When I graduated from college, my mom gave me a recipe book titled 365 Ways to Cook Chicken. True story. I love the versatility of cooking with poultry and have always enjoyed it (minus that six-month vegan stint). On a cold winter day, you can find a chicken or turkey crown roasting away in our oven, and in the summer, you can see the coals piping hot in the grill on our porch.
While Sunday evening dinners are a tradition around here, we’ve found some time-saving ways to stretch this meal across the first half of the week. These recipes are also great with a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Here are our go-to favorites!
Chicken Fajitas
This is ideal if you’ve also grilled some onions and peppers. Chop, reheat briefly, and add fajita seasoning. Gently warm some tortillas and voila! Dinner in less than 15 minutes!
Chicken Pot Pies
Despite being a winter staple in our house, these freeze and reheat incredibly well if you put them into small containers.
Soften and brown whatever veggies you have lying around (celery, onions, leeks, carrots, parsnips, potatoes) in a few tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper before adding the cooked (and chopped) chicken. Add 1 1/2 cups milk and roux (two cups of broth mixed with 1/3 cup of flour). Bring to a boil, reduce to medium-low, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add frozen peas and/or corn, 2 tbsp parsley, and 1 tbsp thyme. Put into a baking dish, cover with puff pastry, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve piping hot.
Chicken Waldorf Salad
This one always makes me happy. It’s super easy to make, makes an average dinner seem slightly more sophisticated, and looks beautiful when served on a bed of lettuce or in a pita pocket.
Combine 1/3 cup mayo, 1/3 cup yogurt, 2 tbsp lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add two cups of diced leftover chicken, two apples cored and diced, 2/3 cup chopped celery, and 1/2 cup of seedless grapes (halved). Mix and serve!
Spiced Chicken & Apricot Salad
This dish is best served cold, which makes it perfect for those hot, don’t-want-to-cook days of summer that are surely coming. Right?
Combine 2 tbsp plain yogurt, 4 tsp mango chutney, and 2 tsp mild curry paste for dressing. Then add four chopped scallions, 1/2 cup cooked rice, one chopped celery stalk, 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots, and 6 ounces of chopped leftover chicken. Stir to combine. This is best enjoyed with some naan bread.
