Day 2: Stretching the dollar... re-using ingredients and a crock pot

Day 2: Tuesday

Crock pot chicken stock into wonton soup (or other favorite) and Chinese chicken salad

There are a number of ways you can make chicken broth, but here are two recipes that I found and liked...

The Alton Brown Way (leeks can be substituted for green onions)
The Barefoot Contessa way

Be sure to check what ingredients you have first and then decide which recipe to use. I've even heard that you can get more out of your broth if you brown the vegetables by sauteing them first before adding it to the liquid, but haven't tried that for myself yet. I usually just take the Barefoot Contessa's recipe and adjust it to my own family's taste (leaving out the parsnips dill and parsley). Depending on how many chickens I have I also adjust the recipe so that it's proportionate to what actually have (cutting it in thirds).

You can also collect the bones from drumsticks, wings and breast with ribs over time and freeze them until you've collected enough bones to equal 3 chickens of you don't want to do roasting chickens.

Chicken Stock (Crock-pot)

• 3 (5-pound) roasting chicken bones
• 3 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered
• 6 carrots, unpeeled and halved
• 4 stalks celery with leaves, cut into thirds
• 15 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2-4 cloves of garlic, smashed
  
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

Place the bones, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, thyme, garlic, and seasonings in a 16 to 20-quart crock-pot (If you don't have a large crock pot try cutting the recipe in thirds). Add 7 quarts of water and cook on low for 6-8 hrs. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and discard the solids. Use desired amount for soup and chill the remainder overnight. The next day, remove the surface fat. Use immediately or pack in containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

Now that we have the chicken stock, we can now put together our favorite soup quickly. There are a number of recipes to choose from, but since I felt like making an Asian dish I decided to make Wonton soup and a Chinese chicken salad to use up the left over chicken we had from last night.

Wonton Soup

• 4 cups chicken stock (more or less if desired)
  
• 1/2 cup egg noodles or 10 wonton nodles
  
• Left over chicken
  
• handful of snow/snap peas
  
• leftover broccoli
• 1/2 can baby corn
• 1/2 can water chestnuts

In a sauce pan on medium heat put chicken stock and egg noodles/wontons. When noodles soften put remaining ingredients in soup. Serve immediately.

(This recipe doesn't store well in the fridge because noodles get too soggy and veggies too floppy, so make just enough for your family and/or guests).

Chinese Chicken Salad

• I head of green/red leaf lettuce
  
• handful of snow/snap peas
  
• remainder of leftover chicken
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 2 carrots peeled and cut in match sticks
  
• 1 can or 2 fresh mandarin oranges
• ginger sesame dressing

Wash and cut lettuce, put in salad spinner if you have it. Combine peas, chicken, carrots, cashews and oranges in bowl with lettuce and either toss with dressing or serve on the side.