Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (Leftover Weeknight Meal)

So I'm sure we all have "leftover night" one day a week or so.  On Sunday we came home from grandmas with a rotisserie chicken, a tray full of Spanish rice, and I had some corn and grilled chicken left over from a previous BBQ of my own.  Some people say they are bad when it comes to opening the fridge, seeing what's there and making a meal- for me this is a welcomed challenge.  This one was not as difficult because of the similar flavor profiles of these separate dishes.

Any leftover chicken is an awesome thing to have, it can become so many things.  The rice was obviously a side and so was the grilled corn on its own. Starch, veggie, done.

I had three leftover kaiser rolls (but tortillas or really any hearty bread would have worked here too), chicken and a pantry/fridge door.  Hand shred the left over chicken, obviously removing the skin and bones.  Set that aside while you make your sauce.  Everything else gets microwaved to just reheat!

I have to say I don't have a set BBQ sauce recipe, it changes I think every time I make it, but this was the one I made last night.  I used an immersion blender to make the sauce thicker, quicker, and to make it smooth- but if you don't have one you can always carefully transfer to a regular blender, food processor or just leave chunky and simmer longer to thicken.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 roasted red pepper, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 1/2 cup of chicken stock
• 1 (8oz) can of tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp of brown sugar
• 2 tbsp of worchestire sauce
• 3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp of salt
• freshly cracked pepper
• about 2-3 cups of shredded cooked chicken (or pork!)

Directions

1. In a sauce pot add about a tbsp of oil and then saute the onion, garlic, and jalapeno until softened.  About 5-7 minutes- careful not to burn it.  Then add the roasted red pepper.
2. Then add the lime juice, chicken stock and tomato sauce.  Try to scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan- if there are any.
3. Add the sugar, vinegar, worchestire sauce, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
5. This would be the time to blend.  After blending keep at a simmer until sauce like consistency then add in your chicken and heat through.
6. If not blending, keep at a low boil until thickened to your liking (ALWAYS taste the sauce before adding the meat or serving) and then add the chicken.
7. Pile the chicken on toasted buns with pickled jalapenos, tomatoes and lettuce.

There are so many other ways to make this- other usual ingredients are ketchup, tomato paste, mustard, cumin, paprika, beer, chipolte etc.  If you want you can add a squirt of ketchup or tomato paste to heighten the tomato flavor more.  Taste the sauce before adding the chicken and adjust to your preference.

Now if you don't have already cooked chicken, don't worry- just poach your chicken first then use the poaching liquid as your chicken stock. Add chicken to pot, cover with water until almost fully submerged.  Bring to a boil then immediately reduce to a low simmer.  Cook until done.  Remove chicken and the water it cooked in is now essentially chicken broth- use for your sauce!

Turkey Stock

So after you have stripped that turkey for all its got- why not get some more out of it?  This couldn't be simplier and you can use it for my leftover turkey chili recipe. 

Ingredients

• Full turkey carcas- bones, skin, etc
• 1 large onion
• 1 large carrot
• 2 ribs of celery
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 3 bay leaves
• a couple springs of thyme and rosemary
• about 10 whole peppercorns
• water
• salt

Directions

1. Get a large soup/stock pot.  Break the turkey up so it will fit in the pot.
2. Add all other ingredients.
3. Fill the pot up with water.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
5. Simmer for at least an hour skimming the fat off the top as you go.
6. Let cool and see if you need to skim any more fat.
7. Strain out into another large vessel (if you have cheese cloth I would use it here) then store accordingly.  You could even freeze it if you wanted.

Thanksgiving Dinner + Leftover Turkey Chili

So my first Thanksgiving dinner party went great.  I am so thankful the turkey (cooking it for the first time ever!) was juicy and delicious and for the friends that came over to help enjoy it.  I didn't have too many leftovers but my favorite turkey use up is chili- it is an easy one pot meal and you can use just about anything you have left over. 

I didn't take many pictures of my dinner party which I am a bit upset about, but Christmas party time is right around the corner! 

So quick recap: I defrosted the 15lb frozen turkey for 2 days, brined for another 2 days, then let dry out in the fridge over night before I roasted and basted for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours.  Then let rest for at least half an hour.  I followed Anne Burrell's brined turkey recipe for the most part.  (I also have to especially thank my brother and sister in law for letting me borrow the electric knife- otherwise I would have been cutting that thing forever!) Then when I was all done with the turkey I even made some homemade turkey stock!

See all the wonderful flavors being infused!?

I served appetizers: cheese platter, homemade olive bread, stuffed mushrooms, nuts etc.

Main course: was of course the turkey w homemade gravy, roasted regular and sweet potatoes, roasted broccoli, corn muffins, biscuits, cheesy cauliflower, stuffing, Anne Burrell's Killer Mac and Cheese with Bacon (which was the hit of the party) and the gross jelly cranberry stuff (which will not be served next time).  There could of been more, I just can't remember right this second.



Not bad for the first time!

 Dessert (which most of us didn't even have room to consume) was homemade pignoli cookies and clemetines. 

I can't wait to do this again.  And next time will come with more pictures.

Now on to the leftovers!  Remember you can swap or substitute whatever you have/want.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 poblano chili peppers
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• about 3 cups of leftover turkey chopped or sliced into bite size pieces with all bones and skin removed
• 1 cup of corn
• 1 (28oz) can of crushed tomatoes
• 28oz of homemade turkey stock (just use tomato can to measure)
• 1 (15oz) can of red kidney beans
• 2 palmfuls of chili powder
• 1 palmful of cumin
• 1/2 palmfull of coriander
• salt to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat up a bit of oil.
2. Add the onion and peppers, cook for about 5-7 minutes
3. Add the garlic, cook 2 minutes
4. Add all the spices first, then everything else
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  I usually like to simmer for at least 20 minutes to get the flavors married.  Longer is fine.  If it looks to thick, add a bit more stock.
6. Garnish with leftover shredded cheese, sour cream, pickled jalapenos, raw onions, crumbled corn bread, tortilla chips etc!