The Slow Cooker On Leftover Night

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

Here’s a familiar scenario: you’ve gone out to eat and have gotten so full by the time your main course has arrived that you had to save most of your meal in a doggy bag. I am thinking of an Italian restaurant where the portions are so large, and I get so full on appetizers and bread that I can hardly even take a bite of the entrée. The next day we have another feast of leftovers that, to me, taste even better than the night before.

Next time you plan to pull out the slow cooker to make a meal, consider the fact that leftovers sometimes taste even better the next day. You can make a larger batch of your meal, such as the Chicken Cacciatore below (also using a leftover heel of parmesan cheese and some extra red wine you may have around), and then save the remainder for an easy lunch that is ready to go for the next day or day after. This is one of those recipes where the flavors come together even more once it has been chilled and reheated. It makes it even easier to reheat when you have a crockpot with an insert that can be removed and placed directly in the refrigerator.

Some creative cooks even plan meals around how they can rework the leftovers into an entirely new and different meal. If you serve a roast chicken one night, the remaining chicken can be cut up to top a simple salad or cooked into a new dish such as slow cooked chicken and dumplings. The remains of a roast chicken dinner also make a great basis for any variation of homemade chicken soup.

French cooking makes great use of all the remnants that might otherwise get thrown away. In classic French cooking you learn not to waste anything, such as in the use of extra trimmings of leeks, carrots, celery and onions to make the culinary staple, chicken stock. Italian cooks make great use of leftovers as well, using the chicken liver from a whole chicken to make a spread for toast (Chicken Liver Crostini) or a bit of wine from last night’s meal to finish a sauce.

And what about those occasions when you don’t have the time to shop but have a refrigerator and pantry full of odds and ends? Leftover roast turkey or ham are two great items to start with when you want to clean out your refrigerator. You can also get creative with those week-old produce items that may taste better in a long cooked dish. I have been buying more vegetables than I can use at the weekly farmer’s market lately, and my refrigerator has gotten very full. Cleaning out the fridge is a really therapeutic project for me, and it gives me great pleasure when I can once again clearly see all the contents inside.

Of course, if something in your refrigerator seems to have gone bad, don't use it. If it smells funky or rancid, or is the wrong color, get rid of it. As they say, when in doubt, throw it out.

I’m off to clean my refrigerator now and see what I can come up with for tonight’s dinner!

Serves/Makes: 4

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 pounds chicken breasts, boneless
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup dry red wine or red cooking wine
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can (14.5 ounce size) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves