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2 Roasted Chickens, 7 Meal Ideas!

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Weeknight meal planning and cooking can really be a challenge…we’re all busy, everyone is hungry and time is of the essence.  There are days when I really have to dig deep to figure out what we’re having for dinner!  And more often than I’d like to admit we turn to take out.  But if I plan properly, and bake and cook in big batches I can avoid all that dinner planning stress.

One of my go-to big batch meals is roasted chicken, either roasting them at home, our purchasing rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.  I know that when we have roasted chicken for dinner one night, I can get several meals (and lunches) out of that roasted chicken for the next few days.  I love this because not only is this a convenient and inexpensive way to meal plan, but I like knowing that we are enjoying nutritious, high quality and affordable meals.

A single chicken can be turned into a number of different meals: from roasted chicken one night, to soups, to stews, to stocks that are used as a base for other dishes for other nights.  I’ve always done this type of meal planning with roasted chicken, so when I was challenged by the Chicken Farmers of Canada to take 2 roasted chickens and make 7 meals for the week out of them, I actually couldn’t wait to see what meals we could enjoy over the next 7 days.  This challenge was surprisingly a lot easier than I thought it would be.

So the next time you’re serving roasted chicken for dinner, you can feel good knowing that you are already halfway to having dinner plans for the next few days!

2 roasted chickens, 7 meals

Title1

2 Roasted Chickens, 7 Meals {A Pretty Life}

For the first night we enjoyed Oven Roasted Chicken with mashed potatoes, roasted squash, green peas and a salad.  Just a simple and classic meal…a perfect Sunday dinner to set up the week.

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Title2

Homemade Chicken Broth {A Pretty Life}

For the second day, I made Homemade Chicken Broth, which is the easiest thing in the world to make, and so convenient to have around (it freezes great too).  This recipe makes a large batch of broth that can be used for 2 soup recipes.  So for day #2 I used half of the broth for this Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup.

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Title3

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Bake {A Pretty Life}

For day #3 I made this Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Bake.  My kids LOVED this dish.  All you have to do is boil enough spaghetti noodles for your family (I used leftover spaghetti noodles), add the cooked noodles to a baking dish, pour in a jar of spaghetti sauce, sprinkle on 1 cup of shredded left over chicken, sprinkle on 1 – 2 cups of shredded cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 – 40 minutes.  Yum.

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Title4

Cheddar & Ale Chicken Chowder

For day #4 I served this warm & hearty Cheddar & Ale Chicken Chowder.  The original recipe is made in a crockpot, but it can also be made directly on the stove.  Just follow the recipe, adding all of the ingredients to a pot on the stove, and substitute the raw chicken for 1 cup of cooked, shredded chicken.  This soup recipe also makes a large batch so it’s great for sending with the kids for school lunches the next day.

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Title5

Easy Chicken Chilaquiles

For day #5 we enjoyed this Easy Chicken Chilaquiles dinner.  This is a family favourite and SO easy to make…this recipe is ready in less than one hour too, making it a perfect weeknight meal!

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Title6

Chicken and Apple Tortilla Melt

Chicken is a great protein for lunches too!  My kids have been packing chicken sandwiches with BBQ sauce and cheese in their lunches for school, and I enjoyed these Chicken and Apple Tortilla Melts at home.  (Recipe and image from Chicken.ca)

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Title7

Chicken and Rice Soup {A Pretty Life}

And for the final recipe, I made this 30-Minute Chicken & Rice Soup.  As I was making this soup I remarked at how good my home smelled…there’s something so delicious and nostalgic about the smells of carrots, celery and onions cooking on the stove.  These are the smells of childhood and holidays and the anticipation of something delicious coming!  And they can be the smells of everyday life too…simple 30 minute dinners that make everyone come running to the table.

Whisk

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30 Minute Chicken & Rice Soup

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  • Author: Jo-Anna Rooney
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 – 3 carrots (chopped)
  • 2 celery sticks (chopped)
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 1/2 green pepper (chopped)
  • 4 cups of home made chicken stock
  • salt (if necessary (adjust to taste))
  • fresh ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 cup cooked (shredded chicken)
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

  1. In a saucepan saute the carrots, celery, onion and green pepper in the butter for about 3 minutes.
  2. Sprinkle on some salt & pepper to taste.
  3. Add the thyme and cook for about 2 more minutes. Set aside.
  4. Bring your stock to a low boil, then add the rice, cooked chicken and carrot mixture.
  5. Lower the heat to low-medium and simmer for about 5 minutes.
  6. Add the frozen peas, simmer for about 5 more minutes.

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Mention @prettysuburbs so I can see what you made!

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Isn’t it amazing how many delicious (and uncomplicated) meals you can get out of 2 roasted chickens?  Not to mention healthy and easy on the wallet too!  I hope you got some ideas here for your next meal plan! Enjoy!

Have a delicious day!

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Disclosure: I am participating in the Chicken Farmers of Canada campaign managed by SJ Consulting. I received compensation in exchange for my participation in this campaign. The opinions on this blog are my own.

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86 Comments

  1. This time of the year I love make Chicken and Dumplings! Chicken Parmesan is another family favourite. We eat chicken several times a week!

    Reply

  8. We love chicken it seems I’m always using chicken. Our favourite is Chicken Parmesan! We love a stuffing on the side!

    Reply

  19. I love roasted chickens for the same reason – all the leftovers! And there’s nothing like homemade chicken broth. I’m the weirdo who finds herself up to her elbows in chicken meat and bones while making broth at 5:30 in the morning lol.

    This soup looks fantastic. 🙂

    Reply

  24. These are great recipes, and so economical. You know what’s funny? Chicken, cheese and BBQ sauce sandwiches were one of my school favourites when I was a kid, too. 🙂

    Reply

  27. My favorite chicken recipe is roasted chicken parts that have been marinated in rosemary, lemon juice and olive oil.

    Reply

  28. Soft Tortillas shells wrapped with grilled chicken breast – topped with cheese/tomatoes/ranch dressing and the piece de resistance a dollop of *red hot chili flakes* …..*HEAT*…Comfort food.

    Eva Mitton-Urban

    Reply

  32. I love cheesy fried chicken! Mix bread crumbs and crushed up cheese crackers. Top with more cheddar cheese and bake – huge hit at my house!

    Reply

  38. My Mom’s Chicken Rice Soup is where I learned how far you can go with a couple of roasted chickens!! Wonderful recipes!!

    Reply

  39. Especially over the fall and winter my favourite meal to cook (and eat) at home is a savoury Butter Chicken. Mmmmm!
    @myblocktyler

    Reply

  45. Chicken pot pie of course, but I also make a mean pasta dish I call Pasta Antonio. Chicken, sundried tomato pesto, basil, roasted red peppers, portobello mushrooms all together in a cream sauce… Yum!

    Reply

  49. Chicken Legs or wings – I zest a lime, and combine it with montreal steak spice, then squeeze the juice over the chicken and season it with lime zesty spice. Bake at 400 for about an hour. Yum.

    Reply

  51. We always make Chicken Noodle Soup and Classy Chicken from the Best of Bridge with our leftover roast chicken. Right now I am using one for salads and the leftovers will get made into soup stock. I love Chicken 😀

    Reply

  53. I love making a modified chicken pot pie with biscuits or dumplings on top instead of a traditional pie crust. And our go-to weeknight/lazy meal is chicken thighs with a sticky-sweet glaze that I found in a old copy of Canadian Living.

    Reply

  54. Chicken Fajitas are a fave in our house. We’ve used everything from ground, shredded, cubed and left over chicken. So delish!

    Reply

  63. Rotisserie chickens are a life-saver after a crazy busy day at the office, though I usually can’t be bothered to do much besides cutting the chicken up into portions and then shoving it in my mouth. 🙂
    When life isn’t so hectic, I make a pretty killer chicken tagine with bone-in chicken thighs, green olives, almonds and cranberries in a saffron sauce. I make an extra-large batch sometimes so that I can get two or three meals out of one pot!

    Reply

  73. This is exactly what we do when we have chicken, buy it whole and roast it, maybe a pasta or pot pie, then soup (curried chicken and rice soup is our favourite!)

    Reply