The
price of meat has become outrageous. Fortunately
there are still some bargains to be had if I look around and shop wisely. Even still, once I get home with a great buy
I need to use it to its fullest potential and chicken is great budget
stretcher.
The
other day when I got home from shopping I had two family packs of chicken parts
I had purchased for less than $5 each.
The pack of thighs I divided in half and repackaged for the freezer. I plan to get at least two meals a piece from
both of those packages. We are not
afraid of leftovers in this house. In
fact, we welcome them. J
From
the second package I removed the two breast halves and repackaged them for the
freezer. Then I took the three remaining
leg quarters and put them in the slow cooker with half a large onion, three
carrots and three stalks of celery. I
cooked them down and used the chicken to make chicken enchiladas. I made a big enough pan of enchiladas for two
meals.
After
pulling most of the meat off the bones I returned the bones, with quite a bit
of meat still on, to the slow cooker along with two quarts of water. After a few hours I removed the spent bones
and veggies and allowed the broth to cool.
Once transferred to a big bowl I put it into the refrigerator and allowed
it to sit overnight.
The
next day I removed the bowl and was easily able to skim the fat off the top of
the broth. It had all risen to the top
and was semi firm. I usually use a fork
to remove the layer of fat. As you can
see I got quite a bit removed. No point in
adding that to our diet. Notice I do not
add salt to my broth. Instead I add salt
later when I use it in my recipes.
I
put the broth into three 2 cup and one 1 cup freezer containers. After marking them with a Sharpie with the
name and date I put them into the freezer for later use. I plan to make soup and use some of it in
other recipes.
Not
only did I manage to make a nice pan of enchiladas for Sunday supper but the
veggies and bones served up double duty and became the main ingredients again
to make a nice sized pot of flavorful broth that will be used for several more
meals. Maximum use of three chicken
hindquarters, don't you think?
I
love having good homemade broth on hand.
Do you make your own broth?
You
may also enjoy revisiting this old post.
Way to stretch the chicken, girl! Nice!
ReplyDeleteNext time I roast a chicken I am going to take the skin and bones like you did and stick them in the crockpot with water to make broth. I usually make my own broth by boiling chicken on the stovetop, which always gets used immediately for chicken soup. But of course it sounds so much easier just sticking it in the crockpot, plus it sounds like you get a lot more mileage out of the bones and skin that way- and I am thinking the veggies give it that extra oomph for flavor.
I usually don't freeze broth- I just never thought to do it but if I make extra broth I would have it to freeze. I really like freezing things. My chest freezer is one of my favorite appliances ever. If it were up to me I think I would add a whole room onto my house and line it all the way across two or three sides just with chest freezers- Ha! One would be for meat, one for veggies, one for cooked freezer meals, one for ice cream.... you get the idea. ;)
A freezer just for ice cream! Now you are talking. I love my freezer too. How about a big walk in pantry? That is on my wish list. I've done broth on the stove and I think mine turns out better when I cook it slow. The veggies definitely make all the difference. :) Save your wings next time you roast a turkey and make broth with them. Best ever!
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