Ever have those nights when you're just not interested in cooking dinner? Oh I know - me either. That's crazy talk.
Real talk now. We all have those nights. There are plenty of convenient foods available, but I've got to be honest. I feel ashamed of myself if I'm caught with a Wendy's bag. And pizza, well, that's not super friendly for the health conscious among us.
If you'd like your meal to maintain some semblance of being home-cooked, that's where the "$7 Savior" comes in. My neighborhood grocery store sells freshly made rotisserie chickens for just under $7 and they sure do the trick.
Of course you can eat the chicken with some homemade sides, like asparagus sauteed in olive oil and lemon juice, garlic bread, a small salad, etc., I like to get a bit creative with my rotisserie chicken meals.
Here are my top three:
1. Chicken Soup
This one is slightly more time intensive, but is absolutely worth it. Here is a detailed recipe for perhaps the easiest chicken soup you'll ever make (no, opening a can does not count). Basically, saute your garlic and onions, add water and Better than Bouillon, chop and add the rest of your veggies and your pulled apart rotisserie chicken (no bones). Heat until the veggies soften and there's dinner.
2. Chicken Nachos
This is a great appetizer to get when you go out to dinner with friends, but why wait for that occasion? Spread your tortilla chips on a baking sheet, pull apart some of the breast meat from the rotisserie chicken and stop the chips with shredded cheese. I like to keep my nachos simple - just chicken, cheese and salsa - but the toppings options are numerous. I add the salsa to my nachos after they come out of the oven.
3. Salad
Salads are great, but not always filling. When I buy a rotisserie chicken, I almost always get about 4 meals out of one chicken, and a couple of them are usually salads. It's a great, easy, quick option for me to prepare for lunch at work. Just pull apart some of the rotisserie chicken and add it to your greens and whatever other veggies make your salad complete, then pack your salad dressing, croutons, etc. separately.
So the next time you're looking for a time saver in the kitchen, don't think twice about calling on the $7 Savior. You'll could be eating easy, inexpensive and healthy meals in no time!
