Elegant Chicken Melts & Vegetable Soup + Cheesy Biscuits ( Dinner x 2)

I just roasted a chicken that I found in a old magazine called Real Simple. I know I heated up my house in southern Az I must be crazy. But it was so beautiful and so good. It was kinda a throw back to the days in which my mom made enormous sunday dinners that everyone ooohed and awwed over. You know what I am talking about right? As a kid having to wait for impossibly long time as the smells waffled through each room, and being shooed from the kitchen anytime I tried to steal a sample. 

Using the leftover chicken & veggies and sauce from Roasted Herb Chicken & Root Veggies with Maple Mustard Sauce I recreated two other meals. Yay. Dinner is already mostly done for two other nights in the busy week. I hope this doesn't make me sound lazy. Cooking once eating but making three dinners. One chicken stretched it several ways. 

Each meal serves 3 or 4. Easily doubled based on leftovers + staples in your pantry.  

Meal 1:  Elegant Chicken Melt Sandwiches

Ingredients: 

1 cup leftover cooked/roasted chicken cut or shredded

2-3 Tbs leftover maple mustard sauce

3 or 4 sourdough english muffins (1 per person) 

tin foil to cover baking sheet 

1/8- 1/4 red onion thinly sliced 

3/4 - 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese or your fav kind of cheese (pile it up high if you're cheese lover)

1 cup of chopped baby spinach blend

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. 

Top the open face english muffins with a spread of the mustard maple sauce instead of the usual mayo. 

Start cooking any additional sides. 

Slice your red onion, shred the cheese, and cut the spinach*

On each muffin layer the chicken, and top with the cheese. 

No green healthy stuff on this one... my man's plate

Bake for approx 10 minutes or until all the cheese is melted. 

Top each muffin with the fresh spinach blend 

Serve each elegant open faced chicken melt with a fun summer side dish. I served my fav vegetable, corn on the cob (which is on sale everywhere), and some store bought potato salad. 

Optional additional ideas include adding one thick beefsteak tomato slice on top of the melted cheese under the fresh spinach blend, and topping it all with some mustard maple sauce.

 Enjoy this fabulous meal!!! 

Meal 2: Vegetable Soup + Cheddar Biscuits

note: The veggie soup wasn't a huge hit in my house but the biscuits were. Considering I got them to eat veggie soup I am pretty happy about that. LOL I knew going into this one, wasn't going to be the top of my picky family's list. Maybe you'll have more luck at your house. I thought it tasted great :) 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of leftover cooked veggies (such as potatoes, carrots, onion, celery- or any combo of root veggies roasted with olive oil). 

5 cups of chicken broth

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 

1/8 cup baking powder

1 Tbs sugar, 

1/2 tsp salt, 

1/2 cup of really cold butter 

2/3 cup milk

3/4 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup of OJ ( I used v8 tropical orange juice - just what i had on hand)

Directions: 

1. Make these awesome biscuits. You can make them small or large as previously described in the link below. 

http://noreservations4lunchdinner.blogspot.com/2013/05/chicken-biscuits-gravy-cheesy-garlic.html 

2.  Make this soup: 

 Heat chicken broth, roasted vegetables, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper - bring to a boil and simmer stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the orange juice. Using an immersion blender or a blender - transfer the vegetable mixture and puree until smooth.

Serve the yummy delicious vegetable soup with the biscuits, butter, honey, jam, or cheese, on/with your biscuits. The soup is thick but tasty and healthy. The bright orange color (due to the carrots) is like summer time in a bowl. 

Two meals done all with leftovers & staples from your pantries! Amazing. Yes you are. Happy Summer eating :) Now go start roasting your chicken(s) so you can get to using up the leftovers in creative ways. 

From my kitchen to yours.