Food & Family: Roast One Chicken, Get Three Dinners

By Karen Kolp
 

Some nights, I just don't feel like cooking; that is when I really love the freezer. And one of the best from-the-freezer meal starters is leftover roast chicken; then, you just add veggies and broth - or veggies, eggs, and rice - for two delicious dinner options that come together fast. Here, I share my secret for cooking one chicken, and feeding your family for three nights.
 

Night Number One: Roast Chicken

This one makes a great Sunday dinner, because while the chicken roasts, good smells waft through the whole house. If you're having company or want lots of leftovers, roast two chickens at once – you'll use your oven more efficiently and save energy too. Leftover meat keeps extremely well for at least 2 months when frozen; place the meat, in one layer, into a zip-top freezer bag (or two if you've got lots of chicken), then freeze for several hours or overnight. When the meat is throughly frozen, 'burp' the bag to remove all excess air; this makes it easier to take out only as much chicken as you need for a recipe.

One 4-pound chicken (to avoid the ridicule of your family, make sure to pull out the giblet bag from the body cavity before the chicken goes into the oven! I forgot once, and still hear about it years later.)

1 Tbsp softened butter

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp salt

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp paprika

4 baking potatoes, washed and sliced into inch-wide wedges

2 cups peeled and sliced carrots

Salt and pepper to taste (for the vegetables)

1. Pre-heat oven to 375. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, inside and out. Prep chicken for baking by tying drumsticks securely and tucking the wingtips under the chicken.

2. Combine butter with the spices, parsley through paprika, and mix well in a small bowl. Loosen the skin on the breast and thighs of the chicken, and rub under skin onto the breast and thighs.

3. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and bake for 1-½ hours, basting every half hour, or until a thermometer placed in the breast (not touching any bone) registers at 165. I've had this temp register at exactly 90 minutes from when the bird went in the oven, but sometimes it can take two or more hours; to double-check that the chicken is done, make sure that any juices run clear and that the drumsticks move very easily in their sockets.

4. Place the chicken on a warm plate and keep warm; remove all but 1 Tbsp of drippings from the pan and toss the potatoes, carrots, and salt and pepper in, coating the vegetables thoroughly. Raise the oven temp to 400, and roast for 30 minutes more, mixing every ten minutes.

5. Carve chicken, and arrange breast meat, drumsticks, wings and thighs on a warm platter along with the roasted vegetables; serve with a green salad.

To make soup stock: remove all the meat from the chicken bones and set aside. Place bones and pan drippings (don't skip! - you'll remove the fat later, but the drippings give the stock its great taste) into a large pot with a lid. Add in one onion, quartered, one bay leaf, about 20 peppercorns, and a Tbsp EACH of parsley and salt. Fill pot with water, covering bones by two at least two inches (I bring the liquid to about two inches below the edge of my 6-quart stock pot). Bring to a simmer and let the stock cook for 1-2 hours; strain, discarding the solids, and placing the stock back into the pot and into the fridge overnight. The next day, skim off the fat and discard; freeze the stock in quart-size containers, and freeze any left over into ice cubes, for use when you need a small amount in a recipe.

Night Number Two: Chicken Soup That Tastes Good

If using your own stock, place it in the fridge the day before you'll make the soup – or, defrost it in the microwave just before using. The leftover chicken can be tossed into the soup while still frozen. This soup makes enough for dinner one night, and lunches the next day or two.

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp butter

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 celery stalks, washed well and chopped

2 cups shredded leftover chicken

6 cups chicken stock or broth

1 Tbsp parsley

¼ tsp basil

¼ tsp savory

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp salt (or more to taste – homemade stock often tastes perfect with just a little extra salt)

1/8 tsp thyme

1 large potato, peeled and chopped

1. Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and celery; cook for 5-10 minutes, until vegetables are softened and onion is translucent.

2. Add chicken and next six ingredients (through thyme); bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add potato, and cook for 10-15 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender.

3. Serve hot, with warm bread or biscuits; soup will keep in fridge for up to five days, or freeze (before adding potatoes – they don't freeze well) for several months.

Night Number Three: Chicken Fried Rice

Our all-time favorite leftover meal, you can make this come out differently every time based on what you have in the fridge that needs to be used up. This recipe makes 6-8 servings, and keeps for five days or so in the fridge – if it sticks around that long!

3 eggs, lightly beaten and mixed with ½ tsp fish sauce and ½ tsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp oil

1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced or finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and shredded

3 cups fresh washed and finely chopped spinach, bok choi, Napa cabbage

1 cup snow or snap peas, washed, or ½ cup frozen peas

1-2 cups shredded leftover chicken

4 cups cooked rice

2 Tbsp soy sauce, or more to taste

1 Tbsp fish sauce

¼ tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste (we like this quite hot, so I usually end up with more like ½ a tsp)

1. Prepare eggs as directed above, and set them someplace nearby. Heat oil in a large pan at medium heat; when hot, add onion and carrot and cook for about 5 minutes. Add spinach or other greens and peas; cook for 5 minutes more.

2. Move vegetables to the outside of the pan; add eggs and quickly scramble. When the eggs are cooked as you like them, add the chicken to the pan, cooking for 2 minutes to warm chicken through. Add rice, soy and fish sauces, and cayenne; cook all for 2-5 minutes, until rice is heated and everything is mixed well.

3. Serve hot, with soy sauce and cayenne at the table.

   Read about Karen's adventures in homeschooling at http://stoneagetechie.blogspot.com/