Meal prepping

I'm going to poach chicken next.

First up are these 3 Ingredient Tacos (a deceptive name, as this does not include spices: Salt, Garlic Powder, Smoked Paprika, Red Crushed Pepper, Oregano)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuPwzhVSiDU&t=343s

I don't freeze them like he does - I make them as we eat them, and add lettuce and sour cream. We prefer wheat tortillas to corn.

whoami67 wrote: »

You can brine your chicken breasts: mix 2 cups water, 1/8 cup each sugar and salt. Heat the water to dissolve the sugar/salt. Cool the liquid. Soak a pound of chicken in the liquid in the refrigerator for 12 hours before draining and cooking the meat (bake, saute, grill, etc). You can add any herbs you want to the brining water. And you'll likely find different ratios of water, sugar, salt in different online brining recipes.

What about not draining and poaching in the brining water?

We have a household of two, so when we roast a chicken it lasts several days with the leftovers.

Day 1. Roast chicken. I spatchcock (cut along one side of the spine, then flatten the chicken skin side up by pressing firmly down on the breast bone). Cooking in this position means that legs and breasts are done at the same time because a coventional oven is hotter around the perimeter (where the legs are) than in the centre (where the breasts are). Concentrate on eating bony bits like wings, backbone and drumsticks as leftover thighs and breasts are easier to deal with.

For the leftovers to prevent the chicken going dry, I either make salads or soups. Here are some particularly easy ways to use up the leftover roast chicken.

Day 2. Vaguely Mexican chicken salad. Chop up an avocado and handful of fresh coriander. Toss chopped chicken meat with it and add jar of ready made salsa. Have this in a wrap or tortilla shell.

Day 3. Avgolemono. This is a tasty easy soup that does not require having chicken stock on hand. Boil a handful of rice in 2 or 3 cups of water. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon. Toss in some chopped chicken to warm through once the rice is cooked. Beat two eggs in a bowl, then temper by whisking in a half cup of hot soup. When the egg mixture is loose, turn down the heat and stir in the egg mixture to thicken the soup. Season with salt and plenty of pepper. Serve with a greek salad.

Day 4. Coronation chicken. This is a filling for sandwiches. Toss chopped chicken in a combination of mayo and yoghurt (yoghurt reduces the amount of mayo needed and thus calories), add a few raisins, a little mango chutney and a generous sprinkle of curry powder. Season to taste.

I buy the Tyson farm refrigerated chicken strips. I will eat them cold or, if I’m feeling fancy, I will sauté them. I’ll get the family size and it will usually last me the week.

Bump

Roast chicken.
Toss chicken legs or thighs (they don't dry out as bad) in oil. Season. Put on a parchment lined cookie sheet in a preheated 450 oven 40ish minutes, turning once after about 20 minutes.
Store leftovers in a tightly covered dish or in ziploc bags to keep them from getting dry.
You can bake potatoes or sweet potatoes, roast veggies at the same time.