Chicken Chalupas

A few weeks ago, my favorite grocery store opened a new location just down the street from my house. It is the most excited I've been since the sun finally decided to return to Portland back in July. It's only been open for about 3 weeks, but I think I've been at least a dozen times. On my latest grocery trip, I ran into the store in search of an affordable dinner idea for me and my boyfriend. I wanted something that was at least mildly healthy, inexpensive and would ideally provide leftovers for the next day. That's when chicken chalupas popped into my head. Being from South Texas, I was born with a love of Mexican food; however, living in Portland has brought me to the awareness that a delicious meal doesn't have to be slathered in grease. That's where my version of a chalupa comes in. Note: the volume of the ingredients is scaled to make 8 chalupas; however, only about 4 chalupa shells fit on a baking sheet at a time so either two batches can be made back-to-back, or you can make a few and save the chicken and veggies for a second round of chalupas later in the week which is how I like to do it. :)

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
2 tomatoes
2 cups green or romaine lettuce
2 cans refried beans
1 package of chalupa shells (8 count or more)
2 cups Mexican or cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste 
1 tablespoon olive oil

Serving size: 4 servings (8 chalupas)


Directions:

First, I salt and pepper about a pound of boneless skinless chicken breast (2 to 3 pieces usually) and place them in a glass pan lightly drizzled with olive oil on the bottom. That will need to cook fully in a 350 degree oven. About 11 minutes per side tends to be about right for me. 

While the chicken cooks, I like to go ahead and wash and chop 2 tomatoes and about 2 cups of lettuce. I prefer green lettuce for this meal, but romaine will do just fine. 

When the chicken is finished, it will need to be shredded. There are two methods that I have found especially helpful when shredding chicken. The first (and one I use most often) simply requires you to use two forks to pull the chicken apart. The second method is just to put the chicken in a bowl and use a mixer to shred the chicken. The latter is really fast, but can be a bit messy and has to be done as soon as the chicken comes out of the oven so that it is still nice and hot. 

Now it's time for assembly.

Once the chicken is shredded, I line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (it makes clean up a breeze). Then, I spread the refried beans on the chalupa shells and place them on the baking sheet. Next, I layer on some shredded chicken and grated cheese. I love the Mexican blend cheese for this meal but Monterrey Jack or Mild Cheddar are both great, too. Place the baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes, basically just until the cheese melts. 

Now, just add the lettuce and tomatoes and enjoy! Simple and easy to throw together the next day if you have left over ingredients.