Rotisserie Chicken thoughts?
I buy them from a local IGA. Not listed/reviewed and they are OK. Never tried them hot though…
Food Republic is new to me. An interesting, 2024 approach, to quality of Grocery Store Rotisserie Chicken. If you have any/all of those stores in your area it is a very good starting point, but I don’t have any of the stores listed. Just the local IGA, which was a Piggly Wiggly a couple years ago. Rural living, we just crested 10,000 in population. Biggest city in our 250 Sq. mile county! WooHoo!
Anyway, This is a repeatable, favorite technique of mine that I make from Rotisserie Chicken at least three times a year and I'm glad you asked!
I only use Rotisserie Chicken as follows.
Step 1- Buy 3 cold rotisserie chickens (Reduced price) along with the Mirepoix ingredients. (6# of Onions, 3# carrots and 3# celery) for the soup making process.
Step 2- Once home, trim and prep veg. Trimmings, peels, and a few rough chopped veg. (2# onions, 1# each carrot and celery) just purchased to go into the roasting pan. Reserve trimmed, peeled whole veg. into the “holding pattern” mixing bowl, to await slice and dice into the size for the finished soup.
Step 3- At the kitchen table, Roasting pan to my left, cutting board in front of me, Mixing bowl to my right. Chickens in front of cutting board. (Have a paper towel or two sitting there too!) One by one dismantle birds, by hand. (I don’t use a knife for this step.) Anything I don’t want to eat or serve to others, like bone, skin, cartilage, etc. goes into the roasting pan on top of the Mirepoix, Chicken meat goes into the mixing bowl. Wipe hands!
Step 4- Put roasting pan in a 325º oven till browned to your liking. About 60 minutes or so… Add approx.1 qt water to roasting pan to deglaze during the last 15 minutes of roasting to let the water do its job and loosen fond. Transfer to stock pot and add about another gallon or so of water and 2 Tablespoons of salt. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Strain and return liquid to stock pot.
*If you don’t want the extra step. or the darker flavor or darker color, substitute a Stock pot for roasting pan, for mirepoix veg., skin and bone, and move directly to adding water for making a blond Chicken stock.
Step 5- Once the roaster is in the oven, or the stockpot is on the stove, Cut chicken meat into a size you like and refrigerate.
Step 6- Now you can finish cutting the Celery, Carrots and Onions. I normally go with a half moon carrot cut. Add veg. to hot stock and simmer for 30 min. then allow to cool.
FWIW, I do use the greasy cutting board from processing the COOKED Chicken! Cooked Chicken, not raw chicken and those veg. are going in hot water in the next few minutes, not in the fridge for days, potentially allowing bacterial growth…
Step 7- Add cooked chicken meat into cooled soup and portion into Ziplock bags. Since the Chicken is fully cooked the next time it needs heat is when you want to eat it.
Sandwich bags for 1 portion (*** Cross reference to cooking for one!), Quart bags for 2 portions, Gallon for 4 or more. (Write date and contents before filling)
- Freeze bags flat, on cookie sheets, then stack, to expedite thawing and stackable storage. I use cans with top and bottom removed to hold empty bags for filling. Fold bag over can top to hold bag and keep sealing surface clean, soup cans for sand. bags, coffee can for Gallon bag, in-between for quarts. Fill, lift can to regrip top, seal 90%, lay flat, except the open corner, allow liquid to barely touch seal to remove air. seal. Yes you can stack bags on top of each other till frozen.
Only thaw in bag until you can easily break apart and put into the cooking vessel or thaw with bag opening upright. Ziplock bags can leak.
Reason for this under seasoned way of cooking? No herbs or spices at all?
Flexibility is my only focus. Usually based on leftover items.
My favorite version of Chicken soup uses Rosemary and Thyme, but many cultures don’t use them. I just want to start with a blank flavor profile so the flavor whim of the day and fridge contents dictate the direction. If you make the base soup with a salt level of a table ready soup, you can't add any ingredient like Soy sauce, Olives , Feta, Parmesan, etc. without risking making it too salty. Flexibility...
Now you find a chicken soup recipe that sounds interesting to you and you can skip the recipe and go straight to the flavors and seasonings. Not perfect, but no failures has its appeal. As long as you remember the adage "You can always add more, until you add too much!" so season with restraint, then taste. You can always add more...
Asian versions- use that nub of fresh ginger, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, Green Onions, Coconut milk, etc.
Mexican version- A corn chip or two, Adobo, Chipotle, Oregano, Fresh/dried Chiles, Fresh Lime, etc.
Italian- Basil, Oregano, Garlic, Tomato, Leftover pasta or beans, Parmesan, pesto, etc
Greek- Fresh Lemon, Orzo, Spinach, Feta, Olives, Capers, etc.
Arabian/North Africa- ras el hanout spice blend, harissa, Cumin, cinnamon, Coriander seed, etc.
India- curry powder and diced Apples, Coconut milk, Yogurt, etc.
Cuban- Black beans, Oregano, Cumin, Sofrito, etc.
Poland- Mushrooms, potatoes, Marjoram, Cabbage, etc.
Just search for “flavors of”. whatever country or region you choose.
Thicken liquid for Pot Pie filling or a chicken version of Shepards pie.
I also add rice or pasta to make into a hot dish/one pot meal.
I live with the shortcomings of this methodology, like the veg aren’t cut properly for asian cuisine. But again, I only want the flexibility of flavor choice on that particular day, starting with a homemade product.
- When I look into my freezer it looks like a Library of food! Stacks of soups, Chili, and sauces. Great to reach in and have a homemade shortcut to fast meals!
Congratulations for your endurance in making it to the end of this treatise on Rotisserie Chicken! Glad to answer any questions and I hope it helped someone!