You Put the Lime in the Chicken

Day 1

Lime and Chile Chicken Fricasse

Day 2

Chicken Salad With Warm Broth Dressing

Everyone has eaten leftover chicken. Sometimes we even make extra chicken just so we have a meal for the next night. It’s easy to do, and chicken stores well wrapped in foil or plastic wrap.

Here, we start with Lime and Chile Chicken Fricassee for Day 1. It’s a terrific way to make chicken, with a kick of chipotle and green chiles and a dash of chili powder.

The next day, try Chicken Salad With Warm Broth Dressing. All of the over-the-stove cooking is done the first night in one pan. The second night, assemble the salad and make the dressing. The salad also works well for a luncheon or brunch.

Lime and Chile Chicken Fricassee

Total Preparation Time: 45 minutes * Active Work Time: 25 minutes

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 cut-up whole chicken or 6 breasts, bone in and skin on

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 small can diced green chiles

1 leek, white part only, split lengthwise and thinly sliced

Juice of 2 limes

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

3 dried chipotle peppers

3 ears corn, kernels removed, or 1 cup drained canned corn

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 avocado

Mix together flour, salt, black pepper and chili powder. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off any excess.

Heat olive oil and butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. When butter starts to brown, put chicken in pan, skin-side down. Cook until skin is golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Brown other side 3 to 4 minutes, then add diced green chilies, leek, lime juice, garlic, chicken broth and chipotles. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Remove chicken to serving platter and add corn and tomatoes to simmering broth. Cook until corn is just tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

While corn cooks, peel and slice avocado.

Spoon corn and tomato on platter in spaces between chicken pieces. Top each piece of chicken with 1 avocado slice. (Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid for next day’s salad dressing.)

6 servings, or 4 servings plus leftovers. Each of 6 servings: 475 calories, 822 mg sodium, 28 mg cholesterol, 27 grams fat, 24 grams carbohydrates, 34 grams protein, 2.15 grams fiber.

Chicken Salad With Warm Broth Dressing

Total Preparation Time: 15 minutes * Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Quick * Easy

If you keep toasted pumpkin seeds or pine nuts on hand, this 15-minute dish becomes a 10-minute dish.

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds or pine nuts

1 cup chicken broth (reserved from Lime and Chile Fricassee or canned)

1 carrot, shredded

4 cups shredded nappa cabbage

Meat from 2 cooked chicken breasts, or other leftover chicken pieces, shredded

1 red onion, very thinly sliced

2 zucchini, thinly sliced

2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Salt, pepper

Spread pumpkin seeds or pine nuts on baking sheet in single layer and toast in oven at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. (May be done up to one week ahead.) Let cool 5 minutes.

Warm broth in pan over low heat while preparing rest of salad (or heat for 30 seconds in microwave at high).

Mix together shredded carrot, cabbage and chicken.

Line edge of dinner plates with ring of red onion, then ring of zucchini and, inside that, a ring of tomato slices.

Whisk vinegar into warm broth.

Drizzle a little dressing over the onion, zucchini and tomatoes.

Toss cabbage-chicken mixture with remaining dressing and place mound of salad in center of each plate.

Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds.

4 servings. Each serving: 256 calories, 324 mg sodium, 37 mg cholesterol, 13 grams fat, 19 grams carbohydrates, 24 grams protein, 2.21 grams fiber.