Thursday, February 16, 2012

What to do with leftover roast chicken?

Make soup! 

Specifically you should make this soup, Black Bean and Ancho Chile Soup with Roasted Chicken, Cilantro, and Lime. From the book Bird in the Oven by Mindy Fox. It has become one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. Can't rave enough about it, we've loved every recipe I've tried from this book. I got pretty ambitious with this one, ambitious for me anyway. Made the stock from scratch from a roasted chicken the night before. Usually I'd use a boxed stock and save homemade strictly for matzoh ball soup. And usually from raw pullets. I never thought to use the carcass from the roast chicken before, it made a great stock. I got almost a quart from one roast chicken. And the leftover meat wasn't all mushed up from being boiled for hours. This was excellent.

I left out the cilantro completely, my kids think it tastes like soap. What do they know? They never had their mouths washed with soap. But I did once when I was small. So who knows, I just may be used to that taste. I pretty quickly learned never to repeat things my older brother said to say to mom! We laugh about that now but it was hard to explain to her at the time that it's his fault with my mouth full of bubbles :)  What we put our poor mother through back in those days!

Since it was somewhat spur of the moment, the black bean soup part, I used canned beans. The chicken stock was planned, I decided last minute that I would turn into the black bean soup, so I had to use what was on hand, and I had ancho chili powder instead of whole dried chilies. Didn't matter, the soup was outstanding. I wouldn't change a thing the next time I make it. The chicken stock was perfect, great flavor and it cooled to be like jiggly jello, just like the golden goodness my grandma used to make. The roasting gave it a deep delicious flavor. I'll never throw away the roast chicken bones again!


Rich Roasted Chicken Stock



Chorizo and Black Bean Soup



Black Bean and Ancho Chile Soup with Roasted Chicken, Chorizo and Lime




Black Bean and Ancho Chile Soup with Roasted Chicken, Chorizo and Lime  
Original Source: From the book Bird in the Oven by Mindy Fox

3 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed well
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups water
1 whole white or yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon guajillo chile powder, or use any chiles you like
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups roast chicken, shredded
4 ounces fully cooked chorizo, sliced into coins (I used Aidells chorizo, 2 links)
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
2 limes, sliced in wedges
2 ripe avocado's, pitted and cubed
scallions, chopped
sour cream
diced tomatoes or salsa

In a heavy soup pot, combine half of the chorizo, 2 cans of the beans, chile powders, onion, garlic, oregano, chicken stock and water. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for about an hour.

Remove from heat and very carefully, using an immersion blender, whiz the soup to a puree. You can use a blender but it's very hot, so be very careful.  Return the soup to the heat and add the last can of beans and the shredded chicken, simmer on medium-low for another 15-20 minutes. 

While the soup is simmering, cook the remaining chorizo in a non-stick skillet with a little olive oil over medium-high heat until they start to get a little browned. Remove and save for garnish.

Ladle soup in bowls, squeeze in some fresh lime juice and garnish with chorizo, diced avocado, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, scallions, or whatever garnishes you like.


Rich Roast Chicken Stock
Original Source: From the book Bird in the Oven by Mindy Fox
1 roast chicken carcass, plus the neck, leftover meat saved separately
1 onion, with skin, quartered
2 shallots, with skin, cut in half
5 garlic cloves, with peel, smashed
3 carrots, washed and peeled, cut lengthwise in half
2 parsnips, washed and peeled, cut lengthwise in half
1 small turnip, washed, peeled and quartered
2 stalks celery, plus tops, washed and cut lengthwise in half
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
handful of fresh parsley, dill or any other fresh herbs you like 
salt, to taste

Add all of the ingredients to a large stockpot and add cold water to cover by several inches. Over medium-high heat bring the water to just a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 3-6 hours, uncovered for a very rich broth. Simmer for 2-3 hours for a lighter broth. Taste for seasoning, salt to taste.

Remove from heat, strain the soup into a container, discard the solids and let the stock cool. Refrigerate and skim fat from the cooled stock. You can freeze the stock.



Joining 
 Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.
 


Souper Sundays (soups, salads and sandwiches) @ Kahakai Kitchen

with the


 
SouperSundays







CookbookSundays


62 comments:

  1. I'm lovin' your soup! I like that you were able to use what you had on hand. That makes for wonderful creations!

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  2. I am with the kids on the cilantro!
    Your soup looks delicious, I am sure they will all enjoy it!
    Have a great weekend!

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  3. Love this clever idea of making the chicken stock. That is one bowl of you Ii would love to make and taste; great photos! I agree with the kids...no cilantro for me. Pinning this one.
    Rita

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  4. Love having leftover chicken for soup! Great recipes! Your chicken stock looks so good!

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  5. What a hearty and delicious soup - I am sure it was extra tasty because of the homemade stock. YUM!

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  6. The soup looks good...I usually make chicken pot pie with leftover chicken. I love cilantro...salsa isn't salsa without it!

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  7. Homemade stock is divine! I try to always have some in the freezer. I smiled when I read about your kids and cilantro. I don't like it either. :)
    Great hearty soup, too, Carol. Love that final touch of lime.

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  8. Did you say beans? My kind of soup! I'm sure it was wonderful and can tell it turned out great by your enthusiasm-enjoy:@)

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  9. Good for you, for making your own stock! We do with a turkey, so I'm not sure why we don't with a roast chicken.

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    1. That's what I thought, too! I've used the leftover turkey for soup and always forget to use a leftover chicken.

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  10. Yummy! My canned beans always come in handy. I have learned to top my soup with avocado. My Picky used to hate cilantro but now, she loves it!

    Thanks again for sharing this wonderful soup!

    P.S. I have to laugh about the soap in the mouth. I had my share when I was a kid.

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  11. Oh, by the way, I use my left over roasted chicken in chow mein.

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  12. Sounds absolutely delicious,Carol!!The immersion blender is a big saver, especially when it comes to our picky ones who avoid certain veggies...XO

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  13. This sounds so good, Carol! What amazing flavors in that soup. I know a certain guy who would love that chorizo too and I'm with your kids on the cilantro but I'm getting better. I can take it in very small doses. Love the roast chicken carcass stock recipe!

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  14. What a marvelous soup and great use of leftover chicken!

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  15. I love the deep reddish color of the soup! It must have been delicious and hearty!

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  16. Great soup,dear!Have a great weekend,dear!

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  17. Wow, this looks like a fantastic soup, Carol. A good chicken stock is what makes it special. When I buy a Costco chicken I usually make stock out of a good part of it. This is a keeper recipe for sure. I love that deep, rich color.

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  18. looks and sounds fabulous!! My kids don't like cilantro either but they love my salsa and that is a big ingredient?! they probably heard it tasted like soap! haha
    Thurday nights are soup nights at out house..i combine the left overs from Mon Tues and Wed and make soup..always a little different but almost always good...and no waste.

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  19. This soup sounds absolutely amazing. Love the idea of combing a roasted chicken stock with ancho and chorizo. I'm definitely going to need to try this - I've been loving soups lately

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  20. that balck bean and ancho chili soup really caught my eye, great idea!

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  21. chorizo beans and chicken. what is there not suppose to like? have to try this one!

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  22. Look at that soup! it's amazing.

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  23. Oh man. This sounds sooooooooooo good. I adore cilantro, but I know some people just can't stand it.

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  24. This chicken stock recipe puts all others to shame! Your finished black bean soup looks incredible! I would love to sit down on this cold day and have it for lunch.

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  25. It's definitely a soup weekend, and this looks delicious!!

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  26. One of my 2012 resolutions is "no wasted food.". In the past I have (gasp) thrown away chicken carcasses. But I will for sure without fail use this recipe next time!

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  27. Beautiful presentation! I got a rotisserie chicken the last time and made soup with it and broth from the carcass

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  28. oh my, our two recipes are like kissing cousins today!

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  29. The chorizo must give great flavor to the soup.

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  30. lovely combination of flavours in the stock looks wonderful

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  31. My mum taught me to make stock from roast chicken and I always make soup from it, but I don't have a recipe that sounds as good as this one. I've already printed it! I'll be roasting a chicken tomorrow and having the soup later in the week.

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  32. Amazing looking soup - I've bookmarked this as a must try when winter rolls around here. I always save my chicken carcasses after a roast chicken for making stock - the flavour is so much better, isn't it?! Interestingly, there is a certain percentage of people that taste coriander as soap, and although not proven yet there is a school of thought that this is a genetic predisposition. So most likely your kids will never like coriander.

    Thanks so much for sharing this at Cookbook Sundays - I do hope you'll join in again.

    Sue :-)

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  33. This sounds great. I absolutely adore anything with chorizo in. My mum always makes her own stock but I'm afraid I'm too lazy and always use powder from a jar so I'm very impressed with the stock too!

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  34. The more jelly, the more nutritious...that is an AMAZING soup! I do the same thing with the turkey carcass at Thanksgiving (or whenever). This soup is on my short-list!

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  35. Great idea for using leftover chicken! Soups are very popular around here -- in the winter we often make a meal of a hearty soup and salad and fresh bread.

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  36. I accumulate a bag of chicken bones in the freezer for stock. I also keep a separate bag of vegetable trimmings, the stems of chard and spinach and the like.

    That soup looks terrific!

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  37. The soup looks good but there is never chicken left at our place. Chicken is my husband's favorite.

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  38. This time of year I make soup at least once time per week. Your recipes sound and look delicious!

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  39. My husband loves black bean soup Carol...I will be trying this recipe!

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  40. This looks so full of flavor--Yum! Thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays. ;-)

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  41. Hi Carol, this sounds delicious. And I love soup. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I enjoy coming to your blog for these yummy recipes. Have a great week!

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  42. How funny! That's exactly what I'm making today as we had roast chicken yesterday. Mind you, Au has first dibs on the left over meat as he thinks it is HIS roast chicken!

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  43. That sounds fabulous...I love the hint of lime with chicken dishes! ♥

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  44. The soup sounds delicious! I love cilantro but my husband hates it. I've heard it's a genetic thing. Who knows? But I sprinkle it on my dishes at the table.
    I love roasting a chicken for dinner (like tonight) knowing that tomorrow I'll make chicken stock. It's so good.

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  45. I love using leftover roast chicken for soup. This is definitely a soup we would enjoy...
    Have a wonderful week.

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  46. lovely soup and wow your stock sounds amazing so full of nutrients and flavor

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  47. That looks very tasty...
    Have a wonderful week,
    Markus

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  48. Yes, I usually make soup with leftover roast chicken too! But I hardly have leftover roast chicken :O

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  49. I love a good black bean soup and with all this chile spice AND the homemade stock, I'm sure this is a step above most other versions!

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  50. Great-looking soup. Ancho chiles are one of my favorites--so complex, yet mild enough not to scare most taste buds. I live in Mexico where it is so easy to get ingredients for homemade stock (feet, necks, backs). And cheap. I was shocked last year when I did some work in the states and preferred to make my own stock. Turns out that Wolfgang Puck's organic in a carton was cheaper! I couldn't believe it. But I do make my own and am a real believer in it. Nice recipe.
    Thanks.

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  51. Homemade Chicken Stock is so good! I like to do the same with Turkey. The Black Bean Soup looks delicious!
    ~Judy

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  52. I do love a good soup, especially this time of year.

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  53. Wonderful recipes, Carol! I alwys make turkey stock form the carcass when I cook a turkey but I never think to do the same with a chicken. I'll do this next time.

    The Black Bean and Ancho Chile Soup with Roasted Chicken, Chorizo and Lime sounds so very flavorful! My mouth is watering thinking of it.

    PS: I'm glad you received you new ladle and soup coupons from Bertolli! That was a fun give away!

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  54. I must try this soup. I have only found one store with chorizo and I am willing to drive to buy some. Thanks.

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  55. Yum! I always make soup with leftovers. Cheers

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  56. Carol, what interesting cookbooks you have linked in! There is now quite a nice collection although I am sure that there are many more good ones out there. Cheers

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