The Great Chicken Challenge

At the beginning of last week I cooked a roast chicken, and lived off it for the rest of the week.   It was fantastic, as I felt that not only was I saving lots of money on weekday suppers, but also it meant I had a cooking challenge for every evening, which was hugely therapeutic after inevitably long days at work.   So, I have done it again, and decided to blog about the different recipes/meals I have created.   Enjoy!  

Roast Chicken:
I like my roast chicken quite simple.   People use lots of different ingredients to flavour the meat, but I quite like it erring on the side of plain.   I do, however, always place the chicken on a bed of roughly chopped onions as, at the end, they produce dark, gooey gunk which turns into the most delicious gravy when mixed with water (no need for gravy granules here).   For this chicken I had a hankering for a lemon flavour so I stuffed the cavity with lemon wedges, after having rubbed one of the lemon wedges onto the breast and legs to aid moisture and flavour.   The whole thing was topped with olive oil and salt and put into the oven at Gas Mark 7.  

Chicken Stock:
I was particularly proud of the chicken stock I made as it was the first time I had created it (tending to throw the carcass into the bin, shock horror!)   After boiling the carcass for two hours, I sieved the juices into a jug and popped it into the fridge.   I was pleased with the beautiful deep yellow-ochre jelly that was covered with a thick, white layer of fat (my mum knowledgeably informs me that this is the best type of stock).


Below: The boiled up bones all mushed up from squeezing every last drop of stock from them!

Below:   The stock made from same bones

Brown rice risotto:
I used the stock to make a simple, very rich risotto of brown rice, with lemon juice and parsley sprinkled on top.   I usually like to grate cheese on top of risottos, but I didn't need to due to the fantastic quality of the stock.   I decided to use brown rice as I enjoy the nutty flavour (and the feeling of self-righteousness when not eating white carbs).   It must be noted, however, that it did take a lot longer than normal risotto rice does, and the texture was slightly more al dente, but it suited me fine.    


Chicken pizza:
I used a very quick pizza dough recipe, taken from http://www.greatpizzarecipes.com/Pizza-Recipes/pizza-dough/quick-pizza-dough-recipe.php although I adapted it using brown flour.


Below: Me spreading the dough into my pizza base tin.  

I topped my pizza dough with plain chopped tomatoes mixed with tomato ketchup (this is all I had, ideally I would have used some sort of Pesata), with a selection of left over antipasti, including green and black olives, sun dried tomatoes and mini mozzarella balls.   I sprinkled the garlicky, herby oil from the antipasti over the top, to give it more flavour.   And then, the piece de resistance was some torn chicken breast, taken from the roast chicken, of course, on top.   I didn't have any other type of cheese, but if I had had some Cheddar I may well have grated that on top too.  


Below: The uncooked pizza ready for the oven.

Packed lunch:
I packed a nutritious and delicious lunch of chicken drumstick and thigh, iceberg lettuce, tomato, a lemon wedge and a dollop of mayo.   It all fitted neatly in a left over takeaway tub, and was perfect for a quick work-day lunch.

Chicken and avocado salad:
I felt like having a salad, so this is what I produced: iceberg lettuce, avocado, chicken with an olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon dressing.   Simple.

A side note:
If trying to make lots of meals from one chicken, I would suggest you buy the best quality one available to you.   Mine was a Sainsbury's, free range, Taste The Difference one.   I have roasted chickens and used the meat for other meals in the past using 'own brand' chickens, but the tasteless, flabby meat really put me off, so I have tended to go for the better quality version, for only about two pounds more.