One chicken into three recipes Recipe | 4Food

Date Published:: 30/11/2007

There's nothing more comforting than a hearty chicken broth - and this one's delicious. Either mop up the flavours with lots of fresh crusty bread or get your freezer involved and follow our simple steps to make three hearty dishes from one nice, big chicken.

Once you've made your poached chicken broth, take a look at the bottom of the page for guidelines on how to store it in your freezer, and how to prepare it for each of the three delicious recipes. Then, when you're right and ready, thaw it out and get stuck in to your very own chicken feast.

The poached chicken broth recipe

Makes 3 quantities
Takes 1 1/4 hours to cook, plus 1 hour's cooling

Ingredients

1 large (about 2.5kg) good-quality chicken, without giblets
10 peppercorns
4 bay leaves
2 leeks or onions, roughly chopped
4 thin carrots, halved lengthways
3 celery sticks, halved
Small bunch of fresh thyme
Small bunch of fresh parsley
2 tsp celery salt

Method: How to make poached chicken broth

1. Wash the chicken well and place in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole with the peppercorns, bay leaves, leeks or onions, carrots and celery. Tie up the herbs with string and add to the pan with the celery salt. Pour over 4 litres water to cover the chicken and place on the hob. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through. Leave in the broth until cool enough to handle.

Tip

You'll need the biggest pot you can find to submerge the chicken.

2. Remove the chicken from the broth and place on a board to cool completely. Remove the cooled meat from the chicken carcass and slice or shred.

3. To freeze, divide the meat between 3, 2-litre containers, and have a look at our guidelines for each of the three dishes, at the bottomof the page.

4. To defrost the chicken and broth: remove the container from the freezer and defrost at room temperature (it will take about 6-8 hours).

How to prepare the broth for the 'one into three' recipes

Divide the meat from the chicken between 3 x 2-litre freezer containers, then:

For the creamy chicken and chive gratin:
Strain the broth into a measuring jug to give 600ml. Pour over the chicken meat in another freezer container. Cover, label and freeze.

For the spiced chicken noodle soup:
Strain the broth into a measuring jug to give 1 litre. Pour over the chicken meat in 1 freezer container, adding a few of the carrots and leeks from the pot. Cover, label an freeze.

For the herby chicken and lemon rice:
Strain the broth into a measuring jug to give 1 litre. Pour over the chicken meat in the last freezer container. Cover label and freeze.

To defrost the chicken and broth: Remove the container from the freezer and defrost at room temperature (it will take bout 6-8 hours).