Sunday, July 19, 2009

Rubber Chicken, Asian Style

I do a lot of "rubber chicken" meals in the cooler months, roasting a chicken the first of the week and using the leftover meat and stock in future meals that week. Generally, the final meal is a big pot of soup. (Remember, my family consists of 2 adults who are trying to be moderate in our meat intake and 3 toddler/preschoolers who don't eat a large quantity of anything at one sitting; 1 chicken can stretch a way for us!)

In the warmer weather, however, turning my oven on long enough to roast a chicken, then standing over a stockpot that evening, and then making soup later in the week is simply too hot to consider. Enter "Rubber Chicken, Asian Style." Here's the menu:

Meal 1: Chicken Hainan style, made with a whole chicken and lots of water--so there is lots of stock leftover; I also cook lots of rice so I'll have plenty leftover

Meal 2: Fried Rice (begin with extra Ginger-Scallion Sauce from the first meal; add in 4-5 cups rice, 2 eggs, and leftover chicken--that's the basics along with a dash of soy sauce)

Meal 3: Chicken Coconut Soup with Lemongrass (Tom Kha Gai); you might not need as much ginger since you'll be using leftover stock that's already seasoned with ginger; in addition, make sure you save some chicken for this, although you might have less than a pound. This soup is super quick to make, full of summery flavors (lime, coconut, chilies), and is a fun use of leftover chicken! If you don't think your children will eat it, perhaps they can have some leftover fried rice.

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