Budget Leftover Chicken and Vegetable soup with Perl Barley

This soup is really more like a brothy stew, which is beefed up by the chicken and pearl barley. For this recipe we will use what was our basic ingredients already "bought" for the previous three recipes, but you can incorporate parsnip, turnip, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, beans and leaks if you prefer a more heartier dish!

Ingredients

1 litre home made chicken stock
1 cup of remaining chicken meat, cubed
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1/2 remaining onion, diced
1/2 cup pearl barley
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method

1. Bring stock to the boil and add the remaining ingredients.
2. Turn heat down and simmer very gently for two hours.
3. Ladel into warmed soup bowls and sprinkle with parsley
4. Serve with a rustic heavy bread.

Main Ingredients - based on Tesco's prices at date of posting:
(Not including cupboard staples and already purchased ingredients etc)

Tesco Pearl Barley 500g - £0.38
Fresh Curled Parsley 35g - £0.68

Total cost: £1.06

TOTAL COMBINED COST OF FOUR FAMILY MEALS: £7.79

Budget Leftover Roast Chicken Stock

Ingredients

1 chicken carcass, meat removed and reserved for soup
1/2 onion, un-chopped
1 carrot
1 rib celery
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Method

1. In a large pot, add all remaining chicken bones etc.
   
2. Add the sprig of thyme, rosemary and half an onion, whole carrot, and whole rib of celery.
3. Fill pot with water to cover chicken and add salt and pepper.
   
4. Bring to the boil then lower to a gentle simmer.
   
5. Simmer uncovered for 1.5 hours, skimming off any impurities which settle on the surface. Be careful not to boil, as this will make the stock cloudy.
6. Remove bones, herbs and vegetables and strain through a sieve.

Cost of ingredients from Tesco at date of posting:

Loose Brown Onions Class 2 £0.16

Budget Leftover Chicken Pot Pie

First, make some REAL chicken stock for tomorrow's soup. This will need to settle and be refrigerated over night. Remove the chicken meat off the left over chicken from the previous nights roast and use for the pie recipe. In a large pot, put all remaining chicken bones etc. Add a sprig of thyme, half an onion and a carrot and fill with water to cover chicken. Bring to the boil then lower to a gentle simmer. Simmer uncovered for 1.5 hours, skimming off any impurities which settle on the surface. Be careful not to boil, as this will make the stock cloudy.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
  
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup white wine or cooking sherry
• 1 desertspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  
• 1 desertspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 ½ cup to 2 cups diced leftover chicken
• 2 large carrots, roughly diced
  
• 2 ribs celery, sliced into 2 cm chunks
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
  
• 1 sheet of flakey pastry (approx 35cm x 20cm long - depending on the dish you choose to bake with). These often come in a packet of 2, freeze the second sheet of pastry for another time.
  

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 210 Celcius.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
3. When butter begins to bubble, sprinkle in the flour and whisk to combine.
4. Slowly pour in the chicken broth. Whisk until smooth and beginning to thicken.
5. Add the milk, wine or sherry, rosemary, and thyme.
6. Combine the chicken, carrots and celery in a bowl.
7. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and meat and stir to combine
8. Pour the chicken, vegetable and sauce mixture into the baking dish.
   
9. Top with the pastry sheet and pinch around the edges to seal, or use a fork to do the same.
   
10. Bake at 210 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower heat to 180 degrees and bake for thirty minutes more.

Main Ingredients - based on Tesco's prices at date of posting:
(Not including cupboard staples and already purchased ingredients etc)

Jus Rol 2 Puff Pastry Sheets 425g - £1.60
7 loose Carrots Class 1 - £0.49 (use only two for this dish, the remainder for tomorrow's meal)
Tesco Celery Each - £0.78

Total approximate cost £1.27

Not too shabby!

Perfect Roast Chicken

Here, I am going to show how you can turn one chicken into three delicious meals, for two adults. Have this meal using half the chicken, the further two meals will follow this one!

The first is a Mediterranean method of roasting chicken. The success of the amazing succulence is to briefly cook in water before roasting.

Ingredients

1.5kg whole chicken
1 large lemon, quartered
2 large chillies
6 cloves of garlic, crushed once with a large knife
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
1 large sprig fresh thyme
Crystal salt and ground pepper
Water
Olive oil

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 175 Celsius.
   
2. Bring a large pot of water to the boil (large enough to be able to immerse your chicken).
3. Season the chicken inside with salt and black pepper
   
4. Place garlic, herbs, lemon, and chillies inside the cavity of the chicken and seal up by using a wooden skewer or cocktail stick.
   
5. Plunge the chicken into the boiling water, for five minutes, turning it over and over.
6. Remove and let it dry some kitchen paper for 30 minutes.
7. Massage olive oil into the entire surface of the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
   
8. Place it in the pre-heated oven on a large roasting tin at 350ºf/175ºc for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, testing that the juices run clear on the thigh, adding a little water to the roasting tin if necessary.
9. Remove from the oven, cover with tin foil and rest for 15 minutes.
   
10. In the meantime make a light jus/gravy by de-glazing the roasting tin with a cup of water and thickening with a desert spoon of cornflour mixed with two tablespoons of water. Season jus to your liking.
11. Serve with steamed bok choi, cumin honey carrots and crispy roast potatoes.

Main Ingredients -Based on Tesco's prices at date of posting:

T Market Value Whole Chicken 1.00-1.80kg (£1.99)
Large Lemon Loose (0.35)
Mixed Chillies 56g (0.49)
Tesco Garlic Each (0.25)
Fresh Rosemary 30g (0.79)
Fresh Lemon Thyme 25g (0.68)

Total approximate cost of main ingredients: £5.30

Chicken Kdra (Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas, Saffron and Almonds)

A 'Kdra' is a moroccan tagine/stew, which is cooked with olive oil (or smen - traditionally), onions, saffron, cinnamon and sometimes ginger.

Ingredients

1/2 cup blanched almonds, whole
1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
4 large part-boned chicken breast portions, skinned
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
2 Spanish (red) onions, finely sliced
1 litre chicken stock
1 cinnamon stick
4 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Lemon juice, to taste (approx 1 lemon)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Place almonds and chickpeas in a large flameproof casserole and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer for 1-1/2 hours until chickpeas are soft.
• Drain in a sieve and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in the casserole dish and brown the chicken pieces.
  
• Add saffron, salt and pepper and onions, stirring until onions are opaque.
• Add stock and bring to the boil.
• Add almonds, chickpeas and cinnemon.
• Cover and gently cook for 50-60 minutes.
• Transfer the cooked chicken to a serving plate and keep warm.
  
• Bring the stock to the boil and cooker over a high heat and reduce for 5 minutes, stiring frequently.
• Add parsley and remaining saffron and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Sharpen the sauce with lemon juice.
• Pour sauce over the chicken and serve with steamed couscous, garnishing with extra parsley.