Spicy Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups

Today was the Super Bowl party.  Until kick off the only thing I could've told you about the game was that Madonna was performing at half-time.  OK...I know...that's not even about the game.  That shows you how little I knew.  What I did know, however, was that a bunch of hungry people were coming to my home, and I needed some tasty appetizers that I could quickly prepare.

I have a line up of tried-and-true recipes, but I wanted something new.  So I headed over to Pinterest and scanned my "To Try" boards.  These roll-ups (pinned from the Homemade by Holmnan blog) caught my eye because 1) SPICY always catches my eye, and 2) my roll-ups are BORING.    Of the 3 recipes I found,  I thought these would be the most time consuming but that was not the case...they were quick and easy. 

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups
(adapted from Homemade by Holman)

Cook in a boiling pot of water:
     1  1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts

When the chicken is cooked through (no pink in the center), remove from the pot.  Cut off any chicken "gunk"...tendons, fat...the yucky stuff.  Shred the chicken with two forks* while it's still warm.

Mix the shredded chicken with:
     1 10 oz. can Rotel (tomatoes and green chiles), drained
     12 oz cream cheese, softened
     1 C shredded cheddar or monterey Jack cheese (I used cheddar)
     1 clove garlic, minced
     1 TB chili powder
     1/2 tsp cayenne powder
     1 tsp cumin
     1/2 tsp garlic salt
     1/4 C chopped cilantro
     6 green onions, finely chopped (white and green parts)

Spread the chicken mixture over the surface of a tortilla, and roll up tightly.  You can slice them at this point, but I find it best to refrigerate them for a bit (20+ minutes...overnight is fine too) before slicing.  Slice them to 1/2" - 1" pieces.  Try not to eat too much before serving!!

They were delicious!  So much better than my slap-some-cream-cheese-ham-and-a-long-green-onion-on-a-tortilla kind of roll up.  MUCH better.  So much better that I'll never, ever go back to those boring roll ups.  As for the spiciness level, they weren't too spicy.  A hint of a kick.  If you really like spicy (as I do), you could up the chili powder or cayenne pepper.  I might try that next time. 

*OR....try my new favorite way to shred chicken...in a KitchenAid mixer!!  I read about this on Pinterest too.  It's so incredibly easy you'll wonder why you never thought of it before!  Just put the chicken (cut in quarters or halves) in the mixing bowl with the paddle.  Turn on low (speed 2 or so) and watch the chicken shred without any work at all.  It doesn't mush it or create a weird texture...it perfectly shreds your chicken!!  After I shred the chicken in the mixer, I simply dumped the rest of the ingredients in, and let the mixer stir it together.  Easy-peasy!  Here's a tutorial I found on the Taste and See God's Goodness blog.