Five Meals, Four People, One Roast Chicken

A few weeks ago, I posted on my Instagram story that every Sunday when I roast one chicken for my family, I tend to roast a second one right alongside it to eat throughout the week. It requires no more effort since you’re already making one roast chicken and your oven will already be on so really there’s no reason not to. From this second roast chicken, you may be surprised to know that you can get five meals to serve four people! Isn’t that amazing?! If you start with a 1.5kg chicken, once you’ve stripped all the meat off the chicken you will end up with around 720g of chicken and then you separate it into 3 lots of 240g to use in 3 different recipes. So here we have three recipes using the shredded roast chicken itself, an extra recipe using the crispy chicken skin (nothing is going to waste here) and one recipe using homemade chicken stock which is very simple to make from the leftover chicken bones you will have. Every recipe post has a detailed breakdown on the recipe with all the usual notes, tips, tricks to make it delicious. I’ve also included notes on how to make it without leftover roast chicken too, in case you like the sound of the recipe but just want to make it as a one off. I would really recommend trying to roast two chickens at once at the weekend. You will thank yourself when you realise how quickly you can then pull together supper when you have those purposeful leftovers waiting for you.

The recipes

Creamy Roast Chicken & Mushroom Pasta

Because sometimes all you need is a quick and easy pasta recipe and this is exactly that. I love adding the roast chicken as it’s not only delicious but I always feel better when I’ve got a little added protein to my pasta.

Total Time

20 minutes

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Melty Cheesy Black Bean, Red Pepper & Roast Chicken Quesadillas with Avocado Cream

These are so easy and are something the whole family will love. They’re hot, cheesy and delicious. Even if you’ve never made quesadillas before or this isn’t the sort of thing you normally make on a weeknight, I promise you will be adding these to the weekly rotation.

Total Time

30 minutes

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Crunchy Spicy Chilli Oil Roast Chicken Salad

There are few things I love more than a chicken salad and it’s something I make a lot. This is one of my favourites. It’s crunchy and sweet from the fennel and apple, with a creamy dressing and a little bit of zing. Honestly if I had this every day I would be very happy.

Total Time

30 minutes

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Crispy Chicken Skin Fried Rice with Mushrooms, Ginger and lots of chilli crisp

Words can’t express how delicious this is. I mean it. The video can’t get it across, the description can’t get it across. It’s one of those thing that you will just have to make in order to understand how good it is. But please cook this immediately.

Total Time

25 minutes

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Easy Creamy Lemon and Parmesan Pastina

There’s nothing more comforting than the foods of your childhood. Something about the taste of nostalgia I suppose that transports you back to a simpler time. My mum would make a version of this whenever I was feeling under the weather and it’s something I make my own children.

Total Time

8 minutes

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