The famous Mumsnet Chicken - ideas please

[sashh]

So I've been well enough to cook recently so I've said good bye to meals on wheels for a while.

I did an online shop and a while chicken was the same price as a couple of chicken breasts so I bought one. It is huge, about 2.5 Kg and there is just me!

Currently it is in the slow cooker and today's dinner will be chicken with cauliflower cheese, potatoes and carrots. I'll probably have some more with salad tomorrow

I'd like some ideas for what to do with the rest.

In the past I've bought rotisserie chicken and used that for 2 meals and then used the carcass for broth or a stock to make French onion soup.

I have some room in the freezer so I will probably freeze a second portion of tonight's dinner.

Can I make this last a week?

Whole not while.

I make a chicken and veg pie with leftover chicken, you could easily do a single portion one - some mushrooms, leeks, peas etc cooked in a bit of chicken stock or white sauce, add a pastry lid. Something like fajitas are good with leftover chicken - use a ready made spice mix with onions and peppers and add cheese, salsa, pop in a wrap. Stir fry is good too - lots of veggies (again you can buy a mixed pack for one person).

I always buy a big chicken and use for leftovers - chicken and cheese toastie with chilli jam is a favourite lunch in our house.

How lovely that you’re feeling well enough to cook again.

I like the sound of the toastie, I have some onion 'jam' that might make a good substitute for the chilli.

Thank you

My favourite is chow mien with lots of onions and tins of bamboo shoots, bean sprouts.
Don't need much chicken and it's a big enough change from roast.
Chicken stew/soup and sage suet dumplings too.

I usually get a giant chicken and do this sort of thing. After the roast I’ll Cook some in a chicken and leek pie. Then might do a kind of stew with some red peppers and chorizo. Crack chicken. Chicken egg fried rice. Pasta bake. Chicken and cheese quesadillas. Cheesy chicken and cauliflower bake. (Not all of those things from one chicken!).

I also use the carcass to make a bone broth/stock in the slow cooker.

Cut out the breasts and divide into portions then freeze. They can be poached and used for sandwiches&wraps or anything.

Roast the rest (or roast the whole bird) ,strip off the meat and divide into portions. Soups,stews,curries,anything is possible.

Boil up the carcass (everything left including skin and bones) and make chicken stock or soup.

Thanks everyone. I have pastry in the freezer so a pie is on the list.

Peri peri chicken?

We had a roast chicken on Sunday, it was 3kg! 4 of us were eating, it did us all on Sunday, then on Monday ds had another mini roast and dh turned the rest into a chicken bacon Mayo and he and I had paninis with that filling and some avocado.
There was still enough left for me to take to lunch in sandwiches yesterday and today! It’s finally finished, we’ve never before had a chicken last this long.
We eat large portions, many would baulk at how much meat ds can put away, it’s quite staggering. And this chicken has been the gift that kept on giving 😂

Definitely soup - chicken + sweetcorn, cream of chicken, chicken broth, cock-a-leekie...
Or quick and easy jacket potato and chicken? Coronation chicken, chicken mayo, chicken and sweetcorn, chicken apple mayo...
Chicken and broccoli lasagne? Delicious :)

OK it was too warm for a roast yesterday so I just had some chicken with crusty bread and some olives.

It looks like another hot day so I might just portion up and freeze but labeled with some of these suggestions.

@TheChosenTwo Wow You almost did the week.

@FeistySheep Delia has a recipe for chicken lasagne that is really lovely - doesn’t involve broccoli though.

Well the current state of play.

Bones, skin and some left over bits of chicken in the slow cooker making the basis of a soup.

1 large breast kept whole to go in the oven tomorrow and a load more chicken in a Tupperware dish to make into pies or add to pasta.

I buy a fairly large one for just me and dh.
After a roast and cold with salad (usually with a spiced up mayonnaise - curry powder, lemon juice and a little mango chutney added) the rest is stripped and goes in the freezer in small, meal-sized packets.

I add some to stir fries, or egg fried rice. I make stock from the carcass, so some will then go in a main-meal, chunky chicken and vegetable soup.

Some will be added towards the end of a largely vegetable curry, for just long enough to heat through thoroughly. Ditto a Thai style green curry.

Or a chicken, leek and mushroom pie, either with pastry or mash on top.

In cold weather a substantial mulligatawny soup is very nice, and easy.
None of it is ever wasted.