Fresh and Frugal: Roast Chicken

This post is part of an ongoing series called Fresh and Frugal, in which I share practical ways to make it easy to eat well on a budget. Eating well can be thought of from a lot of different angles, from good health and nutrition, to mindfulness about the environment, to supporting local economies. We should be able to accomplish all of this without sacrificing pleasure or breaking the bank, and that is what these posts explore. _____________________________________________________________________



With the mercury rising, our thoughts turn to how to get dinner on the table without the aid of oven or stove. We don't have a grill, so I like to cook in bigger batches once a week. If I'm heating up the oven, I'll roast a chicken, bake a bunch of potatoes, and roast some veggies. These simple staples can be reinterpreted for a week's worth of interesting and delicious meals.




I use a very simple method for roasting. I season the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper, and stuff with a quartered onion, a quartered lemon, and a few smashed garlic cloves, then rub the outside with about a tablespoon of softened butter and season it well with salt and pepper. I roast it in a 425 degree oven for a relatively short time (depends on the size of the chicken, but I use this as a guideline); the high heat ensures a crispy, golden skin and tender meat. There are plenty of variations, but I find this simple way to be the most conducive to reinterpretation.



Dinner #1: juicy chicken, baked potato, and whatever vegetable is in season.

When the chicken is cooled, I remove all the meat and store it in a container in the fridge. I then put the carcass, stuffing and all, in the crock pot with a bay leaf and a handful of rough chopped vegetables (carrots, celery, onion, parsnip, whatever's in the crisper), cover with cold water, and set on high overnight. Strain the stock in the morning, cool, and freeze for another use. The last time I made stock, I had a quart plus an ice cube tray (which I will use one at a time to add to baby food or in recipes that call for a splash of stock).

Dinner #2: Roast chicken sandwiches: toast two slices of bread, and spread one with mayonnaise. Layer some chicken on the mayo, and top with a crunchy piece of lettuce. Season with salt and pepper and top with the other slice of bread.

Dinner #3: Use chicken as a pizza topping!

Dinner #4: Chicken tacos or quesadillas.

Dinner #5: Toss chicken and roasted vegetables with cooked pasta.

Dinner #6: Big salad topped with chicken.

Obviously the number of meals you get from a single chicken will depend on the size of the chicken and the size of your family, but you can see that it's not hard to stretch your food dollar when you start out this way. And at $2.69/pound at Trader Joe's (as opposed to double that for boneless, skinless breasts), buying sustainable meat becomes a real viable option, no matter your budget.

Chicken and Stars

Just when I think I am getting the hang of things, something happens to throw me off, humble me, make me realize that ultimately, I am not actually in control. This time, let's call that thing February. This month has been a little rough around here, starting with a nursing strike. Breastfeeding is amazing for a host of well-publicized reasons (it is a perfect, free, easily-digested and fully customized food for the baby, helps you lost weight, delays the return of postpartum fertility, gives several happy- and calm-inducing hormones for you and baby, is totally portable and instantly ready, acts to soothe and comfort in almost any situation...), until something happens that makes it hard. We had a relatively easy start, and while I was always thankful for the ease of our nursing relationship, I definitely took it for granted. Never again! I have a new (albeit slight) insight into how my friend Sarah must have felt when she struggled to nurse her girl, and fresh compassion and understanding for her (totally right, brave) decision to bottle-feed.

But that was just the beginning. Just as things were getting back to normal, Daddy caught a horrible cold, which kept him home from work several days last week. Serves me right for thinking how lucky we were to get through this awful cold and flu season unscathed!! And now Anne has the cold, too. It breaks my heart to hear her congested cough and runny little nose, especially because there's no way to explain to her what's going on, and very little I can do to help.

There have been a few rays of sunshine, literal and figurative. Anne has learned how to laugh. My seeds came in the mail, and garden planning is in full swing. I've been leaning hard on homemade broths in the kitchen, and this superstar of a soup was last week's victory. Really, it's just a very basic, classic chicken soup (there's ginger and garlic in the broth, but not enough to be able to clearly identify either flavor). To boost the Asian flavor and healing power, I added sriracha and fresh-squeezed lime juice to my bowl. I'm doing everything I can to fight off the germs that are lurking in every corner of this house that hasn't seen fresh air for months, and this soup is just the kind of soldier I like to have on my side.



Chicken and Stars

The stock is the star of the show here, so make sure it's high-quality. Homemade is best. Recipe below.

2 quarts chicken stock
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup stelline, alphabet pasta, orzo, or other tiny pasta

In a large pot, heat the chicken stock. Add the parsnips and carrots, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water (I made the mistake of just adding dry pasta to a soup once... and there was no soup left, just pasta. Oops.) and drain. When the vegetables are about done, add the cooked pasta and frozen peas and continue simmering until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning (usually more salt; if using homemade, un-salted stock, about a tablespoon of salt is great). Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime and sriracha to taste (about a tablespoon is great for clearing up your sinuses, and also, OH YUM).

Homemade Ginger-Garlic Chicken Stock

Ginger and garlic are both great natural cold remedies.

Bones from 1 whole roaster chicken, picked mostly clean of meat
1 piece fresh ginger, about 6 inches, thinly sliced (peeling is optional)
4-6 cloves fresh garlic, smashed and peeled
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Place all ingredients in a large pot and cover with cold water (about 2 quarts). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6-8 hours. You can also combine everything in a slow-cooker and simmer overnight. Strain solids out and discard. Use in soup or cool and freeze for later use.

7 Quick Takes: Leftovers Edition!

This week, my quick takes are devoted to removing the stigma applied to the phrase:

"We're having leftovers!" 

"Leftovers" does not have to mean "week-old stuff that got haphazardly thrown in the microwave!"  With a little forethought and imagination, and you can turn your leftovers into things that are as good, or even better than the original meals they came from!

1.



Grilled chicken and veggies



You've already fired up the grill, so why not make the most of it?  This particular firing-up provided us with not one, not two, but THREE dinners this week!  While the coals were gettin' good, I squeezed some lemon juice over 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs and let them sit and marinate for about 20 minutes.  While that was happening, I cut up some veggies (orange peppers, zucchini, and baby pattypan squash - use whatever looks good at the farmers' market) into big chunks (I don't have a grill basket and I do not like losing little pieces of veggies to the fiery coals below), tossed them in a bowl, and coated them with olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.  When the grill was ready, I gave the chicken a sprinkling of salt and pepper and tossed it on the hottest part, crowding the veggies around.  I cooked them for about... 8-10 minutes per side.  I still haven't mastered the perfect-grill-heat techniques.  I'm getting there.  We each got to eat 2 chicken thighs, and as many veggies as we wanted.  We were full and very happy.

2.

 

Homemade maltagliati pasta with Italian sausage, tomatoes, and grilled favas.

After the chicken and veggies came off the grill, I replaced them with fava beans in their pods that had been tossed with olive oil and salt.  They cooked while we ate dinner, and after dinner I got them off the grill and let them cool a little, then shelled them and put them in a container in the fridge.  Forethought!  Because the next night for dinner we had homemade whole wheat pasta with Italian sausage, heirloom tomatoes, and grilled favas!  Here's the key: take a leftover item, and combine it with at least one fresh item, to create a brand-new totally reinterpreted meal!

  3.



Red leaf lettuce, tomato, spicy brown mustard, mini baguettes, swiss cheese with caraway seeds, grilled chicken



The "How Dare You Call Me Leftovers" Chicken Sandwich

Serves 2.

2 mini baguettes

4 cold grilled skinless boneless chicken thighs

4 slices cheese (swiss with caraway is amazing, but any creamy, flavorful cheese will work)

4 slices red leaf lettuce, washed

6 slices tomato

butter

spicy brown mustard

Split each baguette in half, butter each side, and place them flat-side-down in a skillet to toast.  Meanwhile, slice the chicken into 1/2-inch slices.  When the bread is done, spread the bottom thickly with mustard, and then arrange the chicken, cheese, tomato and lettuce on top.  You will think you've died and gone to heaven.

4.

Cole slaw!

I had some people over for the 4th of July, and I made a TON of cole slaw.  I sliced up half of a purple cabbage and half of a green cabbage, grated a few carrots, and put it all in a huge bowl in the fridge.  Then I took out as much as I thought my guests might eat, and dressed it with a traditional mayonnaise-based slaw dressing.  The next day, I dressed another portion of it with leftover (!) peanut mmmm sauce (which I had used for noodle salad last week) and sprinkled with cilantro and sesame seeds for an Asian slaw that I took to another BBQ.  Then last night with my chicken sandwich, I dressed it with olive oil and white balsamic vinegar.  And I stuck it in my salad for lunch today.  HA!  4 meals and counting!

 5.

Mozzarella Sticks keep in the freezer for a while, and only take minutes to fry!  Mid-afternoon hunger pang?  Leftovers to the rescue!

6.

If you got overzealous at the farmers' market, and came home with too many ripe strawberries, make some jam!  You don't need any fancy equipment if you use it up within a week or two.  I did this last week when I knew that my strawberries wouldn't last through the night, and in jam form, they are still kickin'!  Here's the recipe I used (a half batch, because that's how many strawberries I had) for Strawberry Balsamic Jam.

7.

Yesterday's watermelon juice was made possible by more 4th of July leftovers: chunks of watermelon and a splash of ginger syrup, with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

And there you have it!  Leftovers are redeemed!

Head over to Jen's for more Quick Takes!  Have a great weekend!

Chicken and Rice, But Good.

Remember the dinner I had dreamed for last night?  Pasta, peas, asparagus, cream, mint?  I was on my way to making it.  I was!  I bought cream and mint!  I was sure I had some form of long, flat pasta at home.  I eagerly told the Coppertop Guy of my delicious dinner plans, and he replied, like a normal, red-blooded American man,

"What about the meat?  I DEMAND MEAT FOR DINNER!"

Just kidding.  What he really said was, "Would you please, beautiful wife of mine, pretty please put some chicken in the pasta as well?"

Well, it was somewhere in between those two, anyway.

So we picked up some chicken thighs.  I was grumbling about how the chicken was going to ruin my whole idea of this meal, and then I opened up the cupboard and realized there was not fettuccine or linguine or tagliatelle in there.  None at all.  So I scrapped the pasta plan and hatched a brand-new, chicken-centered one.  I put together some of my mom's pilaf, and whipped up what turned out to be a pretty awesome dinner.  And now the chicken is all gone again, and tonight I will make a fresh attempt to convince my hubby that pasta with veggies, cheese, and cream is a perfectly filling meal, even without the chicken.

And then I made the world's greatest chocolate cake, which I will tell you about later.  For now, I will just say this: I don't think I've licked a bowl and spoon that thoroughly since I was eight years old.

(I took a picture of this dinner with my phone, but it is quite un-appetizing.  You'll have to imagine it.  Or make it yourself.)

Chicken and Rice, But Good

1 package chicken thighs (there were 5 thighs in my package, probably about 1.5 pounds)
2 T flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 T olive oil
2 T vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine (or leftover Prosecco, like me!)
1 T butter
1 cup chicken stock (or more, if needed)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
drizzle of cream (maybe... 2 tablespoons?)

Pat chicken dry.  Over medium-high flame, heat a large pan with a tight-fitting lid, and add the oils.  Combine flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl and dredge chicken pieces through it.  Place chicken in preheated pan and sear on both sides, until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes per side.  Remove chicken to a plate, and add the onion to the pan.  Turn the heat down to medium, and saute the onion for a couple minutes, then add the wine and deglaze the pan.  Cook the wine until it is reduced by at least half; the onions will be brown and soft, and the wine will be thick.  Add the butter and chicken stock and stir to combine.  Replace the chicken in the pan, sprinkle with dried thyme, and cover.  Turn the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked all the way through.  Remove chicken to plate at tent with foil.  Thin sauce slightly with chicken stock, remove from heat and add cream.  Adjust seasonings, and serve over pilaf.

My Mom's Pilaf

My sister and I used to think it was so funny that our pilaf had "worms" in it.  The "worms" are really just spaghetti noodles that are broken into 1-inch pieces and then browned in butter before you add the rice and chicken stock.  They are fun and delicious.

2 T butter
A handful of spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
1 cup white rice
2 cups chicken stock
salt to taste

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Add the uncooked spaghetti noodles, and saute until quite brown.  Add the rice and toss to coat with butter.  Add the chicken stock, stir, and bring to a boil, cover, turn the flame to low and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.