Turn Chicken Leftovers into 6 New Meals

. What can be more satisfying than a roasted chicken dinner. In my younger years, I can remember having chicken dinner on Sunday after church, but I never knew why. .After I grew up a bit I found the answer.  People had chicken because sometimes they had company for Sunday dinner, the preacher, and chicken was what they could afford.  It became a mainstay of most families in the olden days because it was so inexpensive to buy.

This is not the case any more. Chicken can get downright costly now but there are still bargains on chicken. Watch the grocery flyers to see when they are on sale.
After you roast that chicken and have half of it to put away, you can pull it out for many other dinners. Not only will it be a quick meal but will also help to make it more reasonable to buy, even when it is not on sale.

Step 1  Roasted chicken salad.  Shred or slice chicken into strips. Place lettuce in bowl along with scallions, celery, croutons, and shredded cheese. Top with the chicken and use a simple vinaigrette dressing.

Step2 Chicken Pasta.  Cook your favorite pasta. While it is cooking make a white sauce (or buy a jar of it), add mushrooms, snow peas and celery. Add the chicken to heat up and serve over the pasta.

Step3 Chicken Nachos.  Arrange tortilla chips on a large platter. Top with lettuce, tomato, onions, salsa, shredded cheese and shredded or chunk chicken. Heat in the microwave just long enough to melt the cheese. Top with a dollop of sour cream.

Step4 Chicken Pizza.  Cut a focaccia bread in half or bake a pizza dough until light brown. Drizzle with olive oil, add chicken, herbs, tomato sauce, onions and black olives. Top with grated parmesan cheese. Broil on low until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Step5 Chicken Stir Fry.   Place sesame oil in wok and add chicken, bok choy, garlic, broccoli, water chestnuts and mushrooms along with a garlic based soy sauce. Heat till veggies are slightly tender. I also add some ginger but do it sparingly. Serve on a bed of chow mien noodles or rice. (I usually use whatever veggies I have on hand)

Step6 Chicken Soup.   Who can't resist chicken soup? Buy the best chicken stock you can find and add chicken chunks, onions, shredded carrots along with rice or noodles. Add a pat of butter to give it that homemade taste.

• Play with the ingredients. Use what you have on hand or what your family likes.
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