Punt! Rotisserie Chicken al Pastor

What could be better than a Rotisserie Chicken? Out at dinner with some fellow bloggers (or as the Practical Cook prefers to say, “real bloggers”—these ladies know what they’re about), it was nice to discover that these convenient fowl have quite a following. Sunday night’s emergency chicken left enough chicken to do something with, but not enough to stretch for a meal for four. What to do?

Open-face Pollo Taco al Pastor

Every once in a while, there’s a happy moment where multiple little things are in the fridge and they work together. This recipe comes from that special place, but is good enough that I’ll collect the ingredients and make it on purpose

Rotisserie Chicken al Pastor Recipe

Adjust amounts relative to your taste and your leftovers.

dash of olive oil
1 spring onion (or a scant 1/4 cup chopped onion, if you have one that needs to be used up)
1 head green garlic, minced (or a couple of cloves of regular garlic)
1 to 1 1/2 cups leftover rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, shredded
1 to 1 1/2 cups diced pineapple (fresh if you’ve got it, but a can will work fine), juice reserved
1/2 can diced tomatoes with mild chiles, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon cumin
corn tortillas
1 cup shredded cabbage
lime wedges
guacamole, sour cream, chopped cilantro, diced onion, radish slices (optional accompaniments)

1. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add onion and garlic and stir until you smell them. Immediately add chicken and pineapple.

2. Stir mixture and cook for a few minutes until pineapple begins to get juicy. Add tomatoes and cumin, and add some of the pineapple juice, or extra tomato juice if the mixture is dry. Stir to combine, cover with a lid, and reduce the heat to low.

3. Simmer the mixture for 15 or 20 minutes until flavors meld, adjusting seasonings as needed.

4. When the chicken mixture tastes good, serve it on corn tortillas with a bit of shredded cabbage and a squeeze of lime juice.

Rotisserie Chicken al Pastor with Mexican Corn and Beans

Stand back taco truck owners, pollo al pastor in the house! (For those who aren’t taco truck fans, tacos al pastor are made with pork, take much longer to make than the above cheater recipe, and really rock out. So do give them a try.)

Do you prefer soft or hard tacos? Vote today in the comments section!

Send questions and thoughts to practical cook at gmail dot com. Connect on Facebook: The Practical Cook Blog. (Like, like, like! Press “like” on Facebook today!)

Up next, Can This Castle Cake be saved? Birthday disaster looms.