Every freezer should have this in it, in 2-cup portions! Many, many recipes call for chopped, cooked chicken. So what do most people do? They run to the store and buy a can of chopped, cooked chicken. That gets me to wondering...WHY???? Do you have any idea who expensive that stuff is? Not to mention dry and tasteless. No no no...here's what we're going to do. Make our own!
If you like dark meat, use legs and thighs. If you like white meat, use breast meat. Either way, it's SO much cheaper and tastier than that canned stuff.
Here's what I do - you make your own modifications - throw boneless skinless breasts into a large saucepan or skillet, cover with cold water, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Rinse with cold water when done and cool. Then chop it up and freeze it in 2-cup increments - or more, or less, depending on the recipes you use it in and the size of your family. You will always have a quick dinner on hand!
Tonight I'm assembling all the ingredients for Chicken-a-la King so that Glen can prepare a hot meal for the kids after their soccer practices, since I'll be out. Why order out for pizza, when you have the main ingredients for a simple hot meal in the freezer?
Oh, yea, don't ask me for my Chicken-a-la-King recipe...it's Glen's. He loves to make it, and I let him. ;-)
Other recipes I use this in:
Quick Chicken Curry
Chicken Casserole (a nice substitute for tuna)
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Salad
Chicken Soup
Chicken Stew
I'll bet you can come up with dozens more! Why not leave me a comment and tell me what you do with chopped, cooked chicken?
7 comments:
Thank you so much for letting me know how to make simple chopped cooked chicken. I'm new to the cooking world, and needed some help! Love your site!
Thanks so much! :)
wouldn't that be boiling the chicken? (alittle confused) about the word simmer
Good question! Simmering is that stage before boiling, where the water temp is @ 185-200 degrees F, and the bubbles have not yet broken the surface tension on the water. In other words, it's a lower temperature, and will gently cook the chicken, rendering it more tender than if you boiled it. A rolling boil is great for cooking pasta, but not so great for other things. Does this help?
So how do you defrost it once it is cooked and frozen? Or, how do you cook with it after it has been in the freezer? Thanks! :)
Hi Melissa! I either thaw it in the fridge or in the microwave if I'm in a hurry - then I just add it to my recipes that call for it. Example - adding it to soup or stew. It's already cooked, so it just needs to be reheated. Does this help?
How about mincing uncooked chicken breasts and keeping about 300gm in each plastic bag in the freezer? One then can use them when one needs to. I always do that.
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