There are many unrecognized and unused bits of a chicken that may normally be tossed, used in soup or chicken salad. One is the side flaps that I cut from beneath the ribs. It is a small bit of meat, but lends itself well to a quick lunch when mixed with some salsa, and added to a quesadilla.
When I am doing a lot of prep my meals are usually an extension of what I am prepping, using up some little bits that won’t freeze well but are totally useful.
These are the rib flaps cut from under the ribs if the chicken.
I chop them into small bits that will cook quickly.
Shred some cheese.
Cook the chicken bits in about 1/4 cup store bought salsa.
Brush a tortilla with chicken fat. Place fat side down in a pan over medium low heat.
Sprinkle cheese on the tortilla and get it melting slowly – keep the heat low.
Top the cheese with the chicken and salsa mixture.
Top it with the second tortilla, brush with chicken fat, and flip. Golden brown and just crisp.
Once toasty outside and melty in the middle turn out onto a cutting board.
Cut with a large knife by placing the knife in the center of the tortilla and pressing on the back of the knife in one quick cut. If you try to saw at it you will moosh everything out and make a big mess. Hold the handle in one hand, and put your other on the back of the knife, and push it through.
Cut into quarters, add salsa, sour cream, and some broccoli or a salad.
I have always cooked, I was that person who could make a meal from an empty fridge. I have lived alone and with large and small families, I have cooked for camps on wood stoves, and in professional kitchens. I have lived and worked all over the west from Montana, to Seattle to Arizona to San Diego. I have traveled, maybe not 'all over the world', yet, and have collected tastes recipes and techniques everywhere, and every one I meet.
