Looking for ways to make the most of your roast chicken leftovers? Give some of these recipes a try...
Whilst we've always been keen advocates for reducing food waste - now more than ever feels like a brilliant time to be learning new ways to make the most of our produce and help it go that little bit further. Even better, if there is a way to do this whilst ensuring we are confident in the welfare and sustainable farming practices used in the process of producing our ingredients!
Organic is at the core of everything we do at River Cottage - this includes the way in which we raise our livestock and source all of our produce, including meat.
"Nature friendly farming systems, like organic, have high animal welfare standards and work with the land, not against it....Organic farmers are required to meet a strict set of standards, ensuring that animals are given space and fresh air and are fed high quality food, not imported soya crops from the Americas. Supporting organic farmers is a great way to do your bit to help protect our planet." - The Soil Association
While undoubtedly organic meat is more expensive, the welfare assurances you get, as well as the superior quality and taste, make this increased price totally worthwhile. If this is hard on the pocket, then we believe that the message to all of us is to eat less of it and be more imaginative in how to make it go further.
With this in mind - Gelf Alderson has created a set of recipes to take one organic chicken through four meals - (with the first being your traditional roast chicken dinner which we have left out of the mix here).
Once you've had your roast dinner and your chicken has been left to cool, remove as much meat as you can from the carcass and save it. The following suggestions will help you use up every last scrap...
"Once the bird has cooled, I find hunting out those juice morsels extremely satisfying, and it always surprises me how much is left nestling agains the bones!" - Gelf Alderson
This first recipe is up there with the best-known salads in the world and it's a great one for using up leftovers.
Taken from Gelf's latest book, River Cottage Great Salads
After making your Ceasar salads, there's plenty of meat left to work with - spelt has a naturally nutty flavour which gives this popular dish a delicious new angle.
And finally, we first experimented with these when Hugh was looking at ways to improve workday lunches. However, the concept works equally well as a fast and very satisfying supper.
Here's Gelf's latest take on this speedy dish. Whilst these can be made meatless, adding in some leftover chicken makes for a delicious addition!
Will you be trying these recipes at home to make your roast chicken go further? We'd love to see what you whip up - share them with us on Instagram and tag @RiverCottageHQ.
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