Three quick and easy meals from one whole chicken
Here is three different recipes to make with one whole chicken, whether you buy it frozen and thaw or fresh. Though, if bought frozen, the chicken will have to be thawed for the dividing and cooking. All three recipes are real simple and easy to make, under ten dollars and will feed at least four people. Our lives are going at a record speed, this is to help the blow of time and money in cooking. I hope you enjoys these recipes as much as my family does.
1. Bare chicken parmesan
2.Roasted rosemary chicken and baby potatoes
3.Chicken and dumpling soup
You should divide the chicken as follows, breast/leg quarters and wings/tenderloin and carcass. It is easier to cut through the joints instead of the bones. For the breast, slide the knife close to the bone, no bone will be needed for this recipe.
Bare Chicken Parmesan
After you have cut the two breast off of the bone, remove skin and any excess fat. Cut then in to 1-1 1/2 inch strips.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Pour half a jar of spaghetti sauce in a square baking pan, line chicken strips up where they are not touching. Pour remainder of sauce on chicken.
Top with white cheese (parm and mozz)
Bake for 25-35 minutes depending on strip thickness.
Make a tossed salad and your choice of pasta. The lack of frying in bread crumbs will greatly reduce the fat in this dish. I have found that this method tends to produce juicier chicken as well. Prep time as you can see is very meager. I usually put the timer on 15 minutes, when it goes off throw the pasta in the some hot water and finish the salad.
Rosemary Chicken with Potatoes
This recipe will be using the legs, thighs and wings of the chicken. Start by washing the skin and cutting any excess fat off, still leaving the skin on though.
Mix 3 tsp. rosemary crushed--if using fresh I would recommend only 1 tsp. as this will be a stronger flavor, 2 tsp garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1tsp. paprika-preferably smoked and 2 tbsp of cooking oil in to a large mixing bowl.
Wash and quarter 6-7 red or new potatoes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Mix chicken and potatoes in oil and seasoning, coating fully.
Place in baking dish and put in oven uncovered.
Set your timer for 15 minutes.
Once that goes off, lower the temperature in oven to 325 and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Legs must be at 180 degrees internal temperature.
Pair with asparagus or cauliflower for a well balanced quick meal. Prep time should be around ten minutes or so.
Chicken and Dumpling Soup
A twist on Grandma's old favorite. This will use the remainder of the chicken, your tenderloins and carcass. Once again, wash the chicken and skin well. Pull off any excess fat, you don't need this for the flavor.
Cit the tenderloins in to half inch slices. Putting the carcass and cut chicken in to 8 cups of hot water with salt, bringing to a boil.
After 15 minutes chicken should be nearly if not all the way cooked. Add in a 8-12 oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Canned mixed vegetables can work as well, although you will need to put those in right before the dumpling mixture so they will not break up in to mush.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for another 10 minutes.
Pull the chicken carcass out. You can pull any remaining meat off for soup, depending on how meaty you would like it. Just set to the side to cool and reincorporate when finished.
Make a dumpling mixture. The best way I have found for no fuss dumplings is using a baking mix, preferably where you just add water. Whatever the case may be, any biscuit mix would work as well, just add 50 percent more liquid.
Pour about 3/4 of a cup of dumpling mixture on top of simmering soup. After 3-4 minutes, you should be able to see bubbling through the dough, gently mix incorporating the dough fully in to the soup.
Cook another 5 minutes, stirring once more. Pull off heat and enjoy.