One Chicken: Endless Menu Planning Possibilities

We are all looking for ways to make our food dollars stretch, and that is one of the main reasons I am a big fan of planned leftovers and careful menu planning. Leftovers...I know what you're thinking. The last time there were leftovers in your fridge they either made their way to the trash bin or started their own fuzzy colony in the back somewhere. Bonus points if it growled when you dared to peek under the lid.

Seriously though...we need to use all that we can to make our dollars go further, and one of my favorite ways is the infamous rubber chicken. Why rubber? Well, you'll see how one inexpensive chicken can keep bouncing back in different ways to feed your family with a little bit of menu planning. The first thing you'll need is a roaster chicken. At local stores they shouldn't be more than 99 cents a pound, and usually you can find them for 79-89 cents a pound. Buy as big a bird as you can fit into a 6 quart crock pot. Stock up with a few birds if you find a good sale and have the room.

After the bird is thawed, you'll need to give it a good rinse inside and out, removing any goodie bags of gizzards the butcher might have left you. If you're so inclined, make some giblet gravy and reserve the neck to make stock. Otherwise, my dog is usually happy. Pat dry and remove any unwanted bits of fat and skin. My favorite way to make a roast chicken is in the crock pot. Mostly because I'm a lazy cook and the crock pot is easier to clean. Oh- it also sets us up for a crucial rubber chicken step.

You can make some foil balls to put in the bottom of the crock pot as a rack. I usually use long carrots and potato chunks, others like onions. Sometimes these will end up edible by the time the chicken is done, but sometimes they are really over-seasoned and only good for stock. Season the chicken however your family prefers. We like adobo all over inside and out.

Rosemary, garlic and lemon is great, and sometimes just lots of kosher salt. Trust me, it's really all good. You can put something in the cavity if you'd like...lemons work well for us, some like onion or apple. Don't bother cutting them all up, halves or quarter should be fine. Sometimes I add a splash of lemon juice, but you don't really need any liquid. The chicken will make its own juice.

Put the bird breast side down on the foil or carrot rack and turn the crock pot on low for 4-8 hours. Be sure that it reaches the right temperature. Some crock pots cook faster than others, so use your best judgment and a good meat thermometer. Sometimes I'll throw in some baby carrots half way through cooking for more side options. Tonight's dinner is fall off the bone roast chicken with carrots and potatoes...gravy if you made it.

After the chicken cools, pull all of the meat off and set aside. Anything unusable goes back into the crock pot, yep, that means skin, fat, stray bones, and the carcass. Add any additional vegetables you'd like - onions, celery, carrots, garlic, herbs (a bay leaf is great). Cover the bones and vegetables with cold water. Turn the crock pot on low and let it go overnight. It's a little weird waking up to the smell of chicken soup in the morning, but it's for a good cause.

Once the mixture has cooled, strain it well with a strainer or cheese cloth. I like to measure out 2 cups worth and store it in freezer bags for use in soups, stews, and casseroles.

Your leftover meat can be used in a variety of ways depending on how much you have leftover. If it is a good amount, you can use it two or more ways. Examples are chicken pot pie, chicken casserole, bbq chicken sandwiches, bbq chicken topping for pizza, chicken salad sandwiches, chicken tacos, enchiladas, chicken tortilla soup, or chicken and dumplings. You can use it all at once or let it stretch. Use meat as an ingredient, not the main feature. Or you can freeze it for a later use.

Use your fresh stock to make soups, stews, or white sauces for pot pies and casseroles. It is a fantastic base to our family favorite- potato corn chowder, and it's great to make 'something out of nothing'. All three (or four) meals can be made with items you have on hand, and at cost of the chicken, and very little menu planning. Clean out your fridge and freezer for veggies, utilize those pantry spices, and use broken pasta or rice for soups- It's a great way to use up what you have. Not to mention that it is a good, wholesome, nourishing food that you'll feel good about feeding to your family.