Oh, how I love Costco’s rotisserie chicken. I mean it. I never get over how far that little $4.99 chicken will stretch. Here’s what I did with it this week:
I should have taken a picture before I started carving away … next time!
First, I remove the drumsticks and wings, because at some point in the week, someone is going to reach in there and grab one of those. Then I carve slices for sandwiches.
Here’s what I got from that one little chicken … minus, of course, the few bites we (Dave and I) had to have.
Next, I put all the un-carvable parts in my crock pot along with a whole onion, a handful of carrots, some celery, and enough water to cover all. This simmered for … mmm … maybe six hours. I wanted a LOT of soup, so after straining the broth into my soup kettle, I added one box (4 cups) of chicken broth, salt and pepper, some Italian seasoning, fresh rosemary, a little chicken bouillon, and a couple of chopped up potatoes and carrots. I cooked this on a full boil until the vegetables were almost ready, then added a bag of radiatori pasta, which is shaped like little radiators. You could also use fusilli, penne, or spirulini pasta. Actually, you can use any old pasta you want … who’s going to stop you? 🙂
And THEN! As if it wasn’t enough to get slices for sandwiches and bites for snacking and broth for soup … I was getting ready to throw out the chicken container when it occurred to me that it would make a great seedling greenhouse. I still had my bag of potting soil and peat cups in the catch-all closet under our stairs, so I grabbed four of the bigger pots and discovered they fit perfectly. Or I could fill the tray with …
These tiny little “just add water” pods. I only have eight left from last spring, but I’ll be getting more.
How’s that for stretching a chicken?
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That is pretty awesome! Especially like the chicken stock…and greenhouse ideas 😀
Do you really put the onion in without peeling it first?
Hi Karen!
Yes, I really do put it in unpeeled, but only if I’m making broth. I strain out all the vegetables when it’s ready and then add fresh veggies for soup.
I have a parsnip scrubbed, cut in a couple pieces, celery, washed with leaves still it..2 med. carrots..scrubbed and cut in several pieces..2 or 3 sprigs of parsley, 2 onions, skin on, quartered with cloves ‘dotted’ on each quarter..usually, 2 cloves on each quarter, a leek, white part and several inches of green..split open lengthwise and washed out..3 cloves of garlic, skin on..2 bay leaves, and spices to taste and chicken parts of course..for my stock..yummy mummy 😀 And for veggie stock…roasted veggies with olive oil..be sure to get alllllll the bits..and add water..really goooood…Hope you don’t mind me adding my ‘voice’ 😀
I don’t mind a bit, Anita! 🙂 Sounds like that’s going to be delicious.