Using Leftover Rotisserie Chicken

Seldom do I buy a rotisserie chicken knowing it is too much for one meal for the two of us. (And Bud doesn't care for leftovers.) During the winter I make chicken noodle soup, but what to do in warm weather? That question sent me searching online. I was thinking along the lines of chicken pot pie or some such. What I found was a delicious chicken and biscuit recipe. I did not have all the ingredients called for, so I did some creative compromising. This is what I did:

Put the chicken carcass in a heavy pan, added a cup of water, put the lid on, turned the heat to medium high and let the chicken simmer for fifteen minutes to make it easy to get all the remaining meat off the bones. I ended up with about two cups of meat which I tore into bite size pieces. Pour the broth off, keeping a half cup. Saute a small onion in two tablespoons of butter - using the same heavy pan. Add to pan: one can cream of chicken soup, the half cup of broth*, 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of sour cream, two cups of frozen peas, the chicken and pepper to taste.

I did not have cream of chicken soup on hand, so I used cream of celery. I let all this heat through while I was stirring it together before turning it into a greased 11x7 baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

Remove from oven, sprinkle one cup of shredded mild cheddar cheese over the baked mixture. Top with a can of refrigerated biscuits. I used Pillsbury's Southern Style Biscuits which were perfect for this. Sprinkle the biscuits with more grated cheese. Return to oven until biscuits are baked - about another 20 minutes - at 350 degrees.

I think you could be very creative with this recipe. For instance, sauteing some chopped celery or red peppers with the onion; adding frozen broccoli instead of peas - or even mixed vegetables. I did not have enough shredded cheddar cheese, so I used some grated Swiss to make a cup. For the cheese on top of the biscuits I used shredded mozzarella.

This was one recipe Bud didn't mind eating leftovers. We had the first half for lunch yesterday and finished it for lunch today. It was just as good re-heated. So very, very yummy. I have added the recipe to my favourites file, but will continue trying new variations each time I make it.

*Original recipe called for one cup milk. I used the broth instead of milk.