Rotisserie chicken

[Gumbo4x4]

I buy one anytime I'm at Costco - I used to get so annoyed at how time consuming it was to shred until I realized if you shred it when it's warm/hot, it falls apart and takes less than 5 minutes. I was always fighting with it after throwing it in the fridge for a day!

We just had one this week actually; made an enchilada skillet dish. Once I use it in a recipe (typically calls for all of it), and DH pulls off the legs, I don't have enough leftover for multiple meals.

Exactly! We used to just take a little off that first night and then stick it in the fridge. But, if you debone when it’s still warm it’s a piece of cake!

 

[TheFloatingBear]

I was at Market Basket today and the rotisserie chickens looked beautiful but they just weren't in my plan. And yet now I find myself regretting my decision not to pick one up...

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I like to peel it from bone with hands and stuff it in my mouth, makes me feel like a real strong cave man

You know what they say.... pictures or it doesn't count.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

I'm not sure if anybody is interested, but the Costco Connection magazine has done a couple of articles on their rotisserie chickens, which contain recipes for using the leftover chicken.

Rotisserie Rotation: Making the Most of Your Chicken Leftovers (has a three-day "meal plan" and a recipe for Easy Spicy Chicken Ramen Soup)

Bird is the Word (has five different recipes...the Ugly Costco Pasta looks like it might be good)

Turning one bird into several meals works for us, because there are currently only three of us at home and one of those is a kid. Larger families would likely need to purchase a couple of chickens to be sure they had enough leftovers to make another meal or two, but at $5 for a larger bird that you aren't having to prep and heat the house up for, it seems worth it to me.

Even if you choose to buy a fresh bird (I promise, I won't judge you...I have done it too) or even two on sale at your local grocery store to roast up yourself (if you are going to cook one, you may as well cook two side-by-side for your trouble), you might still find the recipes for the leftovers useful.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I buy them fairly often and mostly just eat it as is, hot, with sides. I’ll use the leftover meat cold, chopped up over a green tossed salad. For parties, I’ve made bbq pulled chicken in a crockpot, and buffalo chicken dip.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I could go for a good buffalo chicken dip!

And, back to the somewhat off-topic subject....
About Alfredo, and cream.
I think it is supposed to be common knowledge that true, original, Alfredo is not a cream sauce.
I found this quote:
"Fettuccine Alfredo started off as the desperate attempt of Roman restaurant owner, Alfredo di Lelio, to find something that his pregnant wife, who had lost most of her appetite due to pregnancy, would be able to eat. So, he added some Parmesan cheese to an everyday Italian dish, fettuccine al burro (Fedduccine with Butter), and she couldn’t stop eating it!
Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo is SUPER Easy Seriously, all you need is three ingredients. No, not a jar of “Alfredo” sauce. You need fresh, grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, butter, and fettuccine. THAT’S IT! There’s not a drop of cream in Alfredo’s original recipe. Just cheese, mixed with pasta, pasta water and butter, to create a creamy sauce without the cream!!"
Read more at Curious Cuisiniere: Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/authentic-fettuccine-alfredo/

I do use more olive oil with the butter, as this should be lighter and healthier. And I admit that I do use some whole milk, as I do enjoy that 'cream'.

 

[nkereina]

We will eat it as is or if I need to make something like a buffalo wing dip or chicken salad, I'll use the rotisserie chicken. Its so much easier. Our grocery store also sells yesterday's rotisserie chicken in the prepared food section - they shred it and put it in a container and sell it refrigerated, so you can skip the steps of waiting for it to cool and peeling the skin off.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

This is the general recipe that I follow. It is definitely one that you can play around with depending upon your preferences. Enjoy!

Basic Alfredo Sauce

Many different variations can be made by adding cooked chicken, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, seafood, artichokes, fresh herbs, or whatever else is leftover in the fridge. You could even stir/wilt fresh spinach into the sauce over low heat once it is finished. Our favourite version of this uses leftover grilled chicken and fresh broccoli.

12 oz. cooked pasta (I always just use the full pound of pasta and haven't had an issue with too little sauce, but if you like your pasta really saucy, stick with the 12 oz. amount)
1 cup reserved water that the pasta was cooked in (you want the hot, starchy water, not just tap water)
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
Add-ins (chopped grilled chicken, broccoli, sliced and cooked mushrooms, etc.)

Start by cooking the pasta in boiling salted water, according to package directions, before you begin the sauce. Feel free to add chopped veggies such as broccoli, asparagus, etc. to the pasta water while the pasta cooks. I usually use broccoli and find that putting it into the pot with the pasta 5 to 6 minutes before the pasta is done cooks it perfectly. Reserve one cup of the hot water the pasta was cooked in before draining. Cover to keep warm

Over medium-high heat, add the cream to a sauté pan or skillet. When it bubbles, add the salt. Small bubbles will erupt into larger bubbles when the salt hits it. Stir. When the sauce thickens enough to leave a clean line in the bottom of the pan when you pull a silicone spatula across it, add the one cup of reserved pasta water. Cook over medium-high heat about 3 minutes until it bubbles again and the sauce thickens. (Again, I just follow the tip about being able to draw a quick line through the pan of sauce. Turn off heat. Add the cheese, garlic,and a few grinds of pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add the cooked pasta and any additional ingredients and stir to coat.

Thanks, that sounds good.

 

[aristocatz]

I buy them when I'm too lazy to book dinner. I just serve them "as is" with a vegetable. I only buy them from certain markets, because many have hidden sugar, which I try to avoid.

 

[Prince_Hawkins]

Years ago, I saw a Dr. Oz episode where he warned consumers about the loosening of food-processing regulations in the U.S. -- to the point where grocers could start selling rotisserie chickens and other chicken products where the chicken gets processed/cleaned in China.

Yes, apparently, it costs less to ship slaughtered chickens across the Pacific Ocean to have them processed/cleaned by cheap labor in Chinese facilities (with questionable health standards) and then ship them back for sale in the U.S. -- compared to what it would cost to simply pay U.S.-based labor to do the cleaning/processing, stateside.

Dr. Oz said that, so far, only fast food chicken or supermarket deli chicken would most likely be affected. They passed the legislation as a quid-pro-quo, apparently, so that China would import more beef from U.S. ranchers. So now, every time I eat chicken, I become paranoid about whether I might get sick from it.

But I love it too much to give it up altogether!

 

[tasha99]

I barely ever buy them. We love crispy skin, and I get that by butterflying and brining my own chicken, then roasting on high heat. The rotisserie chickens have soaked in their juice till the skin is soft. We use our homemade ones just like a rotisserie chicken, though-- one meal of the chicken, then leftovers/chicken salad with the rest of the meat, and soup with the carcass.