a chicken from the food bank

What can you make with a whole chicken from the food bank? Well that depends on what else you got, and what you have lying around the house. I put it in a large pot and covered it with water and bay leaves and some other herbs. I simmered my chicken for several hours, until the meat was falling off the bone and melting on my tongue.
I separated the meat from the bone and tossed the bone scraps. Dogs ate the skin, and I put the broth in the fridge to cool. I got a little over a pint of broth which I used to flavor rice all week (and to entice my dogs to eat the dog food that was on sale). Using a quarter of a cup for the dog food and about half a cup each time I made rice, the broth really did last all week.
The meat I split into two bowls. One was used for Chicken Salad Sandwiches, and I got enough for 4 sandwiches with just the pulled chicken and mayonnaise.
So far, I haven't really used much besides the chicken, and gotten several lunches and a few side dishes. Here's where we get a little creative: Chicken Divan, my favorite comfort food of all time, and oh so needed right now. 
I had a can of butternut squash soup so I used that instead of condensed Cream of Chicken soup, but I added some cream and simmered it to thicken before assembling the casserole. While that was simmering, I steamed three heads of broccoli and trimmed the florets off, tossed the stalks. Broccoli in the bottom of a casserole dish, spread the pulled chicken over that because everyone loves layers. 
Since I was cooking the soup, I had to wait till it cooled to add the mayonnaise. Mayonnaise acts as a binder, like eggs do. In a casserole, mayonnaise makes the finished meal creamier than if you added eggs. I added the curry powder to the soup while it was cooking to get the best flavor out of it, and then let it cool. Mix with mayo and squeeze half a lime or lemon. The soup mixture becomes the next layer and it will sink during baking to surround the chicken and broccoli in creamy curried yumminess. I shredded some sharp cheddar on top and put it in the oven at 350. 
Next--the breadcrumbs. Melted some butter, just enough to moisten the panko, and spread over the shredded cheese. If you put the Divan in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese together, I find it easier to spread the breadcrumbs than loose shreds of cheese. 
Bake an hour or so and enjoy over rice! Which is why I was making rice all week. 
I got nine servings of the casserole, 4 sandwiches, and broth for several servings of rice out of one food bank frozen whole pullet.