Chipolte Chicken

Chicken Chipolte for natchos (this is what the colour actually came out as. Spicy and delicious! The chipolte is a smoky pepper with enough spice to get your eyes to water but not too much to make you cry about it ;)
We put it on heavy corn taco chips as this was the first time we made it at home and weren't sure how it would turn out. There were a few minor adjustments we could do, but overall think it turned out really good. I can see how in restaurants it would be a little different (dh said it's usually pinker and runnier) I liked it like this though!

Ingredients:
2-3 cups Chicken (you can use chicken breasts. We used roasted because it was already cooked, and you get about 2-3 cups of chicken off one roaster)
1/2 cup chopped onion (we used green onion)
1 tbls olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp dry oregano
1-2 cans chipolte peppers (we found them finally! In the Mexican aisle top shelf. we used one can, just the two of us)
2 tbls tomato paste (don't see why you couldn't use spaghetti sauce if that's what you have on hand)
1 tbls white wine vinegar (we only had red, worked fine! could use rice vinegar in place as well)
tortilla chips
shredded cheese (jack, cheddar, mozza, whatever you like on yours! we shred our own. much cheaper!)

In a large skillet over medium high heat cook the onion with the olive oil until browned, around 5 minutes. Add in cumin and oregano, stirring until the spices become fragrant (smelly:) takes about 30 seconds to a minute.

Add the chilies (we had to slice ours up into little pieces, they came can whole) tomato paste, vinegar, and half cup water. (we forgot the water last night, but they turned out fine! Could see how the water would definitely thin it out, but we were worried it would be too runny) blend all the sauce together on a low boil, stirring often. Add chicken and stir until it is coated, hot and seasoned with sauce.
Arrange your tortilla chips on a baking pan (cookie sheets work great. Use parchment paper if you don't want any mess on it!) This is where you decide what you like best! You can either put cheese on your chips first and then the chicken or chicken and then cheese. We go with ingredients first, then top with cheese so it all bakes up and locks all the goodness onto the chips. If you want extra ingredients on your chips ie olives, tomatoes, peppers, this would be the time to add them. Bake at 400 until the cheese is melted and bubbles.

This meal or snack costs under 20$. It is great for parties, or like us, just wanted to try something different and awesome. It is pretty spicy but it wasn't a burn that lasted long like some peppers do. I hear all about "chipolte" in the USA and after having this, I'm a huge fan. They will be peppers that we use more often for sure. Maybe even look into growing some this spring if we can find the seeds!