Recipes For Leftover Chicken:

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons butter

2 pounds ground chicken

2 pounds cooked chicken breast, diced

2 16-ounce cans diced, seasoned tomatoes

1 cup tomato sauce

1 cup tomato salsa

1 bottle dark beer

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons ancho chili powder

1 tablespoon hot chili powder (to taste)

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon crystals

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon savory

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

Freshly ground black pepper

2 16-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained

shredded cheddar cheese and chopped onions for topping

In a large stockpot, sauté onion and garlic in butter until transparent. Add ground chicken and brown for several minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in diced chicken breast and heat through. Add remaining ingredients except beans and toppings to pot. Stir well. Simmer covered on low heat for three hours, or cook in a crockpot on high heat for at least four hours. Stir often to blend flavors. After three hours, add the drained beans and stir. Cook 30 minutes longer and serve topped with shredded cheese and chopped onions.

Hint for leftover chili: Add two cups of chili and two cups of tortillas (cut into strips) to six cups of chicken broth. Simmer until hot. Adjust seasonings as necessary and serve with freshly made jalapeño cheddar biscuits and a green salad.

Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 onion, diced

1 teaspoon fresh Italian parsley, minced

1 teaspoon tarragon (optional)

1 bay leaf

3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 ½–2 quarts chicken stock

8 ounces broad egg noodles

1 teaspoon salt (to taste)

freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

In a large stockpot, melt butter. Over medium-high heat, sauté carrots, celery and onion until tender, about 7 minutes. Add seasonings and chicken, and cook until heated through. Add chicken stock, salt and pepper. Simmer covered for one hour on medium heat. Add egg noodles and bring soup to a boil. Cook for approximately 10 minutes until noodles are tender. The starch from the noodles will lightly thicken the soup. Adjust seasonings to taste. Remove bay leaf and serve.

For leftovers: Use this soup as a base for chicken pot pie. Drain most of broth from 2 cups of soup and add 1 cup half and half to chicken and vegetables. Heat mixture in saucepan. (Use a flour-butter mixture to thicken pot pie sauce if necessary: melt 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan, then stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons flour and whisk until smooth paste.) Fit a pie pan with your favorite piecrust, spoon in filling, top with second piecrust and seal edges. Cut vent holes in the top. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 45 minutes until golden and bubbly.