You hear it all the time: Roast one chicken, have dinner for a week. A few weeks ago, I did just that.
I roasted a 6-pound chicken using the best and easiest recipe ever: “Chicken with Two Lemons” from Marcella Hazan’s Classic Italian Cooking. Basically, you rub the chicken with salt and pepper, place two small lemons (pierced liberally with a toothpick) inside, close it up with toothpicks and pop it in the oven. For a 6-pounder, I roast it at 350 degrees, breast side down, for about an hour; turn it breast side up (this is the hardest part but still not difficult) and continue roasting for another hour; then turn up the heat to 400 and roast another 25 minutes. Total cooking time should be about 20 to 25 minutes per pound, but I wouldn’t increase or decrease the browning time at the end (after turning up the oven).
This is an exceptionally tasty, juicy chicken that’s pretty much “fool-proof!” (I’ve tested it.) I usually cut up about half to serve with mashed potatoes and a green veggie. The rest fed us throughout the week. Here’s how:
The following day, I made Chicken Stock: Take off all the usable meat, throw the skin away and put the bones in a large soup pot. Add one onion, cut in half or quarters; a few carrots; about four celery stalks; one or two cloves of garlic, cut in half; and a handful of fresh parsley or rosemary if you have it. Add some salt and pepper. Fill the pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer at least 2 hours; I usually let it go for 4 or 5. Once strained and cooled, this is great as chicken soup – just add some chicken meat, carrots, celery and dumplings or noodles – or as a base for any number of hearty soups and stews.
BBQ Chicken Pizza: Mix BBQ sauce with marinara, about half and half. Top a pre-made pizza crust with some sauce; toss a handful of shredded chicken with remaining sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, chicken, and veggies. (Bell peppers and green or red onions are especially good.) Bake as you would any pizza.
Chicken Enchiladas: Heat store-bought enchilada sauce in a medium pot and cover the bottom of a baking dish with a bit of the sauce. Heat corn tortillas (one or two at a time) in the sauce. Once each tortilla is soft, take it out of the sauce and top it with a bit of shredded cheese, chicken, and anything else you like (minced onion, chopped olives, diced green chiles, chopped bell peppers?). Roll it up and place in baking dish seam side down. Repeat until the pan is full. Top with remaining sauce and shredded cheese. Bake covered at 350 for about an hour. Serve with rice, beans and salad.
Lentil Soup: This one didn’t actually have any chicken in it, but a few quarts of the chicken stock boiled up with some lentils; diced onion; cubed potatoes; sliced carrots and celery; and curry powder was delicious. Add some smoked or spicy sausage if you like.
Chicken Stir-fry: Stir fry vegetables until tender. Add shredded chicken and teriyaki, curry or other sauce. Cook until heated through. Serve over rice.
Those five dinners used up our 6-pound chicken, although we still had leftover enchiladas, stir-fry, and lots of frozen stock.
What’s your favorite leftover chicken recipe? Please share. (I’m roasting another chicken tonight and need some new recipes to add to the repertoire!)
