'Emergency chicken' a quick meal solution for busy moms

Tag : celery

Genius!
I added "rotisserie deli chicken" to the grocery list and haven'tlooked back. I'm not alone.
"Last year we sold around three million deli chickens in Canada at213 stores," says Betty Kellsey, a spokesperson at Canada Safeway.
As a food-safety precaution, just make sure to refrigerate them andconsume them within two days of purchase or less, says Kellsey.
The beauty of these birds is they're of a size large enough --around one kilogram -- that, for a family of two adults and twoyoung children, they likely won't be eaten in one sitting. Thatmeans the leftovers can be used to make myriad quick meals in thedays that follow.
Take one chicken . . .
Try these ideas for turning a deli-roasted chicken into a varietyof easy meals
1. Chicken noodle soup: Cut cooked chicken into cubes to equalabout two cups. Dice a white or yellow onion, then cut up severalstalks of celery and some carrots (about six medium). Saute theonions, carrots and celery in a large pot with vegetable oil. Addabout eight cups of chicken stock; it depends how much soup youwant to make. Add a half cup of cooking sherry and a pinch of driedbasil. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 30 minutes. Add thechicken and two cups of egg noodles to the mix. Serve when thenoodles are tender and the chicken warmed.
2. Chicken fajitas: Saute thin slices of red pepper and onion invegetable oil. When they're almost ready, toss in thin strips ofthe deli chicken to warm through. Heat tortillas.
When the chicken and veggies are ready to serve, assemble thefajitas, adding whatever extras you like such as refried beans,guacamole, salsa or shredded cheese. Layer the ingredients in thetortillas, roll up and serve.
3. Chicken pasta sauce: Saute a diced onion with two cups of cubeddeli chicken in a large pot with a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Addyour favourite jar of pasta sauce. Heat through and serve overpasta. Grate real Parmesan over top, if desired.
4. Curried chicken salad: Cut cooked chicken into cubes to equalabout two cups. Chop a couple stalks of celery and either a peach,nectarine or apple. Mix, then add a dollop of mayonnaise to achievedesired consistency. Add honey-Dijon mustard and a sprinkle ofcurry powder, to taste, and mix. Serve with lettuce between breadslices as a sandwich for lunch, on buttered toast as an open-facesandwich, or on a bed of greens as a salad.
5. Lunch wraps: Cut slices from the chicken, preferably the breast;allow two to three slices per wrap. Slice an avocado. Cut an appleinto thin wedges.
Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on a wrap, then layer withchicken, apple and avocado. Roll up and serve.

© The Vancouver Province 2008