I’ve gotten into the habit of cooking a chicken in the crock pot on Sundays. Cooking it in the crockpot is easy (and doesn’t require the oven – it is still hot in Southern California!) and creates delicious, flavorful and really easy shredded chicken.

I’ve been eating buffalo chicken salads, curried chicken salads and plain chicken in my current favorite salad: greens + cucumber + chicken + avocado + hemp seeds + balsamic vinaigrette. There are endless ways to use shredded chicken – here are some of my favorites:

• Mexican Influence: enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, tostadas
• Salads & Appetizers: pesto chicken salad, chinese chicken salad, buffalo dip, chicken satay, lettuce cups
• Soups: tortilla soup, smoked chicken chowder, creamy chicken pasta soup, spicy thai coconut soup
• Sandwiches & Wraps: BBQ sandwich, chicken caprese sandwich, chicken caesar salad wrap, chicken panini
• Pasta & Pizzas: baked pastas, lasagna, peanut noodles, bbq chicken pizza
• Casseroles: chicken & broccoli noodle casserole, chicken pot pie, bbq-stuffed potatoes 

What do you make with shredded chicken? 

Otherwise known as pesto goat cheese with fresh tomatoes on….crostini.

I thought the latter was a little long.

Few things scream summer like garden-fresh tomatoes and flavorful pesto.

And few things taste as good as summer tomatoes and pesto made from a fresh bunch of basil. Or you know, pesto from a jar – sometimes convenience rules.

It is the combination that never gets old: basil, tomato and bread. Cheese never hurts.

This summer appetizer is great because it can be made ahead of time and then just compiled when you are ready for it. If you are short on time you can always buy pre-made crostini or use melba toasts.

And I totally used jarred pesto – I just didn’t tell.