a head start on an endless variety of dishes from sandwiches and salads to enchiladas and more. Pick up grab-and-go sides in the deli and complete your easy meal or shred the meat for use in these recipes by chef Steven Capodicasa to turn this key ingredient into delicious dishes.

Tips and Tricks

■ As tempting as it is to stick a rotisserie chicken in the refrigerator when you get it home, this is the best time to pull it apart and cut it up. The skin peels off the bird and the meat comes off the bone much more easily when warm. Then use for your recipe or refrigerate the shredded meat. One 2-pound chicken will yield approximately 3 cups pulled meat (about 2 cups white meat and 1 cup dark).

■ Purchasing two chickens at a time and freezing some of the meat is a huge time saver. As long as you’re picking the meat from the bone, you might as well do two and have some chicken ready for another easy weeknight meal.

■ Store cut-up, cooked chicken in 1- or 2-cup containers or freezer bags (or in other specific quantities for favorite recipes).

Asian Citrus Chicken Salad

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

1(12-ounce) package baby lettuce greens

1cup thinly sliced radishes

¼cup thinly sliced red onion

2cups shredded rotisserie chicken, tossed with ¼ of the prepared dressing (see recipe below)

2clementine oranges, peeled and broken up into segments

½ cup slivered toasted almonds

Chow Mein noodles sprinkled on top (optional)

For the Dressing

1teaspoon orange zest

1medium orange, juiced (about 1⁄3 cup) and zested (zest first before squeezing)

1teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

2tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

1 teaspoon agave nectar

Salt, to taste

¼cup vegetable oil

1. Whisk all dressing ingredients in a bowl or a blender.

2. Toss greens in a large bowl with radishes, red onion, half the clementine segments, half of the pulled dressed chicken and the balance of the prepared dressing.

3. Arrange prepared salad onto plates and garnish with the balance of dressed chicken, clementines, sliced almonds and optional chow mein noodles.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

1 prepared pizza crust (6-8 ounce frozen cauliflower or 12-ounce traditional crust)

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup thinly sliced roasted yellow peppers

½ cup diced plum tomatoes (seeds and pulp removed)

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup barbecue sauce

½ cup prepared marinara sauce

½ pound smoked mozzarella cheese, shredded

1. Heat oven to 475°F.

2. In a large bowl mix together pulled chicken meat, sliced red onion, roasted yellow peppers, diced plum tomatoes and chopped cilantro. Toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, season with salt and cracked black pepper.

3. Whisk together barbecue and marinara sauces. Ladle sauce over prepared pizza crust. Top with marinated cooked chicken and vegetables, cover with shredded smoked mozzarella cheese.

4. Place prepared pizza in preheated oven and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until pizza is bubbly. Remove from oven and let pizza rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

BBQ Chicken Sandwich

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

5 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

1½ cups barbecue sauce

¼ cup roughly chopped pickled jalapeños

¼ cup roughly chopped pickles

4 hamburger potato buns

1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

1. In a bowl, combine the shredded chicken, barbecue sauce, pickles and jalapeños.

2. Toast buns. Divide the barbecue chicken mixture evenly among the bottoms of the toasted buns and top with shredded lettuce and cover with toasted bun top. Serve with potato chips or fries.

Chicken Enchiladas

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

6 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas

1½ cups prepared enchilada sauce

1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken

½ cup cooked black beans

¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves

½ cup sour cream

1 cup mixture of shredded Monterey and Gruyere cheese

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray a large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Spread about ½ cup of enchilada sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.

3. Lay out the tortillas on a work surface, top with shredded chicken, black beans and cilantro leaves. Top with 1 to 2 tablespoons of sour cream. Roll and place onto sauce in baking dish.

4. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce. Cover with shredded cheeses.

5. Bake uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes until the enchiladas are bubbly and cheese is golden brown on top. ■