_When refrigerating leftovers, break them down into shallow pans that aren't deeper than a couple of inches. If you have a deep pan with lots of, for example, leftover stuffing, it could take too long for the food in the middle to cool down to 40 degrees.
_If you're not going to eat the leftover chicken within three days, freeze it.
_Don't store cooked chicken in the freezer for longer than three months. Label it so you can keep track of it. A California home economist friend of mine keeps a running log of what's in her freezer, marking dishes when they are removed. This reduces the search time with the freezer open, and keeps her from losing track of what's in there.
_Wrap leftovers tightly in moisture proof wrapping so as to prevent freezer burn.
_Think of ways of working leftovers into your brown bag lunches. Cold chicken makes a great lunch. Chicken soup or stew goes great in a thermos. If you happen to be browsing in this chapter and find you want to make one of the recipes but don't have any leftovers handy, you can make some by:
1. Baking a chicken. Place whole chicken without any seasonings or coatings, uncovered in a 350oF oven for approximately 1 hour.
2. Simmering a whole chicken
1 chicken
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt or to taste