The other day my mother and I bottled chicken. It was easy, actually fun, and very fulfilling. (I suggest you go learn how. Find someone with a pressure canner and learn how to do this. Facebook is a great place to find needed tools.)
So then came the challenge to use the canned chicken. I don't have much experience with it cause it is so blasted expensive. (Reason #1 to bottle it yourself. It's the cost of the chicken, and the cost of the jars, but the jars are reusable. Reason #2: Three ingredients go into your bottled chicken: chicken, salt, water. You can pronounce everything in there.)
The other night I took my first can of chicken and popped it open. I was rushed and I didn't have a plan, much less a recipe. I cooked up some couscous and mixed it with the chicken. (Bottled chicken is just like canned chicken--already cooked.) Then I searched my fridge and found that I only had expired Italian dressing. So much for my idea of a couscous salad. That night my son and I were the only ones who ate it. And it was pretty bad.
I put the left-overs away and mourned the loss of one bottle of chicken.
Somewhere in the middle of the chaos of life inspiration hit!!!
I added mayo and wA-La!!! Couscous Chicken Salad. It was sooo good. And it is a great base to add other flavors.
So here you go:
1/2 cup couscous
1/2 pint jar chicken
mayo to taste
optional add ins:
celery
cashews
ranch dressing (just a dollop)
crushed, drained pineapple
apple
pear
grapes
curry powder
etc.
Drain your chicken into measuring cup. Add enough water to meet directions on box. (Usually it is a one to one ratio, couscous to water.) Cook per directions. COOL, very important. Warm mayo is nasty.
Add in other ingredients. Now you will have a grain heavy chicken salad. It makes the chicken go a little further, looks cool (sorry no pics--we ate it up too fast), and is different. We ate it up on club crackers. Yummy (and more children ate this than the original--hubby being at work at the time).
So, after all that, what are your favorite canned chicken recipes??? I need to use up all of this so I can do it again. :) And if you make it, share your variations.
Next I want to try canning my own chili. All commercial chili has ingredients my son is allergic to. I promise I'll share when I try it.
Chalkboard signs~
10 years ago
3 comments:
The easiest is pour the chicken in the pan juice and all. Pour bar-b-que sauce on top stir around and with in three min you have bar-b-que chicken that tastes like it has been cooking all day long.
Oooh that sounds so good. I'm trying it either tonight (if I can't talk Steve into a Chili's night) or next week.
Coconut curry chicken
Drain chicken put in skillet and shred on medium high
Add 3 heaping tablespoons of green curry
Cook for three minutes while you open your coconut milk can
And pop a cheap bag of mixed vegetables in the microwave fo r 3 minutes
Dump the coconut milk and veggies in the pan and simmer for as long
As it takes to make a batch of sticky rice
Go check your Facebook or play with your kids on the trampoline and whalla
You're done! Yummo "make your own take out!!"
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