If you are a fan of those delicious cooked chickens in your local super market as I am, you’ll know that they make a fabulous meal. We enjoy the cooked chicken for a couple of meals along with vegetables or potatoes. When we’ve had our fill, I strip down the rest of the bird, separating the meat from the bones and skin. It’s a messy job, but well worth it.

I chop up the meat for chicken salad and a few treats for the cats, then I dump the chicken carcass into a pot of water. I let it boil and bubble away, and throw in some bay leaves, sage, salt and pepper, and some rosemary leaves. When it tastes good and chicken-y, I strain out the bones and skin; that’s the broth. You can just have it as is (which is great for soothing colds!), or you can chop in onions and celery and carrots; feel free to dump in some of the chopped chicken as well. It makes a wonderful chicken soup; perfect for this time of year.

Once that’s done, I toss the rest of the chopped chicken into a bowl and add chopped onions and celery, salt and pepper and mayo for chicken salad. You can also cut up some olives and throw them in as well. It makes a delicious lunch.

As we need to stay close to home these days, it’s a comfort to make and enjoy good meals. Stay safe and stay healthy.