For many of us, making a meal that winds up being EXACTLY the right amount of food can be a challenge. Unless you’re regularly making meals based on exact measurements and plating like a restaurant does, you likely regularly wind up with leftovers of some sort. This is how I wind up with dishes that may not seem logical at first, but taste so darned good in the end that I wind up wanting more leftovers! A vicious cycle, I know. So how does one “waste not, want not” and make those leftovers do double duty?
One of our go-to meals on a busy day has come to be this gem for Jalapeno Chicken Taquitos from Creme de la Crumb. I make it with the creamy tomatillo sauce, and stuffed peppers, and POOF! A super easy meal on any day of the week. Of course, since there are only 2 of us in the house (sorry, the dogs don’t count in my menu planning) this recipe regularly has extra chicken and tomatillo sauce hanging out in the fridge the next day.
So one busy morning this week, I peered into the refrigerator and saw a heap of random ingredients, beckoning me to make something of them. I grabbed the leftover chicken, a half an avocado, a jar of tomatillo sauce, one egg, and a carton of egg whites. Then I snagged a few green onions and some cilantro, and off to the stove I went. What resulted was a fantastic and quick breakfast, and I got to use up some precious leftover ingredients.
Now I know where Dr. Seuss likely came up with Green Eggs and Ham. It was because he had leftovers in the refrigerator!
And given that the ingredients were pretty darned healthy (with a couple goodies thrown in for good measure), I felt good about my new creation. What I’m now calling the “Double Duty Jalapeno Chicken Omelette” was born–and devoured.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 1 person | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 10 minutes |
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Ah, leftovers. The possibility of getting creative with what you've got is a luxury, and a challenge. This healthy and delicious omelette can now move from the "make it up as I go" category to the permanent recipe file. The Double Duty Jalapeno Chicken Omelette will be on the table intentionally from now on!
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- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg whites, or egg white substitute
- 1/4 cup shredded jalapeno chicken (see link above for this recipe)
- 1 tbsp. scallions (green onions), chopped
- 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 small avocado, pitted and chopped
- 2 tbsp. creamy tomatillo sauce (see link above for recipe)
- salt & pepper, to taste
- Chop scallions & cilantro into small slices.
- Add egg and additional egg whites into bowl. Add herbs, salt & pepper to egg mixture.
- Whisk to incorporate all ingredients until the batter has a soft froth.
- Preheat medium skillet over medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Pour batter into skillet and allow it to set, 5 minutes or until the edges begin to brown lightly.
- Sprinkle green onions over omelette and allow to cook another 2 minutes.
- Add shredded chicken to one side of the omelette. Fold omelette in half over chicken.
- Remove omelette from pan and top with avocado, cilantro, and drizzle of creamy tomatillo sauce.
- Add this recipe to your permanent collection for a great Sunday brunch item!
Just imagine the possibilities when you consider the leftovers in your refrigerator! You can toss just about anything into an omelette, and have a flavorful meal on the table in no time. Leftover BBQ pork? Toss that in here with a drizzle of BBQ sauce for a hearty breakfast. Sauteed vegetables from last night's dinner? An Omelette Primavera is just around the corner. And if you want to play with the eggs themselves, you could use all egg whites for an even healthier base for all of those great ingredients.
What leftovers would you put in a dish like this?
Yay for spicy breakfast food. Breakfast can be so boring and bland, this looks delicious.
So glad you like it, Krystle! It’s such a fun way to make breakfast more interesting!
Sounds great! I love to rework meals into breakfast. I’d just have to swap out the cilantro. Yum!
Great use of leftovers–I love the flavors in this!
That looks delicious. I’d never thought to put chicken and eggs together, but it sounds really good.
The creaminess in the chicken (it has cream cheese in it) really makes it work in with the eggs. So darned tasty!
Dee Dee,
I love repurposing leftovers into new dishes–though with 2 teens in the house I don’t have as many leftovers as I’d like sometimes.
This is giving me an idea for some Kalua Pig . . . I bet it would be great in an omelette.
Thanks!
Love using left-overs as there’s no need to waste food especially when you can turn it into something yummy!
Wowza, this looks so good, and I loooove all the cilantro in it!!