When I’m in a tight dinner spot, there is nothing I love more than a rotisserie chicken.  It doesn’t get much easier than a popping into the grocery store, grabbing a chicken, a box of greens, and whatever salad fix in’s you desire.  Go home, throw your greens and veggies into the bowl, grabs a few hunks of chicken meat, and voila…dinner is done in less than 10 minutes.  And as an added bonus, if you repeat this process, you’ve just packed yourself a great lunch for the next day.

But what happens when you just can’t take another bite of salad topped with rotisserie chicken?

Here are 2 of my favorite things to do with my leftover rotisserie chicken:

Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• Chicken meat
• Mayonnaise
• Curry Paste – I like curry paste better than power because the taste is less harsh.  Find it in the Ethnic Foods section of the grocery store.
• Optional add ins – raisins, apples, grapes, walnuts

Instructions:

1. Pick the chicken – yes that mean even the littlest bits of meat…we want every morsel – and put the meat into a bowl.
2. Shred the meat with your hands or chop into small bits using a knife.
3. Add enough mayonnaise to moisten chicken.
4. Add curry paste to taste and blend well.
5. Add in any or all of the following optional ingredients to your liking: apples (cubed), raisins, grapes (halved), walnuts (chopped)

Chicken Stock 

Ingredients:

• Chicken bones
• Water
• Stock spices (thyme, bay leaves, parsley)
• Mirepiox (rough chop carrots, celery, and onions)
• 2 T vinegar (this will help leach valuable minerals like calcium from the bones as they simmer)

Instructions:

1. Place the bones and spices in a pot.
2. Cover bones with COLD water.
3. Add 2 T of vinegar.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer covered on low for several hours until stock reaches the desired flavor richness.
5. Strain stock from the bones, spices and vegetables before using.

Want to make stock during the week but aren’t going to be home?  Use the LOW setting on your crockpot!  Just be sure to have plenty of water!

Use your stock to make a hearty chicken and vegetable soup or as the base for this seasonal soup favorite.

Enjoy!