Whether you roast your own chicken or pick up a rotisserie chicken, this chicken “stoup” is rich, flavorful and delicious. I saw this recipe in Every Day with Rachael Ray (March 2013) and knew we could get it in at a good price. Whole chickens are usually on sale somewhere, sometimes as low as 79 cents a pound to $1.29 a pound. For some of us, the lower price of roasting your own chicken is hard to resist, for others, picking up a rotisserie chicken is worth the higher price, worth the convenience.
I got my chicken on sale for 79 cents a pound at Albertsons a couple of weeks ago. The first thing I’m going to share with you is how to roast a chicken….so easy!
ROAST CHICKEN –
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken, about 4 lbs
- salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Fold the chicken wings under and remove any excess fat from the neck and cavity. Generously season inside and out. Using butcher’s twine, tie the legs together. Place in a large baking dish or roasting pan.
Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and baste with the liquid in the bottom of the pan. Return to the oven and roast, basting once more, until the skin is deep golden and an instant-read thermometer registers 155 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, 30 to 40 minutes longer. (It will climb to 165 degrees as the bird rests.) Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let sit uncovered for 10 minutes before carving/cutting. Reserve all the bones for making stock.
*I was able to get about 4 cups of meat from my chicken, using 3 cups for my stoup and using 1 cup for breakfast chicken hash.
CHICKEN PAPRIKASH STOUP –
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 for approx $6.33
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. paprika*
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp. flour
- 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth or stock
- 3 cups chopped roast chicken
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
*You can change-up the flavor, depending on the type of paprika you use. For a subtle smokiness, replace up to 2 tsp. of the regular paprika with sweet or hot smoked paprika.
Directions:
In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the paprika over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 2 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and broth. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pepper is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the chicken and cook just to heat through. Stir in the sour cream, 1/4 cup at a time; season with salt and pepper. Top with the parsley before serving.
Don’t toss your chicken bones and skin away! With just a few steps, you can easily make your own stock, whether you roasted your own or bought a rotisserie. I keep a bag in the freezer with carrot, celery and onion scraps, filling it up until it’s full and then pull it out for my stock making. The amount of ingredients vary a bit when I make my stock, depending on what I have on hand. Sometimes I have more carrots or onion….I basiclly just add my bones and vegetables until it fills the pot.
HEARTY ROAST CHICKEN STOCK –
Ingredients:
- bones, neck, and any skin from a whole chicken
- 2 onions, quartered but not peeled
- 2 ribs celery with leaves, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
Directions:
In a large stockpot, combine all the ingredients. Top with 4 quarts cold water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 2 hours. Strain the liquid and discard the solids. Divide the stock and refrigerate, uncovered, until completely cool. Skim the fat from the top and discard. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months. (I freeze mine in ice-cube trays and then keep the cubes in a large freezer bag, pulling the cubes out as needed.
BREAKFAST HASH:
Pan-fry cubed potatoes, peppers and onions; add chopped chicken. Top with a fried egg. It’s that simple!
One chicken….dinner, breakfast and stock…super cheap but delicious!