Roasted Chicken Safety

• Whether you make it yourself or pick up a roasted chicken from the deli, roasted chicken is a flavorful, versatile ingredient to have on hand. To use it for tacos, allow the meat to cool enough that you can handle it comfortably. Remove the skin, if desired, and cut the meat away from the bone. Shred or dice it. At this point, you can add it to tacos immediately or you can cover and refrigerate the meat for later. To use refrigerated meat, store it at 40 degrees Fahrenheit for no more than two days. Reheat it in a microwave to 165 F, as shown on a meat thermometer. Refrigerate and use any leftovers within two days.

Spice It Up

• If you're roasting the chicken yourself, make a southwestern rub that includes chipotle chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt and garlic. Rub this mixture over the chicken before you cook it to add fiery flavor -- perfect for chicken tacos. Another option is to combine southwestern herbs and garlic with butter. Rub the butter over the chicken and inside the cavity before roasting it. Roast the chicken until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of meat registers 165 F. If you've purchased a deli chicken, you can still season the shredded meat with southwestern flavors. Simply add the seasonings to the chicken and stir to combine. Roasted deli chickens are often quite salty so go easy on the salt.

Accompaniments

• When it comes to filling chicken tacos, you can use almost any accompaniment you want. Go with the traditional classics -- lettuce, tomatoes and cheese -- or try some new combinations, such as chopped jicama, avocados, green onions and cilantro. Whip up a zesty corn, black bean and avocado guacamole or make a fruit salsa with mangoes, peaches or strawberries. Because chicken has such a neutral flavor, you can pair it with almost anything.

Filling It Up

• Delicious chicken tacos start with well-seasoned meat, tasty fillings and fiery salsas. But you also need a delicious tortilla to hold the fillings and sauces. You can use crunchy boxed taco shells, but fresh tortillas taste much better. Heat oil in a skillet and fry fresh corn tortillas, either just until they're soft and pliable, or until they're crisp, depending on your preference. You can use regular commercial tortillas, homemade tortillas or thick artisan-style tortillas. You can also use small flour tortillas for chicken tacos. Wrap them in moistened paper towels or place them in a tortilla warmer and microwave them just until they're hot.