None dare call it 'leftover'
So last night I made a roast chicken for dinner with wild rice pilaf as a side dish. Steamed cauliflower rounded out the plate--it was a good dinner.
I took a short cut to pilaf: I prepared a box of Uncle Ben's Wild rice according to directions on the box and while it was cooking, I sauteed 1 onion, 1/2 sweet orange pepper, 1 large grated carrot and about 5 or 6 baby bella mushrooms, sliced thin, in olive oil. Once the rice was done, I folded the sauteed vegetables. Easy peasy.
This morning I'm making soup. I think I'll call it Roast Chicken Pilaf soup because that's really all it is--leftover chicken and leftover pilaf brought together with broth. The broth has been fortified by adding the salty, brown pan drippings from the roast chicken (fat skimmed). How simple is that? I just got it together and tasted it and WOW! It's really good and so easy! Which is why I'm sharing this with you.
Repurposing leftovers can lead to some really great and unexpected meals. Some are hard to replicate but others become family favorites in their own right. I think this will fall into that category.