Here's the scoop: All of these are taken from the Everyday Food by Martha Stewart April 2009 issue.
1. Chicken Soup
2. Asian Chicken Salad with Bok Choy
3. Tortilla Pie with....you guessed it! Chicken
The idea behind this is to use the chicken to stretch your dollar. There were some things in here where I really doubt I saved a whole lot of money. (More on that in a bit.) All of the meals were tasty and pretty simple to make.
1. Simple Chicken Soup
You start with a WHOLE chicken. I've never bought a whole one before, so I have to admit, I was a little intimidated. Once I figured out how to manage the "chicken juice" from the package, the rest was easy. I even made it dance like Queen Latifah did in Last Holiday. This elicited lots of giggles from Q. From that whole chicken you remove the giblets and liver....really, I think you could have left them in for more flavor. It's ultimately up to you. Throw the chicken in the largest pot you own and cover it with water. Add one pound of carrots, one pound of parsnips, and a large onion. You may slice and dice them as you see fit. Dump in some salt. I also added a little bit of Herbs de Provence (say it with a French accent). **Note: the parsnips at Kroger were beyond pathetic and I spent a pretty penny on them. I think next time, I'll take a cue from my mother and use celery.** Bring it all to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer for 35 minutes. Remove the chicken and let it cool. In the mean time, add as many egg noodles as you like in your soup. We like a lot of noodles in our house. Viola! You have HOME MADE, the real-deal, chicken soup! And I have to say it's really yummy. Ours made so much, that I froze half of it. Here's a shot of plain 'ole regular chicken soup:
Now comes the cathartic part. You get to remove all of that tender meat from the chicken. I discarded all of the skin and bones and then saved the breasts seperate from the wings, legs and thighs. Really, I was having a not-so-great day and it was fun to get my hands all messy and not have to care too much about it!
2. Asian Chicken Salad with Bok Choy
This calls for Baby Bok Choy. I couldn't find it, so I used a whole Bok Choy and chopped it up. I think I saved a fair amount of money doing this. The baby version was listed at $2.50 each and the big version was $2.99. So, ha! Boil which ever Bok Choy you prefer in about an inch of salted water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and let it cool. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk 3T lime juice, 2T fish sauce, 1t sugar and 1/8t cayenne pepper (say it like my mom and pronounce the "e" on the end....you'll get a good laugh out of it!). Then add, the chicken breasts (cut them up however you like), 1 cup of snow peas that you slice length-wise, 3 small shallots, and some coarsely chopped mint leaves. Serve it all alongside the Bok Choy. I know, I know....you are thinking fish sauce?! Really?! But, yes. The house did smell like a garbage dump, but the flavors where really tastey. And, I have to point out that I think this is one where the left-overs are better. The shallots had some time to mellow out a little. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of this meal. It was really gorgeous with the snow peas cut up length-wise. I think I'll have to do this everytime I use snow peas.
3. Tortilla Pie with Chicken
This is basically lasagne ala tex mex.....how could you go wrong? The magazine has you make a roasted tomatillo or plum tomato salsa. I say, skip the headache (not to mention the added cost) and purchase your favorite refrigerated brand of salsa. Mine is Garden Fresh founded in my neighboring city of Ferndale. I probably would have chosen Jack's Special: Medium. It's my go-to salsa. Alright....how to make it?
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. **Note: my oven varies in temp and I highly recommend one of these little gagets.** Take your favorite 8x8 pan and line it with 4 corn tortillas. Then add a cup of chicken leftovers (again, cut it up how you want to), 2 oz green chillies, 1/2 cup of salsa and 1/3 cup of sour cream. Top that with some cheese (why measure this?!). Repeat that all once again. Then add another layer of the torillas....you will use 12 total. Top that with more salsa, sour cream and cheese. Toss it in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Make sure that cheese is a bubblin'! You will love the results. Here's a pic....and no, that piece didn't last very long.
I think I would take this on again. I found it easy to make the soup and then not have to worry about the starring protein for the next couple of nights. I'd probably change up the flavors a little bit to keep it interesting!
Ciao!
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