BROTH
When your turkey comes out of the oven, drain all that wonderful broth off and let it cool slightly. You can then freeze it for use just like the stuff you buy in the cans at the store. If your poultry has a lot of fat on it, cool the broth in the fridge until the fat rises to the top and scrape it off before freezing. If you really like using everything, that fat can be used in cooking that requires a little fat- in recipes that can take chicken flavor (i.e. don’t use it cookies or other desserts, silly)- keep it in the fridge or freezer though. I give the fat from my broth to the dog and cats- they love it!
Freezing the meat
Leftover chicken and turkey can be frozen for later use. I sometimes will freeze a whole turkey breast or will cut up the leftovers into bite size pieces. Freeze this cooked meat with a little broth to keep it moist.
Broth from bones
Once you have “gleaned” all the meat off the bones you can make even more broth by boiling the bones and skin. Place the bones and skin in a large stock pot and put enough water to cover about half. Add salt, pepper, a carrot, onion, celery stalk- if you have them. Bring this mixture to a boil covered. Leave it covered and turn down to a simmer and let it simmer for 3 hours or so. Let it cool slightly and strain the liquid. Cheese cloth works good but if you don’t have any, just use your strainer. After you strain, let the broth sit for a while in the fridge. The fat will rise to the top and the little bits of stuff that make the broth cloudy will fall to the bottom. A good broth will set up like jello in the fridge and this makes it even easier to separate!
Turkey or chicken noodle soup
4 c. broth
1 c. turkey or chicken bits- already cooked
any combination of carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, peas, corn, cabbage, green beans, etc
a handful of fine egg noodles, broken spagetti noodles, or the like or a half handful of rice
If your veggies are raw, saute them in a small amount of butter and/or broth until crisp tender. Combine other ingredients except pasta and bring to boil. Add pasta and simmer,covered until soft.
If you don’t have enough broth, you can add tomato juice or tomatoes for a tomato based chicken soup or you can add milk for a cream soup. If using milk, you may want to thicken it slightly. (1-2 tbl corn starch stirred into 1/4 c. of the milk- add to soup and bring to boil stirring) You can thicken this even more and serve over biscuits or toast. May also add a dash of lemon juice or celery seed for extra flavor.
Chicken and Biscuits
See recipe above or:
1 c. chicken or turkey bites- already cooked
1-2 c. broth
2 tbl butter
2 tbl cornstarch
Melt butter in med. sauce pan. Stir in corn starch to make a paste. Slowly add broth, stirring well to incorporate (may need to use a wisk). Cook on med-low, stirring until mixture thickens. Add chicken and heat through. Serve on favorite biscuits or toast.
For a one dish meal, add a half bag of frozen or whole can of mixed vegetables. ( frozen ones will need to be cooked thoroughly first)
Hot chicken sandwiches
2 c. chicken or turkey shredded or cut up bite size (already cooked)
1/2 -1 c. broth
Combine in saucepan and heat on low until hot. If it’s a little too soupy or if you want it to stretch a little further, add some crushed up saltines or butter crackers (Ritz are excellent). Some people also add a little mayonnaise.
Chicken and Rice dish
Use broth in place of water to make rice. Before bringing it to the boil, add an appropriate amount of chicken or turkey and cook it all together. If you have pre-cooked rice, saute it all in a frying pan. Serve with cheese or soy sauce. You can also add any veggies that you like. If you like creamy casseroles, stir in an undiluted can of cream of celery, chicken, or mushroom soup. Add milk to make it the right consistancy and heat through.
