Using chicken that's been cooked for stock
Hello Eaters!
Yesterday I bought a whole whack of skinless chicken backs to simmer up a pot of chicken stock for the freezer. The stock turned out beautifully,(I roasted the chicken and veggies before I simmered) but I noticed that there was actually a considerable amount of meat, including the delectable 'oysters' left on the chicken bones. I've stripped all of the meat, but now I'm wondering what to do with it. I'm a bit 'chicken soup'ed out...we've had it rather frequently in the last few weeks.
Here's the thing...it's a bit...mushy. The flavour is good, but it doesn't have the sort of structural fortitude you expect from even shredded chicken. I'm wondering how best to serve it. I was thinking of throwing it in the freezer to experiment with it as a pizza topping. I was also thinking of making some stuffed pasta this weekend. I am wondering what application would be good so as not to waste the meat but also not depend on it to be the 'star' of the show.
Any ideas brave eaters?
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19 Comments:
My mother used to make her stock and then use the chicken meat for chicken salad sandwichs that she served along with the soup itself, soo soooooo good. She would chill the chicken pieces, then add mayo and green onions and spices, chill some more, then serve on these wonderful German buns open faced along with the chicken soup, see her soup was the broth along with veggies and egg noodles, so it went hand in hand.
pjracz10 at 10:55AM on 03/03/09
Use could probably use it very happily for chicken pot pies.
simon at 10:57AM on 03/03/09
Kudos for trying to save all that meat. And me, I would've scooped out those oysters LONG before now, sprinkled with a little sea salt, and downed 'em!
Since a lot of the flavor and, as you noted, texture has been cooked out of the meat, you'll need to try to put it back in, if you use it. The thing that comes to mind is some sort of meat patty or croquette, mixed with seasonings (maybe other meats, like bacon or ham) and binders, then pan or even deep fried. You could look up existing recipes for say, ham croquettes or even crab cakes to give you some idea of ingredients and ratios.
You could even try some sort of ethnic-inspired (mexican, asian) "taco" or wrap, experimenting with different condiments and seasonings.
Good luck! Let us know what you do, and how it turns out.
hungryinhouston at 10:58AM on 03/03/09
Jambalaya, and you can use some of your stock to cook the rice.
smokey07 at 11:03AM on 03/03/09
@hungryinhouston--I did consider just making a gluttonous meal of chicken oysters and seasoned salt on crackers...but there were 16 backs...that's 32 oysters. That would be decadent even for me! The croquette idea is interesting! BUt you're right, I think something pork-y would help things along.
BananaMonkey at 11:15AM on 03/03/09
I always save the meat from chix stock. It's horribly wasteful to chuck it in the can. My method of stock is to simmer the chix no more than 1.5 hours with the meat still on the bone. After that time, I remove the meat from the bones and reserve the meat. I return the bones to the stockpot but not until I whack through them with a cleaver to expose the most marrow.
Pot pies and chicken salad sound good but I'd do enchiladas or soft chicken tacos.
Bananamonkey's idea isn't half bad either! :D
therealchiffonade at 11:24AM on 03/03/09
How about potstickers or filled pasta like canneloni or ravioli? The texture is not so much an issue in those instances.
Cary at 12:45PM on 03/03/09
I'd go for mexican tortilla wraps with loads of roasted peppers, onions and spices in, you'll never notice the texture of the meat when its all rolled together
paynter at 1:13PM on 03/03/09
creamed chicken made with the stock, over hot buttered buttermilk biscuits.
ChelleyD01 at 2:22PM on 03/03/09
Those who critique food can be so heartless when describing chicken: "dry, tasteless, mushy, rubber, stringy..." So I'm a little surprised that so many fellow posters advocate using chicken that's been in a stock pot. Restaurants throw it out. I would recommend giving it to the pets, but not using it for anything else. I mean, is there really any flavor, much less nutrition, left after boiling for hours?
shaogo at 2:25PM on 03/03/09
All the suggestions people have are great! You might also consider adding it to burritos (lots of cheese, rice, beans and salsa would probably cover up the texture) or tamales.
Could you make a deviled chicken spread by blitzing it with sour cream, mayo, paprika, mustard and scallions? That might be tasty and would solve the texture issue.
Amandarama at 2:44PM on 03/03/09
@shaogo
It is, as I wrote, still quite tasty. And it's not breast meat, which is on it's own quite flavourless. In fact the oysters and the dark meat along the backbone, IMO, are the tastiest bit of the chicken. I would assume that restaurants throw it out because restaurants are held to a different standard of visual appeal with regards to their food and different standards of what cuts of meat are acceptable to the mainstream. True, these chicken bits aren't as visually appealing as the planks of breast or whole pieces of chicken you would expect to eat at a restaurant--it's hard to create a widely accepted (and scalable) menu item containing such random bits of meat, but that doesn't preclude its 'usability'. The only critic I have to satisfy is myself.
BTW, boiled chicken does not lose any nutritional value. http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/54876
BananaMonkey at 2:50PM on 03/03/09
Make chicken pot pie with some madras curry thrown in. I use enough that you can taste it but not so much that it is crazy spicy like some curries. And it's a great way to liven up the pie if the chicken isn't so exciting.
I also sometimes skip the "pie" part of it altogether and serve it over rice or biscuits.
Great to see a discussion of some serious frugal cooking techniques.
swampyankee at 3:14PM on 03/03/09
empanadas with cilantro, jalapenos, and some manchego cheese. Yum!
Ezzie at 3:20PM on 03/03/09
swampyankee--that sounds fantastic! Madrasi style curry blends are what I grew up eating, so that could add to the homey feel.
Ezzie-this could be my excuse to try manchego.
Burritos or something wrappy or some sort of pot pie application seem to be the fan favorites!
BananaMonkey at 3:47PM on 03/03/09
Two things I do:
Chicken salad and pulled chicken with bbq sauce.
Ribster at 8:20PM on 03/03/09
@Bananamonkey:
I stand corrected. I've made stock with chicken backs but have thrown them out. Next time I'll "harvest" those 'oysters' and cream them with some peas and pearl onions!
Thanks for pointing out the info you did.
shaogo at 9:26PM on 03/04/09
ooooo thanks for starting this thread. i just made a ton of stock in my 20 quart stock pot and picked the meat off the 2 whole chickens. some of it went into a pot of soup i made right away and i froze the rest. now, thanks to you all i know i'm making some awesome chicken pot pies with it. i have 2 questions if you want to help. 1 where do you think i can get some individual serving size pie pans? I want to make small pot pies, not one big one. and question 2 would you cook the bottom crust some first before filling? I really want a bottom crust, too. (ok,lets just admit i want to make a 'better' homemade version of the ones we had as kids, back in the 60's/70's
nightmoon at 1:00AM on 03/05/09
p.s. sorry i forgot, the butcher called and has those 15 lbs of beef bones for me to pick up tomorrow so i can make beef stock. i love making stocks!!!
nightmoon at 1:02AM on 03/05/09