These recipes originally appeared in the August 2023 issue of HomeLife Magazine.
School your budget with a little prep.
We all feel the pain of rising food costs. Not to mention this month our kiddos are heading back to school, and we’ll need to fork over extra cash for clothes, backpacks, and supplies. It’s not that these are unexpected expenses, but they do tend to bruise the monthly budget. Whenever I’ve needed to stretch my budget, I can usually find room via my grocery allowance. All it takes is a little extra effort, a thrifty mindset, and good planning. But let’s give credit where credit is due: This is the stuff my post-depression grandmothers taught me. “Waste not, want not,” was their credo. So, I’ve put the old adage to the test with a basic ingredient we all love: chicken.
Our process begins with a hot rotisserie chicken, which we will turn into three amazing meals. The first task at hand is to debone the cooked chicken and divide the meat into three containers. You’ll want to save the chicken skin, carcass, and drippings for a simple stock (the base for our healthy and flavorful soup recipe). Make the stock the same day you debone the bird or freeze the remains for a more opportune time.
After you shop, while putting away your groceries, declutter your refrigerator by removing the old flimsy carrots, half-used onions, and spent fresh herbs, and drop them into a zip-lock bag. Then cut the bulb and top leaves off the new celery and place into the bag. As you cook throughout the week, save peels and ends of carrots, parsnips, and so forth. What would normally be thrown away becomes the flavoring for your soon-to-be stock.
To create the stock, add the chicken remains and any drippings to a large crockpot basin, along with the saved contents of your stock bag and eight cups of cool water. Throw in 10 whole peppercorns and a bay leaf. Cover and place the crockpot on high for 4 to 6 hours. When the stock is done, strain the liquid from the spent vegetables and bones using a fine mesh strainer into a stockpot, then transfer the stock into sealed glass jars for storing in the refrigerator. The stock makes about eight cups and keeps for up to two weeks chilled.
If you’re finding yourself with too much month and not enough money this August, join me in schooling your budget. Take the savings and focus on those back-to-school deals.
Chicken Enchiladas
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1-1/2 c. chicken stock
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1/4 tsp. salt
12 corn tortillas
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 c. rotisserie chicken (shredded)
2 c. Mexican blend cheese (shredded)
Sour cream
scallions (thinly sliced )
cilantro (chopped)
Tajin® lime seasoning (optional)
Directions
In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine flour, chili powder, chicken stock, tomato sauce, cumin, onion salt, and salt, whisking together until well combined. Simmer for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened. In a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish, add about a cup of the sauce and spread around to coat the bottom of the dish. In a cast iron skillet, heat pan with a little oil. Lay one tortilla in the pan to heat and brown slightly, then flip and transfer to a flat surface. (This step makes the tortillas easier to bend and seals them for the filling, so they don’t become mushy when baking.) Fill each tortilla as it comes off the skillet with shredded chicken and top with cheese, roll up, and place tortillas in a row in the baking dish seam side down. Continue this process until the baking dish is full. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the finished rolled tortillas and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. When serving, top individual servings with sour cream, sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, and a sprinkle of Tajin® lime seasoning. Serve with your favorite sides, such as seasoned black beans, rice, and salad.
— Tip from Laura
Freeze stock in ice cube trays for use in smaller portions.
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients
8 oz. Orzo pasta
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium carrots (peeled and diced)
3 stalks celery (sliced)
1 medium onion (peeled and diced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
8 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice plus zest
8 oz. rotisserie chicken
5 oz. package of fresh baby spinach leaves
Directions
In a large stockpot, bring water to a boil and then add the pasta. Cook for five to six minutes, drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside. In the same stockpot, add olive oil, diced carrots, celery, and onion. Cook for five to seven minutes. Add garlic and spices, then chicken stock. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in Orzo, lemon juice and the zest, chicken, and fresh spinach. Cook for about five more minutes, or until spinach wilts and vegetables are tender.
Chicken and Rice
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small purple onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1-8 oz package of yellow rice
2 c. chicken stock
1 c. frozen peas
8 oz. rotisserie chicken
Directions
In a Dutch oven over medium high heat, add olive oil, then onion and garlic. Stir for two minutes until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add chicken stock and allow it to come to low boil, then add the rice, giving it a quick stir. Turn heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 20 minutes. Add chicken and frozen peas and cook for another five minutes covered, or until rice is tender and peas and chicken are heated through. Serve with bread and a garden salad.
— Tip from Laura
For extra flavor, purchase Vigo® Saffron Yellow rice. The saffron pairs well with the chicken.
