Three Meals (and One Caveman Snack) from One Whole Chicken

So tomorrow always comes sooner than you think.

Loving the comments and tips and input on cooking whole chickens in the last post! I know I learned some things! Admittedly, that’s not saying much… Ahem.

What do y’all make with the chicken from your whole chicken?

But before we talk chicken, let’s talk chicken stock. I turned around and immediately tried a new (to me) recipe using the five cups of chicken stock that my whole chicken produced.

Black Eyed Peas ~ Crockpot Recipe

• 1 pound dried black eyed peas
• 1 pound sausage link
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
  
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

(The original recipe for this came from “A Year of Slow Cooking”)

• Soak your beans overnight. Drain and pick out the undesirables (broken, discolored beans) in the morning.
• Use a 5 to 6 quart crockpot. This will serve about 8 people.
• Dice the veggies, and dump them into your crockpot with the pre-soaked beans. Add sliced sausage. Pour in broth, and stir in Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for about 6.
• Before serving, use a stick blender to smash up about 1 cup of beans. If you don’t have a stick blender, scoop out 1 cup of beans, blend them in a traditional blender, and add back to the soup. Don’t blend too much—just enough to get the broth thicker and creamy-looking.

The original recipe also called for Kosher salt, which I didn’t have, so I just used regular; and for spicy sausage; as well as Tabasco sauce for taste at the end. I also used one cup of water with the five cups of chicken stock to bring the total to six cups called for in the recipe.

The kids really liked this. Well, except for Peter, the 5yo. But if he had his way he’d eat peanut butter tortillas for every meal (yes, tortillas), so he doesn’t really count.

This was a lot of food. We ate this for two meals — the photo above was actually from the second go-around — and there’s still a large bowl’s worth leftover. It’s also really good with crusty bread.

I would definitely call this a do-over, except that next time I think I’ll just stick with the five cups of chicken stock and not bother to add that extra cup of water. I would have liked just a little thicker consistency, I think.

I could have used a little more pizazz myself, though the flavor was definitely yummy. Perhaps if I’d used spicy sausage as the original recipe called for, or dashed on some Tabasco sauce at the end, which I could have done just to my bowl, but I didn’t think of it.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

• 1 can (equivalent) chicken
• 1 can (equivalent) mixed veggies (I used frozen corn and peas)
• 1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
• 1 c. Bisquick
• 1 c. water

Mix first three ingredients. Pour into greased baking dish. Mix Bisquick with water and pour over first mixture. Bake at 400 degrees  45-50 min.

I’ll be the first to admit this isn’t exactly the healthiest recipe. Can of soup? Bisquick? (Would it help if I told you I got the Bisquick for free?) If anyone can offer an easy Chicken Pot Pie recipe using single ingredients, I’m all ears.

The kids gobble this up. Even Peter. (After much coaxing.) They even got to it before I could take a picture. We did have leftovers, but not much.

Chicken Tetrazzini

• 1 box noodles
• 1 c. (or more) cooked chicken
• 1 zucchini, shredded
  
• 1 large carrot, shredded
  
• 3 T Butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1/4 ~ 1/2 c. milk (or heavy cream)
• 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Boil noodles. Melt butter on low heat and saute garlic, zucchini and carrot.

(The photo was taken after I had sauteed the first ingredients, then added the chicken.)

After a few minutes, add soup, sour cream, milk, cheese and chicken.  Stir over low heat. Add cooked noodles to mixture. Toss and serve! (Another great recipe originally from The Happy Housewife.)

This makes a lot of food! I opted for angel hair pasta in ours. Crusty bread also goes well with this, along with a green salad.

Of course, Peter had to pick out “all the gross stuff”. Sigh.

Which I then promptly picked up and put on my plate. I do love me some sauteed zucchini.

I would have gotten yet another meal out of this chicken, to be sure, had one teenager not preempted both of the chicken-filled recipes above by helping himself to a plate full of meat. For a snack.

He doesn’t exactly like to pose for the camera.

So I turned around and was all like, “What are you, a caveman? Is that how you’re going to eat it?” Meaning, without utensils.

So Conner got up and got himself some dip.

I suppose it’s better than a plateful of frozen chicken nuggets…

Now, please, do tell: What are some of your favorite, tried-and-true chicken recipes? How far can you stretch a whole chicken?

I’ve got another whole chicken in my refrigerator, ready and willing for another round of meals. Conner has requested Chicken Teriyaki. I googled for some recipes, but the choices were rather overwhelming. Can anyone recommend a great (simple) recipe for Chicken Teriyaki? I’m thinking stir fry, even though I don’t have a wok. (That’s not terribly vital, is it?)

Conner will thank you. He might even pose for a picture. With or without a plate full of chicken.

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Tagged as: eating, recipes