Roast Chicken

As I mentioned in Mastering the Weekly Shop, having a few go-to dinners that are kinda homemade will really help cut down on the weekday meal preparing stress. One way to always have such a meal on hand is to add a grocery store pre-made roast chicken to your shopping list. Pretty much every grocery store including Costco have fresh hot roast chickens prepared daily.

Occasionally I’ll roast one myself using the best roast chicken recipe that is completely foolproof from the Barefoot Contessa. When I do, it’s just as easy to make two at a time. {I double recipes whenever I can.} One chicken can be for Sunday dinner, the other can be your go-to kinda homemade meal during the week. And depending on how much your family eats you may even get a third meal out of it too! With a little planning, the dinner hour can be a little less stressful and a little more enjoyable. Here are some of our current faves for using roasted chicken.

Mexican

Shredded Chicken Tacos {image credit: Smitten Kitchen}

Tostadas can be anything you want them to be. This recipe is from My Recipes.

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes {image credit: Simply Recipes}

This is how I make them in a pinch for weeknights.

1. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and line it with some salsa verde 2. Steam a dozen corn tortillas in a damp cloth in the microwave. 3. Fill a tortilla with fat-free refried black beans, shredded roasted chicken, monterey jack cheese and sour cream if you like. 4. Roll them up + repeat. 5.Top with a generous amount of the enchilada sauce and sprinkle with more jack cheese. 6. Bake @ 375 until bubbly.

Salads

Chicken and Nectarine Salad

Chicken and Roasted Beet Salad

Chinese Chicken Salad

Or try Couscous, Tabbouleh or Quinoa Chicken Salad

Soup

The Barefoot Contessa has a simple recipe for making quick chicken soup. Perfect for weekdays. Just substitute the homemade chicken stock for one that is store bought.