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Stretch that chicken

Leftover chicken is welcomed, from one chicken, you can get so many meals. S-t-r-e-t-c-h that chicken, and your budget too.

Find also a few more ideas for chicken leftovers from Karen Fox on the sidebar, and know that there are more things to do with leftover chicken or poultry.

Stretch that chicken to more than one meal

Chicken is an incredibly versatile meat. It pairs well with a huge range of flavors and cooking styles. Add to that versatility, low cost, and low fat content, and it is easy to see why chicken is a popular choice among frugal cooks.

One chicken, so many meals

If you are looking to maximize your food budget dollars, buying whole chickens is the way to go. To stretch those budget dollars even farther, do not use that whole chicken as a main dish, but as an ingredient for many main dishes. A creative and frugal cook can stretch that one chicken to feed the family five dinners or more, while providing enough variety to keep everyone happy.

First cook the whole chicken. It can be baked, or it can be boiled, but the easiest way is to use the crock pot. Place the chicken in the crock pot with a 1/2cup of water or broth. Use minimal seasoning as you will season the dishes you make with the meat. Allow the chicken to cook all day. Then let it cool just enough that you can work with it. The meat will come easily and cleanly off the bone. Remove all the meat and store in the refrigerator as an ingredient for the meals you will make. It also can be frozen in meal sized portions.

Before discussing the meals that can be made with the meat, let's not forget to make broth. Place the liquid left in the crock pot and the chicken carcass in a large pot. Add carrots, onions, and celery, (or even scraps of these vegetables) if desired. A bay leaf, salt, pepper, or other spices can also be added. Cover the carcass with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for several hours, skimming off any foam that forms. Strain the broth through a mesh strainer. Use the broth for soup that night, or freeze it for later use.

What to do with all that de-boned meat and broth? Here are some ideas and recipes:

Soups

Chicken noodle soup would be the obvious choice to use part of the meat and broth that was produced from cooking the whole chicken, but consider others such as white chili, chicken tortilla soup, or creamy mushroom and chicken soup.

Creamy mushroom and chicken soup

  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 large Portobello mushroom chopped
  • 1 cup broccoli (cooked)
  • 1 cup of shredded cooked chicken
  • 2 cups broth
  • 2 cups milk
  • cornstarch
  • salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Procedure

  1. Melt the butter in a large pan. Sauté the onion in the butter a few minutes, and add in the mushrooms and broccoli. Cook for three minutes. Add the chicken and broth. Heat to a simmer.
  2. Add the milk. Mix a few TB of cornstarch with an equal amount of milk and stir into the soup. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Do not boil. Taste and add salt, pepper and garlic powder to your taste.

Mexican

The chicken meat is great for use in tacos, quesadillas, nachos, and other Mexican favorites. Try this simple enchilada dish.

Enchilada casserole

  • 1 can diced tomatoes with chilies (do not drain)
  • corn tortillas
  • 1 can re-fried beans (also good with black beans)
  • shredded chicken
  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • salsa

Grease baking dish. Put about 1/2 can of tomatoes in the bottom of the pan. Make a layer of tortillas. Then a layer of beans. Followed by chicken and then cheese. Repeat layers. Top with salsa and more cheese. Bake at 350 F (uncovered) about 20 minutes, or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Sandwiches, casseroles and more

Creamed chicken, barbeque chicken, or chicken salad sandwiches are always favorites. The chicken could also be used on pizza, or in stir fry. Don't forget the frugal classic, the casserole, such as chicken pot pie.

Because of its adaptability and affordability, chicken is a very popular meat. Using the meat of a whole chicken as an ingredient for your meals, instead of the main dish helps to stretch the food budget even farther, and provide healthy, interesting meals for the family. Challenge yourself, and see just how many meals you can make out of one chicken.

Make that chicken go even further

Chicken is routinely eaten at evening mealtime in American households. We each have our favorite ways of preparing it. When cooking a whole chicken, you can do wonders with what you don’t eat for dinner. Here are some ways to make that roasted chicken appealing to the family.

Learn to slice a whole chicken. Slicing one properly makes it easier to remove the rest of the meat from the bone. The skeleton can be used to create broth. Boil it in some water until the rest of the meat falls off.

You can season the broth with herbs and spices. After it cools, pour it into jars for storage. You’ll be able to keep the broth for a few weeks. Use it to flavor soups and casseroles.

Do your kids carry their lunches to school? Instead of buying lunch meat, slice leftover chicken breast for sandwiches. It will be a nice change from the usual lunch fare.

On the weekends, instead of ordering a pizza or going to McDonald’s, use that chicken. Cube a few pieces to toss on top of a salad with some cheese and croutons. Combine with peppers and onions in a skillet to make filling for fajitas or soft tacos.

Does your family like chicken pot pie? Add some of that chicken, along with vegetables (canned or frozen) and a can of creamed soup to a pie crust and you’ve got an instant dinner that takes less than an hour to prepare. It is a quick meal idea perfect for busy families. A salad on the side will make a complete and healthy dinner.

Chicken based casseroles can be made and frozen for future meals. The family may be all “chickened out” for the week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of the chicken you have left for future weeks.

Do you still have more chicken? Well let’s keep going with more ideas. Hey, our mothers and grandmothers learned to use chicken in many ways and so can we. What tastes the best when you have a cold and are feeling under the weather? Why, chicken noodle soup of course.

Don’t settle for canned soup with small noodles. Make your own soup with juicy chicken pieces and wide egg noodles. That broth you jarred up will serve as a nice base and best of all it is already seasoned.

Add wide egg noodles and sliced vegetables like carrots, celery, and onions to your soup. When the noodles are tender, add the chicken. Since it is already cooked it just needs to warn up. Ladle up a bowl for the sick and the healthy as a light weekend lunch.

What are you doing with your chicken after dinner tonight? Try some of these ideas to make that chicken do double and triple duty to save on your family’s grocery bill. The best part is that the new meals are just as tasty as the original dish.