HOW FAR CAN A CHICKEN GO...

14 sumptuous meals (7 meals for 2) from 1 chicken...

(also 2 meals for your dog or 4 meals for your cat !)

This isn’t the old age question of how did the chicken cross the road but a frugal passion of mine, how many meals can I make my family from that one chicken, turns out quite a lot!  Not only is this respect for the chicken but a great way to save money on your food bill and also sets up your families busy week night dinners or the packed lunches for the week ahead done!  Don’t panic but I brought a 2.6kg chicken for this amount of meals, £18.00 / $23.00.

Cook once (ish!) eat multiple meals this one chicken plus larder stock made 14 delicious and sumptuous meals

When it comes to choosing a chicken not all chickens are raised outdoors scratching and foraging as they would and with love and care and not all chickens are equal in good quality protein and healthy fats.  Buy the very best you can, your investing in a free outdoor happy life for that chicken.  If you can buy organic or genuine free range do, it is worth the chickens happy welfare and there is a remarkable difference in the quality of life the chicken has had, this also translates into the health of the meat your going to feed your family.

Buying the largest chicken can seem very expensive but it works out far more frugal in the long run, from a large chicken you will have your family Sunday roast dinner, then there will be left over meat that can be made in to 100’s of other meals, a decent amount of stock for soups, stews, risotto and a weeks amount of schmaltz (chicken fat) for daily use.

From 1 x 2.6kg organic chicken I made 14 meals !  

This chicken along with some larder staples made this selection of meals for two people.

Roast chicken with white wine garlic stock gravy

2 wings chefs perk

2 litres bone broth

Red Thai coconut noodle soup

White wine mushroom pea and Parmesan risotto

Chinese chicken curry

Asian chicken sesame salad

Chipotle chicken tacos (3 each)

Shredded chicken chow mien noodles

100g schmaltz chicken fat

2 meals for the dog or 4 for a cat

Some of the Secrets in the Pantry...

A well stock pantry of your families favourite staples will give you the freedom to make 100’s of different meals, you don’t have to stock all the ingredients at once as fresh is best.

Dry stock pantry items:  Basmati rice, risotto rice, various pasta, tortilla wraps, tacos, noodles, coconut milk, red Thai curry paste, harissa paste, black beans, tomatoes, flour, baking powder, pesto, puff pastry, peanut butter, olives, BBQ sauce, cider, white wine, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegars, sweet chilli sauce, wasabi, sesame oil, chillies, curry powder.  Various dried ground spices and herbs.

Fresh pantry items:  Eggs, cream, sour cream, milk, butter, cheese, Parmesan, schmaltz fat, ginger, garlic, lemon grass, five spice, onion, spring onions, coriander, parsley, red and white cabbage, broccoli, spinach, kale, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, sweet potato, salad, lemons, apples, mangetout, peppers, leek, avocado, peas, and mustard.

So you’ve had the roast chicken, taken off all the meat and stored in the fridge, this will last in air tight containers for up to 5 days.  I take the wings off and roast separately as a chefs perk, while dinner is cooking and almost ready I get two hot crispy chicken wings that I toss in butter, hot sauce and some St Agur blue cheese !  Alternatively sometimes I vac pac the two raw wings and freeze, when I’ve got 12 or so I will cook Buffalo hot wings as a dinner, or I will roast the wings off with a mirepoix of vegetables and water and make a awesome roast chicken stock (approx 2 ltrs) which is a great base for so many more dinners.

The Roast Chicken Dinner with White Wine Stock Garlic Thyme Gravy

(2 roast dinner meals)

 

Ingredients

(serves 2 - half a breast and 1 leg and thigh)

1 2.6 kg high welfare chicken

(1/2 large breast, 1 leg and 1 thigh served)

(2 wings roasted separately as buffalo wings)

2 glugs of olive oil

1 large onion quartered

1 carrot rough chopped

1 bulb garlic halved

1 leek roughly chopped

3 sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

1 sprig tarragon (optional)

2 tbsp parsley stalks chopped

1 tbsp butter

10 whole peppercorns

1 lrg pinch Himalayan sea salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

200ml dry white wine

200ml water

I find cooking this in a Dutch oven or chicken brick guarantees the most succulent juicy roast chicken every time.  Pre-heat your oven to 180 F / 356 F.  

Place the onion, garlic, carrot, leek, thyme, bay, peppercorns, tarragon, parsley stalks and butter in the pan, rub the chicken all over with the olive oil, salt and ground black pepper, place on top of the vegetables, pour in the wine and water, pop on the lid to your dutch oven (for 30 minutes ONLY) and place in the oven to roast for 50 minutes to 1hr 10 minutes (make sure to remove the lid half way through the roasting time to brown off and crisp the skin) until pierced juices run clear from the thigh or if using a probe the thickest part of the breast reaches 74C / 165 F.  This is how I cook my juiciest succulent chickens then rest for 15 minutes relaxing the chicken which allows all the juices to evenly distribute back in to the meat, also the resting juices are infusing into the glorious stock gravy.

The Roast Dinner White Wine Stock Garlic Gravy

Simply remove some of the tarragon, thyme and bay leaves, then blitz the cooking stock until smooth, pass through a sieve and return the gravy to the pan on a medium heat to keep warm, stir in a knob of butter and season to taste.  Serve over your roast chicken.

Removing the Left Over Meat of the Bones

1.5 breast meat 360g

1 leg

1 thigh

2 wings (eaten as buffalo wings)

All the little shreds of quality white meat off the carcass 

Bones of the carcass, skin and wings bones

Place all the removed meats in to a glass sealed container ready for the next meal.

The Stock for Soups, Risotto, Curry and Gravy

A truly blessed thing is a saucepan of roasted chicken bone broth, not only full of depth of flavour it has great health properties for your gut and immune health.  This stock from the left over bones and a few stock vegetables creates 2 litres of food that most people just discard, 2 minutes preparing and 1 hour in the oven unattended and Ta-Da glorious stock.  Let’s start at the beginning...

Roast Chicken Stock 

The King of Stocks...

Ingredients 

 (makes 2 ltrs)

1 left over roast chicken

1 onion quartered 

1 carrot roughly chopped

1 bulb garlic halved

1leek roughly chopped

2 ribs celery roughly chopped

10 whole black peppercorns 

I large pinch Himalayan sea salt 

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs of thyme

2.5 ltrs water

Place all the chopped vegetables in the bottom of a deep roasting tin then place the left over chicken bones, skin and any resting juices, jelly and fat on top, season with salt and roast in the oven 180 C / 356 F for 30 minutes until the bones are browned off.  Pour in the water, add the peppercorns, bay and thyme and place back in the oven for a further 30 minutes.  Remove the roasting tin from the oven and using a potato masher crush all the ingredients several times releasing their maximum flavour in to the stock.  Strain off through a sieve and place in the fridge to set.

Dog or Cat Dinners

Pick off all the meat and braised vegetables from the stock braised bones, this makes 2 dinners for a medium Cocker Spaniel or 1 meal for a Labrador or in our case a snack for our Great Dane!  If your a cat owner this will give your cat 4 lovely chicken and jelly meals.  

Schmaltz Chicken Fat

Once the stock is cold skim off the schmaltz (fat) from the top of the set jelly stock and reserve in a ball mason jar in the fridge for use when needed, this makes the best roast chicken fat potatoes!

Concentrated Chicken Stock Jelly

If you reduce your chicken stock down on rolling simmer until halved, once cooled you will end up with a strong intense chicken flavoured concentrated jelly stock.  This can be used to infuse flavour to gravies, soups, broths and rice dishes.  I make this jelly to use when I’m not having lots of soups whereas I would normally keep the volume of my stock broth.

White Wine Mushroom Pea Parmesan Risotto 

Sumptuous gorgeous creamy comforting food, a delight and for me to be eaten with a spoon, this maximises the ratio of how much I can eat in each mouthful !  This is a hug in a bowl, rich creamy white wine parmesan, mascarpone and pea risotto, made with a deep chicken stock maximising full flavour and one of my favourite recipes.  Ready in 20 minutes and easy to make a great dinner to impress your family.  I cook my risotto the traditional way constantly stirring for 15-20 minutes because I love cooking and being more in control of the silky soupy finish, however you can also cook risotto unattended you just need to stir continuously for the first 3 minutes only then add all the stock in one go and leave to cook!

I brought my risotto rice from Valencia in Spain from a deli shop on line, this risotto rice is the creamiest most decedent rice I have ever eaten.

Ingredients 

(serves 2)

100g left over chicken breast shredded

400g risotto rice 

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot finely diced

1 cloves garlic finely diced

4 chestnut mushrooms finely diced

100 ml  good quality dry white wine

5oo ml + hot chicken stock

100g mascarpone cheese

1 cup petite pois peas

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan 

1 tbsp butter

Himalayan sea salt 

Fresh ground black pepper 

Heat a deep pan medium hot, add the olive oil and butter, gently soften the shallots and garlic for 10 minutes, add the mushrooms and soften for a further 3 minutes, next add the risotto rice, stir well coating in the onion and garlic mix, cook for a couple of minutes stirring all the time.  Add the white wine and reduce by half.  Next start adding a ladle  of your hot stock and stirring until absorbed, then repeat adding another ladle of stock, keep repeating for around 15 minutes until the risotto rice is cooked, add the shredded chicken, now I like my rice just cooked but not too al dente (slight bite to the rice), add the peas, Parmesan, mascarpone and stir well to combine, taste and season with the salt and pepper, add the tbsp butter and stir in.  Lower the heat and let the risotto rest for a couple of minutes before serving, this is best served immediately.

A beautiful risotto should be silky soft and have a slightly fluid movement to its consistency, not thick or stodgy.

Red Thai Coconut Noodle Soup

I cannot shout out enough how fragrant and gorgeous this home made paste is, however sometimes I just need to be speedy and I always keep some organic Tom yum, harissa and red Thai curry paste jars in my pantry.

Your Own Paste or Not...

Ingredients

(makes 4 tablespoons worth)

3 tbsp whole white peppercorns

1 flat tsp cumin seeds ground

1 flat tsp coriander seeds ground

8 dried medium hot chillies optional

(soaked in warm water)

1/2 tsp sea salt

6 cloves garlic

1 shallot finely diced

1 tbsp finely chopped bashed lemongrass stalk

2 tbsp coriander stems finely chopped

1 tbsp minced galangal

1 kaffir lime zested

   

This is the fun part, you can skip this and blitz all the ingredients up in a blender, but I urge you not to, it changes the flavour of the paste and is not as fragrant.  Place all the dry ingredients in your pestle and mortar and grind to a powder then add the rest of the ingredients and pound away until you have a lovely smooth ish paste, this took my husband (I borrowed his muscles!) around 10 minutes.

Place in a air tight jar and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or until needed.  Most recipes for four servings require 2-4 tablespoons of the paste according to your taste.

Red Thai Coconut Soup

Ingredients 

1 ltr chicken stock, bone broth

1 can coconut milk

1 tbsp tom yum or more to taste

1 tsp harissa paste

1 lime juiced

1 tsp palm sugar (optional)

1 sweet potato diced and boiled

1 tsp turmeric

2 spring onions

1 red chilli finely diced

3 tbsp chopped coriander

2 big handfuls spinach

1 bunch watercress

6 spears asparagus

1 bunch broccoli florets

100g cooked noodles

Bring the stock to a gentle simmer and add all the ingredients, simmer for a couple of minutes so that the broccoli and asparagus are cooked, taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt, lime juice and palm sugar if needed.  Enjoy.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos and Hot Sauce

These are so cheeky and mouthstuffingly gorgeous, a lovely soft but toasted corn taco stuffed with moist leftover chicken, crisp lettuce, pickled jalapenos, shredded cheese, a drizzle of chipotle sour cream, lime and hot sauce, finish off with a sprinkle of coriander leaves.

These were a really quick assemble from the leftovers in the fridge, great for a quick meal that eats like you slaved over a stove.  This is the sort of Ta da meals you want to pull out of the fridge when unexpected visitors drop by, keeping your culinary genius status.

Prep time 5-20 minutes (fridge or freshly made) / Cooking time if freshly made 10 minutes

Ingredients 

(3 tacos each for 2 people)

6 soft corn tacos

100g left over shredded chicken breast

1/4 iceberg lettuce finely shredded

1/2 red onion finely diced

1/2 jar pickled jalapeños

1 cup shredded cheese (mexi mix)

6 tbsp sour cream

1 tsp chipotle adobo sauce

1 lime halved

1+ glug hot sauce (optional)

Fresh coriander rough chopped

Lay your tacos (3) on each plate and then assemble your layers of ingredients, I do have a specific order, this is so that each bite gets all of the flavours and also keeps the ingredients crisp, I like to layer the lettuce first, then the shredded chicken and drench this in hot hot sauce, top this with the shredded cheese, sometimes I pop this under the grill for a minute to melt, not always, just depends on time and if I’m in the mood for gooey melted cheese!  Next might be a little more hot sauce, then the jalapeños, red onion and finish off with the chipotle sour cream lime drizzle and fresh coriander sprinkled over to finish.

That's it enjoy these gorgeous tacos...

Chinese Chicken Curry 

Ingredients 

160g left over chicken breast shredded

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp corn flour

1 small onion finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 green pepper chopped

1 tbsp Jamaica curry powder

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

500ml chicken stock 

Himalayan sea salt to taste

2 tbsp fresh copped coriander 

Mix the left over chicken with the soy sauce and corn flour and set aside.  Heat the olive oil and soften the onion, ginger and garlic for five minutes, add the curry powder, turmeric and five spice and cook for one minutes releasing all the flavours, add the marinated chicken and chicken stock, bring to a gentle simmer for two minutes, the sauce will thicken, add the green peppers and cook for a further two minutes, sprinkle over the coriander and season with salt to taste.

Asian Chicken Salad

Ingredients 

1 chicken thigh shredded

I clove garlic grated

1 tsp grated ginger

2 spring onions finely chopped

1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (gluten free)

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp mirin

1 tsp brown rice vinegar

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1/4 tsp five spice

1 large carrot julienned

1/4 cucumber julienned 

1/2 iceberg finely shredded

1 small red onion finely sliced

100g fresh bean sprouts

1 cup red cabbage finely sliced

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

1 lime juiced (optional)

Himalayan sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper 

1 tbsp crushed peanuts

In a pestle and mortar bash the garlic, ginger and spring onions together then add the soy, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and mirin, stir to combine and reserve to one side.  In a large mixing bowl toss all the other ingredients together mixing well, don’t season with salt and pepper until you have poured over the reserved marinade and tasted, season if required.

Chow Mein Stir Fry

Ingredients 

(serves 2)

Stir Fry

300g cooked chow mein noodles 

Remaining chicken leg meat shredded & shreds of chicken from the carcass

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp fresh ginger sliced

1 fresh jalapeño sliced

1 carrot julienned

1/4 red cabbage finely sliced

1/4 white cabbage finely sliced

100g fresh bean sprouts

1/2 red pepper sliced

1/2 green pepper sliced

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

2 spring onions finely sliced

1 small bunch fresh chopped coriander

Marinade

75ml soy sauce or tamari gluten free soy

50ml shaoxing wine

1tbsp mirin

1 tsp brown rice wine vinegar

2 tsp honey (optional) or sweet chilli sauce

1/2 tsp wasabi paste

1/2 tsp sesame oil 

1 tbsp grated ginger

1/2 tsp fresh grated turmeric

1 clove garlic grated

3 spring onions bashed to a paste

In a pestle and mortar bash the spring onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric and wasabi to a paste, add the rest of the marinade ingredients except the honey, mix together and pour over the chicken and leave to marinade while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Noodles

Cook these before you start the stir fry.

Bring a pan of water to a simmer drop the noodles in and cook for around 2 minutes, drain, run under cold water then drizzle over a little sesame oil and reserve to one side.

Stir fry

Heat your wok on a high heat, add the coconut oil and the marinated chicken with all the marinade, stir fry for a couple of minutes until the chicken is heated through, remove to a bowl and keep to one side, now add in all the stir fry vegetables except the bean sprouts and stir fry for a couple of minutes, add the bean sprouts, noodles and the reserved chicken and resting juices, toss through, stir through the sesame oil and honey, sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds, fresh coriander, spring onions and serve.