1 Chicken, 5 Meals
Did you know that a single roast chicken can yield up to 5 delicious meals? Check out these awesome recipes from Clever Cookstr and Sheri Wetherell of Foodista.com.
Our guest on the Clever Cookstr today is Sheri Wetherell, co-founder and CEO of Foodista.com and of the International Food Blogger Conference. She’s here to share recipes and tips for stretching a single roasted chicken into 5 meals.
Here’s how to transform a simple 4-pound roaster into 5 tasty dishes:
Recipe #1: Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken
Start with this recipe for Easy Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken. This is your starter chicken. It’s a classic one-dish meal that can easily be stretched into 4 additional meals, plus a great bone broth.
Once you’ve had your roast chicken and set aside leftover meat for the recipes below, you’ll want to make your chicken stock (aka, bone broth).
You’ve probably been hearing a lot about the benefits of bone broth lately- now, you can make your own! Pick the carcass clean of meat, place in a large slow cooker or stockpot, and cover with water. Add a few bay leaves, some black peppercorns, whatever fresh herbs or stems you have on hand, and aromatics (carrots, onions, celery, garlic). Cook on low for 24 hours. Do not allow to boil or your stock will be cloudy. If using a slow cooker, you can let the broth go for a week!
After cooking, strain and divide into freezable portions.
Recipe #2: Curried Chicken Salad
Curried Chicken Salad is a great use for leftover cooked chicken, on rolls or on a bed of arugula for lunch the next day. Apples, sliced red grapes, cashews, raisins, and Major Grey’s chutney give it sweet and savory elements.
Recipe #3: Chicken Pot Pie
Using a store-bought pie crust as a shortcut, all you’ll need to do is make a roux with some chicken stock, and load up the creamy sauce with diced potatoes, carrots, celery, peas, onions. Add a bit of leftover cooked chicken to the pie, top with a crust, and bake. You could also make this chicken pot pie with puff pastry or a biscuit topping.
Recipe #4: Veggie-Loaded Chicken Soup
Use your chicken stock and load it up with veggies and either noodles, potatoes, or rice.
Recipe #5: Creamy Polenta with Chicken Ragu
Polenta is such a great comfort food, and its creamy texture goes even better with a meat-laden ragu sauce than pasta.
Now, that’s what we call cooking smart! Check out more of Sheri’s cooking tips on Foodista.com. Join us next time on the Clever Cookstr for more tips and tricks from the kitchens of the world’s best cooks.
What’s your favorite, creative way to cook with a roast chicken? Share your ideas with us on the Clever Cookstr Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages.