When I found myself in a totally empty nest, I also found that cooking for one was a huge change for me. I had to teach myself how to plan ahead for using the extra portions of family sized entrees like pot roast or a whole chicken. I’ve managed, but it has taken a decade! If you don’t plan, you end up with a freezer filled with leftovers that are never used. It was the Covid pandemic that forced me to focus more on being frugal. Empty supermarket shelves and difficulty in obtaining products I loved made me save what I had left. Always a frugal home keeper, this wasn’t a huge change for me. It was a focused change, however.
I cook a whole chicken at least once a month. Sometimes, I split or spatchcock the bird and
cook it on the grill. Other times I
roast it in the oven, pressure cook it in the instant pot or slow cook it in
the crockpot. I love it for the first
meal, and I’ve grown to love all the extra things I do with the cooked chicken
meat. In fact, I’ve learned to depend on
having my little packages of meat in the freezer.
I’ve posted this recipe for Chicken
Demidoff previously. You can find it
right here. https://dlmsliceofpie.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-russian-house-of-demidov-was-noble.html
It is what I do with leftover roast chicken that I’m showing
you today. You can use any roast chicken
recipe you’d like. My blog is full of various
versions, and you can always Google!
When Miss Phoebe visits, we have lots of fun watching movies
and snacking. I always try to have
homemade snacks to add to the typical chips and popcorn. Chicken salad (sandwich spread) is one of my
favorites and it can be changed with so many flavors.
To 3 cups of chopped chicken, add 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, 2 Tablespoons of mustard, ¼ cup of relish. This time I used sweet mustard and green tomato relish. As you make this, add more mayonnaise or juice from the relish to get the consistency you want. Salt and pepper to taste. It really is this simple and this time we had our chicken salad on crackers. Sometimes I add grated cheese or chopped boiled eggs … finely chopped celery and sweet onion. It is all about the flavor you desire. Don’t hesitate to experiment a little bit.
Chicken and Stuffed Pasta Shells
When I separate a roasted chicken to store for later, I always pull some pieces off whole. Maybe I’ll save the legs or thighs or a nice chunk of breast meat. For this recipe, I had saved one side of the breast and packaged it as a whole piece. I always thaw the meat overnight in the refrigerator.
First, let me tell you one of my most frugal recipes! I never drink an entire gallon of milk before it gets close to expiring. I use the end of the portion to make ricotta or what some call farmer’s cheese. My grandmother made this when I was a kid and hung a bag over her sink to let it drain. I later learned how to do it from an Italian grandmother who had a quicker method. Heat 1 quart of whole milk just to the boiling point. Don’t let it boil. Remove it from the burner and add ¼ cup of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let the milk set until it separates. The curd will float. Then you need to pour it through a fine sieve until the moisture is all gone. This will take a couple hours. You don’t need a cheesecloth bag and you don’t need to drain it overnight. This will give you about a cup and a half of cheese.
To make the shells, boil them … drain them and let them cool
under cold running water. This recipe
will make about a dozen. To the cheese,
add ¼ cup of dried parmesan, 1 teaspoon of sugar, a Tablespoon of chopped
parsley and a couple grinds of nutmeg.
Combine an egg with all that, and you have a perfect filling for the
shells. You’ve saved the cost of
ricotta! Here's another recipe for this cheese https://dlmsliceofpie.blogspot.com/2020/06/oak-leaf-kale.html
Use what you have in the pantry for this recipe. If you have a jar of pasta sauce, use
it. If not, use a can of stewed
tomatoes. That’s what I did this time,
and I actually prefer that because there is already lots of flavor in the roasted
chicken and I enjoy the simple celery and onion in the stewed tomatoes.
Pour some of the sauce (or juice from the can of tomatoes)
in the bottom of a baking dish. That will keep the shells from sticking. Add the stuffed shells and place the portion
of chicken in the dish beside the shells.
Cover all of it with the stewed tomatoes and remaining sauce (or more
pasta sauce) and bake it at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. You can add mozzarella cheese to the
top. For these, I tucked a mozzarella
pearl into each shell … because I had some that needed to be used.
Be frugal and enjoy a very special entrée.
When I roast a chicken, I also save a couple portions of the
broth from the bottom of the roasting pan.
I just let it cool, skim off the fat and store it in freezer bags.
For this recipe, I used 2 cups of broth. I didn’t thaw it. I just dropped in in a sauce pan over low
heat and brought it to a simmer. If you
don’t think it will have enough flavor, add a teaspoon of chicken bouillon. To thicken the broth, stir a Tablespoon of
corn starch into a cup of cold water and add it to the broth. Whisk it until it thickens. Over a low heat, add a can of mixed
vegetables. Include the juice for more
flavor. Add one or two cups of chopped
chicken meat, a dash of salt, pepper and ½ teaspoon of poultry seasoning or
rubbed sage. You probably have all those
ingredients in your pantry.
Pour the filling into your pie plate. Top it with a pie crust and bake it at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. We also love this topped with biscuits.
This is a perfect late night snack and so easy. I used mini corn tortillas for these. I always have grated cheese, salsa and fresh
vegetables in the fridge. This time I
had beautiful artisan tomatoes that had great summertime flavor in a wintertime
month! You can top your tostadas with shredded lettuce, sour cream, olives or
any of the things you love in tacos.
I made these in the air fryer oven
and it took about 20 minutes from beginning to end.
Place the tacos on an air fryer baking sheet. Top with chopped chicken. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Bake this for ten minutes at 350 degrees in
the air fryer. Remove and top with
shredded cheese, chopped tomato and chunky salsa. That’s it. All done, and so much fun.
You’ve probably used all your chicken meat if you’ve made these recipes. If not, there are hundreds of things you can do. Make your favorite tuna casserole, replacing the tuna with chicken. Add chopped chicken to a green salad. If you have strawberries, toss those in. Pecans make it better. Add chicken to your favorite pasta sauce … red or white. Use the meat and some of that frozen broth to start chicken noodle soup. The possibilities are endless. Have fun and save money!
