Simple Chicken Tacos and Black Beans

A very simple dinner using leftover chicken for tacos and a quick black bean side dish.

These tacos were completely unexpected and delicious. I bought corn tortillas, made slaw, and had black beans warming in preparation for Fish Stick Tacos (which I'll post next time). I was waiting for my husband to get home from work before I cooked the fish sticks when he surprised me by bringing home leftovers.

Unexpected leftovers make great tacos. [Tweet this]

Someone from his work had barbecue/grilled chicken for lunch and couldn't finish it all so he brought me the leftovers. I don't want y'all to think we can't afford to buy our own food. We can, but my husband hates to see any food go to waste and he knew I had tacos planned so thought I might sub chicken for the fish sticks. It wasn't much chicken but plenty for the two of us and even easier than the dinner I had planned. So that's how these Simple Chicken Tacos came into existence. Once again an unplanned meal rescued leftovers and tasted great. This would work well with leftover rotisserie chicken too.

Rescue leftover rotisserie chicken with tacos. [Tweet this]

Simple Chicken Tacos

Prep/cook time: 15 minutes or fewer
Servings: 2

Ingredients:

*Quick lime slaw
1 cup leftover chicken, shredded
4 Corn Tortillas, toasted/grilled
Cilantro

**Quick Lime Slaw: 1/2 head of cabbage sliced/shredded, juice of 1 lime, 1 Tbsp Mayonnaise, and 1 tsp sugar. Toss the cabbage in the juice, mayonnaise, and sugar until thoroughly mixed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until ready to use (it's great right away too if you're crunched for time).

Grill the tortillas quickly on both sides until pliable and sturdier (see my trick for more details). Cover with a towel and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the leftover chicken (in the microwave is fine).

Lay out the tortillas (2 per person). Spread some of the slaw on each tortilla, then 1/4 of the chicken, and top with cilantro.

Serve with black beans (recipe below).

Black Beans and Red Pepper Side

Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups pre-cooked black beans (or 1 can drained)
1 Tbsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
Hot sauce or hot pepper flakes, optional

In a medium saucepan cook the onion and red pepper, over medium-high heat (with a sprinkle of salt and pepper), until tender.

Add the black beans (and salt if needed), garlic powder, and hot sauce if using (enough to make it spicy to your liking). Stir to mix well, lower the heat to low, and cover until the beans are heated through.

Serve as a side dish for any meal.

Enjoy.