Thanks Crystal for the timely reminder of this great meal idea.

"Rubber Chicken"- How to Make One Chicken Last for Three Meals

First Day- Roast the chicken in water (2-3 inches) with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Serve some of the meat with mashed potatoes or something else very filling. Save leftover chicken and water from roasting (that's your soup base) and chicken carcass.

Second Day- Take leftover chicken, cut up into bitesize pieces, and saute 1 onion and 2 stalks of celery (tops and all- the leaves add more flavor). Take all of this and put it in a crockpot. Add uncooked rice (However many cups you think you'll need- we use 2 c. uncooked- you want plenty so that you have leftovers.) and add as much water that the rice package calls for. Add salt, pepper, garlic- and any other seasoning that you like. Cook on High for 4 hrs- this works well for Sunday lunch or dinner. Save all the leftovers.

Also, you could take the leftover chicken and rice and add other things: To go Cajun, add some sausage and beans and more cooked rice and spices. To go Mexican, add beans, corn and spices and serve with tortillas, sour cream, avocado, lettuce, cheese etc. Or try something Asian, add veggies, water chestnuts, soy sauce.

Third Day- Skim the cold hard fat off the stock. Heat up the stock in a large pot. Add the chicken carcass and more of water- enough to make stock for your soup. Boil for a couple of hours. Cool a bit and strain the stock and replace the stock into your pot. Add any meat left on the carcass and the leftover chicken and rice to the stock. You may want to add more sauteed onions, celery, carrots, etc. You could also add more veggies or boullion for flavor. Be creative- it takes a time or two to get the feel of it. Serve this with a loaf of french bread or some homemade rolls- and you have a really good meal. (if you have no rice and chicken left you could add a packet of noodles and have chicken-noodle soup)

| Rachel | Tuesday, August 02, 2005 | |