But what is really great is how much you can do with them, especially when you feel like taking short cuts with dinner. You can just serve it with sides and call it good. Mmm, rotisserie chicken dinner!
But I've also started using the meat in any dish that calls for cooked chicken meat. Lunch on Sunday was lettuce chicken wraps. We used romaine leaves and filled them with shredded chicken, avocado, chopped mixed nuts, and onion. But really, you can use anything - sprouts, pickles, other veggies, and any dressing you want. It is a dinner you can make in about 15 minutes.
I also routinely make chicken salad with the breasts. Maggie and Tim tend to eat up the thighs and legs, so the less popular white meat is repurposed in a tastier fashion. I generally mix chopped onion, chopped red pepper (or yellow or orange,) halved grapes, chopped mixed nuts, chicken, salt, and mayonnaise. Plus just a pinch of cayenne pepper to give it a little boost.
But this chicken is the $4.97 that keeps giving. When you get home, the plastic container always has juices that have run off the chicken. Don't throw this tastiness away! Drain it into a container and use it later to steam green beans. As it cooks them, it reduces down into an awesome sauce. Add a little butter and salt and you have great green beans.
And there is just one more bit of goodness left. After you have picked all the meat off the bones, you can use the chicken carcass to make some stock. Just put it in a dutch oven, covered in water. Add onions, garlic, carrots, and thyme (if you have it.) Let it cook at a bare simmer for a few hours then drain off the solids. You're left with stock that is an excellent base for any soup.
Easy and inexpensive, two of my favorite things in food!
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