One Chicken Three Ways

I love when I can simplify things, make efficient use of ingredients and best of all have three tasty meals while only cooking once! This menu plan was courtesy of the April issue of Everyday Food. I used one whole chicken to make chicken soup, chicken Caesar salad, and a tortilla pie. All were simple and delicious. Better yet, I have several containers of the soup left in my freezer. The magazine had a recipe for an Asian chicken salad but I was in the mood for Caesar so I made my own. I served that Caesar with my goat cheese and tomato tarts. The tortilla pie only took me about ten minutes to prepare and it was delicious. I did have an issue with it falling apart when I first served it hot out of the oven, however, the next day as leftovers, it was firm as shown in the magazine picture. I'm not sure if I should have let it sit before cutting in or made it ahead and allowed it to chill in the refrigerator before reheating. That aside, these recipes will definitely be regulars in our house.

Simple Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves 8

• 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds), giblets and liver discarded
• 1 pound carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 pound parsnips, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
• 4 teaspoons coarse salt
• Cooked wide egg noodles, for serving

1. In a large pot, combine chicken, carrots, parsnips, and onions. Add water to just cover. Stir in salt. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes (skim off foam). Transfer chicken to a plate to cool; refrigerate (see note, below). To serve soup, add noodles to broth, and season with salt, if desired.

To store, pull meat from bones, keeping chicken breasts whole and tearing dark meat into bite-size pieces (discard skin and bones). Refrigerate in separate airtight containers for up to 2 days.

Tortilla Pie

Serves 4

• 12 corn tortillas (6-inch), toasted
• 2 cups cooked, shredded dark-meat chicken
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles
• 1 1/2 cup Green or Red Salsa (I used green)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (6 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In an 8-inch square baking dish, layer 4 tortillas, 1 cup chicken, cup chiles, 1/2 cup salsa, 1/3 cup sour cream, and 1/2 cup cheese; repeat once. Top with remaining tortillas, salsa, sour cream, and cheese. Bake until top is browned and bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes.

Source: Everyday Food, April 2009.

Cheddar Topped Shepherd's Pie

The mere anticipation of a big ice storm sent me into my kitchen for lots of cooking and baking today. So far, no ice yet, but the chilly temperatures and gray skies were the perfect motivation for our dinner this evening. Up until now, I have never eaten or made a shepherd's pie. After trying this one from Everyday Food, I wish I had tried one sooner! This is the perfect comfort food for a bitter cold day. This dish be made ahead and then baked at dinner time. This will definitely be one of my cold weather staples. I made a few changes to the recipe as noted below.

Previous Cold Weather Favorites:
Slow Cooked Tex Mex Chicken and Beans
Spicy Chili
Chicken Andouille Gumbo
Poblano Chicken Chowder

Cheddar Topped Shepherd's Pie

Serves 8

• 2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and thinly sliced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, quartered if large, and thinly sliced
• 6 celery stalks, thinly sliced (omitted)
• 2/3 cup of frozen peas added
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 pounds ground beef chuck
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar (6 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 450. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; bring to a boil, and simmer 1 minute. Set beef filling aside.
3. Drain potatoes; return to pan. Cook over medium, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1 cup cheese. Mash until smooth; season cheddar-potato topping with salt and pepper.
4. Pour beef filling into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Drop dollops of topping over filling; spread to edges with a spatula. Using a fork, make decorative peaks; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes (if topping and filling were chilled, increase to 35 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Note:

Both filling and topping can be made up to a day ahead and refrigerated separately.

Source: Everyday Food

Brown Rice with Andouille, Corn and Red Peppers

We are finally getting organized and into the swing of 2009! This recipe has been in my stack of recipes since having it at my in-laws house several months back. I believe the original recipe came from America's Test Kitchen. Below is the recipe as I have adapted it. Its a great dish for a chilly evening and when paired with a salad makes a complete meal.

Brown Rice with Andouille, Corn and Red Peppers
Serves 4 to 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 oz Andouille sausage, cut into 1/ inch pieces (I actually used about 9 oz of Han's All Natural Spicy Chicken Andouille Sausage purchased at Whole Foods)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped (I used green)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice (I used short grain brown rice)
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped (I used dried)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil and Andouille in Dutch oven over medium heat until Andouille is lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer Andoulle to a paper towel lined plate; set aside. Add onion and cook stirring frequently, until softened and beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Add red pepper and continue to cook until onion and pepper are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Add chicken broth and water; cover and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat, stir in rice, salt and the reserved Andouille sausage. Place double layer of foil over pan and cover with lid. Bake rice for 65 minutes, until tender.

3. Remove pan from oven, uncover and discard foil. Fluff rice with dinner fork. Stir in corn, basil and black pepper; serve passing lemon wedges separately