Chicken Brodo Recipe - Cook Once, Eat Four Times!

My Mother-in-law recently passed on a beautiful recipe that has saved my bacon this winter. It is a cook once and eat many times dish that I keep coming back to. It is easy, delicious and the whole family eats it (winner winner chicken dinner - which it is!). If I cook it on a Monday, it usually gets us to Thursday (see variations below, not the same meal each night - boring!). It is full of bone broth (you must know our love for this by now) which doesn’t hurt with the many many MANY childcare bugs around right now.

First up, the Chicken Brodo. You cook the chicken and veggies to make the Brodo stock, saving the cooked chook and veggies for another (easy to prep) meal. Then cook the Popetti (fancy word for meatballs) in the Brodo stock, add some pasta, maybe some extra veggies and you are done! This recipe is incredibly adaptable, and you can really add any mix of veggies you like. The reason I keep coming back to this recipe is that ease that it provides from the rest of the week, always something to whip up.

What can you do with the leftover chicken and veggies from the Brodo?

Use as a filling for a pie, pasta bake, risotto, Mexican bean soup, curry, chicken noodle soup but lately my fav has been making laksa. I fry laksa paste in a big pot, add coconut cream, water (bone broth would be good here) plus the shredded chicken and vegetables. Once warm, serve with vermicelli noodles, coriander and squeeze of lime. So warming and tasty, like a hug in a bowl. Another option is to add shredded chicken and veggies to our Dahl mix which I have only just thought of and will be trying next time I make it!

Then to use the chicken a third time, I make bone broth with the bones. Always handy to have some in the freezer. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Chicken Brodo
1 whole free range chicken
Butter
3 carrots
2 onions
4 pieces of pumpkin
2 tbsp of chicken broth/stock
Water to cover chicken
Salt + Pepper
2 Bay leaves + herbs
Risoni or thin spaghetti

Popetti
500 grams chicken mince (ask your butcher to make this fresh from chicken thighs it makes the dish!)
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped parsley
1 egg
1 clove crushed garlic

Method
1. Cut all vegetables into big chunks and pan fry in a large pot with butter.
2. Add chicken, water, stock + herbs. Cover and simmer on medium heat until chicken is tender (about 1.5 hours)
3. Combine all Popetti ingredients and mould into small balls. Refrigerate for 30 mins.
4. Use tongs to remove chicken and strain all vegetables (be sure to keep the brodo!!). Store Chicken and vegetables for another meal (options listed above).
5. Return brodo to the pot, let simmer and add popetti. Cook until they rise, approx. 10 mins. I like to throw in zucchini chunks or broccoli at this stage but a handful of spinach or any veggies you have on hand would work nicely. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve with risoni or thin spaghetti – feel free to top with fresh parsley and/or parmesan cheese.

I really hope you enjoy these meals and the ease with which they provide. Feel free to let us know how you go! Tag us on socials and add the hashtag #FYCBrodo

Big love,

Micka xx

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