Even with limp skin, dryish breast, and a carcass too salty for stock, it’s hard to resist a $4.99 protein source my family can stretch throughout the week.
Any minimal-effort ideas for what to do with leftovers? Does cooked (and already seasoned) meat work okay in those “just add raw protein, veg, and coconut milk” cans of Thai curry paste?
Tonight we had success with tacos— I reheated chopped dark and white meat in fat rendered from chicken skin, and added cooking liquid from leftover sautéed mushrooms.
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meatn3
(equal opportunity eater in the NC Triangle)
2
Sure. Just have the sauce and veggies hot and add the chicken at the end. Stir it in and let it cook a few minutes until it is heated to your liking.
Other uses for leftover rotisserie chicken:
Pot pie
Chicken and yellow rice
Chicken salad
Quesadillas
Enchiladas
Stuffed shells
With cream sauce and braised leeks
Sandwiches - cold with avocado and tomato
Pasta salad
I’ll second what everyone else said about uses for the meat, but I’ll just add that we’ve started removing the skin and crisping it in the oven. 350 for 10-15 minutes for the breast skin, 15-20 for the fattier thigh skin (those are very rough time estimates; just keep checking until it’s at the right level of crispness).
Last chicken went to quesadillas, tacos, and burritos. For this week’s chicken, I made stock and, as @Thimes suggested, it made a fine one that wasn’t salty (15 minutes in instant pot with refrigerator scraps and 8 cups water). I’ve set aside all the skin to crisp up later or to use for schmaltz, and the rest of the meat will probably go to chicken salad and more tacos.
I love throwing the old carcass of any market rotisserie bird in for congee! Yum, yum, yum…
If you’re feeling fancy, you can shred some of the meat in there for more texture and to make it more filling.
Love the idea of the chicken skins though. Will have to try that next time. Interestingly, I just read an article about how bad for the chicken farmers and for chicken welfare the Costco roasted birds are. [Sorry in advance for the CNN link – I hate their news website and its hyperactive design]
Oh I should clarify that I don’t dislike them for content – it’s the website design and experience. A million things popping up, videos playing that refuse to let you stop. It’s like a website designed by a 10 year old who has attention-deficit disorder.
Just the two of us but we seem to easily put away a Costco chicken.
First, while unpackaging it, I somehow remove and munch down both wings. I flirt with one of the drumsticks, and probably “get rid of” the tail. Warm roast chicken turns me into Henry VIII.
For our first meal, DH will have half of one breast, sliced thin. Maybe seconds, finishing that half-breast if it’s a smaller breasted bird. He will have a hearty chicken breast sandwich for lunch the next day, while I munch down a leg or two. So now, we’re down to half of one breast and two thighs plus carcass. Will turn into some kind of country meal, like cubed and creamed on top of baked or boiled potato with chopped sweet white onions. Or chicken and homemade noodles, especially if I’ve already put what is now just a carcass on to simmer for a few hours.
Maybe something leftover for lunch.
Chicken gone by the end of the third day. Easy peasy.
About the the too-salty-for-stock: I think that’s true for serious stock, but the carcass can be used to quick-flavor cous-cous water well. Better than canned broth, anyway.
Where I work we make a flatbread made with Costco chicken marinated in pineapple vinegar and jalapeño olive oil, bbq sauce, cheddar + jack cheese, and red onion. It’s won awards.
Great idea, and a plus is that it’ll get more vegetables into our kid! We always keep flour and corn tortillas in the freezer, so I’m excited to try that next time.
This week’s chicken went to red curry; chicken fat rice made from leftover rice; tacos; some chicken salad; an omelette filled with chicken fat rice, chicken pieces, and some veggie; and the carcass made stock I’m keeping for congee.
Ha, no bastillas in our near future, but I’ll extend an invitation when we feel ambitious
It’s also two of us here. We do have these sold in some of the bigger and higher end supermarkets in Singapore as well, either at S$4.90 (~US$3.50) or $6.90 (~US$4.95).
Sounds like a good idea to get one at times, saves more time. I usually get and cook chicken fillets myself, then shred them for salads, porridges and clear soups (with homemade broth from cooking the fillets). Probably not those black pepper ones - they aren’t our favorites. But do I just freeze it? Should I get the staff to cut or leave it as a whole?
