Monday, February 14, 2011

Recipe: Chicken Triathlon

I have been told that it is impossible for a chicken to be used for three days, but I beg to differ.  I think you can, as a family of three (ok, two and a half), use a chicken for three days (and possibly four) pretty easily, with some actual veggies, of course.  I must add here that when my son is older and begins eating me out of house and home, or when children arrive in the future, chicken may only last for two dinners, but night three can always be substituted for night two.  Also, to do this, I refuse to let my family eat chicken for lunch.  Allow me to share with you my most recent chicken extravaganza.




Night 1: Poached chicken

My husband prefers a traditional chicken roast, but I really like poaching whole chicken.  I think it makes the chicken nice and tender, and it falls apart so easily.  Plus it is quick to prepare and easy to cook.

Ingredients:
  • A 32 oz box vegetable broth (you can just use water, but the broth adds even more flavor)
  • A half bottle of white wine ($2.99 Charles Shaw from Trader Joes – a bottle I bought specifically for cooking – works very well)
  • 1 carrot
  • 1-2 sticks celery
  • 1 onion
  • A sprig each of oregano and rosemary
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • 3-4 cloves garlic
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Simply place the chicken in a large pot, add the broth and wine and enough water to cover the chicken with a little more to spare.  Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, then turn the temperature and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and looks as though it is about to fall off the bone.  It takes about an hour, and is incredibly juicy and flavorful. 

Serve with your favorite mashed potato recipe and these roasted Brussels sprouts.  If you don’t have cranberry sauce for the chicken, I highly recommend some apple butter.  I keep several jars of homemade apple butter in my refrigerator, and it added the perfect flavor to the dish.
After dinner, take the rest of the meat off the bone.  Place the bones back into the pot, along with a little more water, and bring to a boil for another hour.  Cool, remove bones, vegetables and herbs (leave as much chicken meat as is in there), and put in the refrigerator. (If you’re feeling lazy, skip this step, and put the liquid leftover from the original cooking into the fridge without the second boiling).


Night 2: Chicken and mushroom patties

My mother once made chicken patties from leftovers, and I was in love.  I’ve worked hard to perfect the recipe, and I think I’ve finally done it.  I love this because you can use as much or as little chicken as you have, and add filler for the rest.

Ingredients:
  • Minced leftover chicken meat
  • 5-8 Minced baby bella or like mushroom
  • One minced jalapeño or red pepper flakes to taste
  • Three green onions, chopped fine
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • 3 eggs (I use one egg and two egg whites)
  • Several slices of bread
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Canola oil to fry

Instructions:
Sauté the minced mushrooms, green onions, jalapeño (or pepper flakes), garlic, salt and pepper until tender, there should be some liquid, but not too much.  Mix with the minced chicken leftovers.  Toast the bread until it is nice and crisp, but not burnt.  Crumble it up into breadcrumbs (it doesn’t have to be fine crumbs).  Lightly beat the eggs, and add them to the chicken mix, then add the breadcrumbs.  Let sit in the fridge for at least fifteen minutes while the bread soaks up the liquid and binds everything together. Form into patties and fry in a bit of canola oil.  Serve with sour cream and the leftover veggies from the night before.


Night 3: Tortilla Soup

This one is a twist on the classic chicken soup.  I like this one because of its consistency and spice.  I think the spice is awfully nice when you have a cold! 

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion, chopped
  •  ½-1 cup chopped carrots
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced fine
  • 4 tomatoes (or one can tomatoes), peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 1 can corn
  • 1 can black beans
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Cumin
  • Any leftover chicken meat
  • 5-10 corn tortillas, torn into small pieces
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½-1 cup of monterey jack cheese
  • Several sprigs of cilantro
  • Handful of corn chips
  • Sour cream

Instructions:

Saute the onion, carrots, and garlic with some olive oil until onions begin to turn translucent.  Add the tomatoes, corn and black beans.  Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and cumin to taste.  When all is heated through and vegetables are tender, add to the pot of chicken stock from the first night.  Add any leftover chicken meat.  Take the pieces of corn tortilla and add them to the pot, simmering for 20 minutes, and stirring occasionally (to prevent sticking on the bottom).  Meanwhile, chop the cilantro and place in a bowl for the table.  Grate the cheese and place in a second bowl.  Crumble the corn chips and place in a third bowl.  Finally, set the sour cream on the table as well.  To the soup, add the ½ cup milk, and cook for ten minutes more.  Serve into bowls and people can top with the cilantro, cheese, corn chips and/or sour cream to their liking.  This soup should last for at least two days (depending on how many you are feeding).

And voila!  There we have it, three days of chicken.  What do you do with your chicken leftovers?

~Aurora

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