I had a minor kitchen crisis this week, when I discovered my freezer door wasn’t shut all the way and everything in the freezer had started to thaw. UGH. I took out four packages of chicken breasts and thighs, two bags of chicken stock, and various semi-frozen fruits and vegetables. Now what?
I decided that I would roast all the chicken breasts and thighs to use in my favorite white bean chili, and chicken salad (hello multiple meals for the week). I’m also using half of the chicken stock in the white bean chili. Some of the semi-frozen blueberries went into blueberry pancakes (the rest went into food waste).
I was rather pleased with the outcome of the freezer crisis. It was a good reminder that if you roast two pans of chicken at the beginning of the week, you can make multiple meals from it for the remainder of the week.
Wishing you a good week – try the roasted chicken – without defrosting your entire freezer!
cheers,
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa’s Chicken Stew with Biscuits Recipe from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Family Style
-Chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
-Olive oil
-Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place on a baking sheet. Cook the bone-in chicken for 40-45 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165° F.
Variation: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts; they’ll cook faster and are easy to cube. If you are using boneless chicken breasts, reduce cooking time to about 25 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165° F.
Double Batch: You can cook several chicken breasts at a time and have leftovers on hand for lunches and other dinners.
Super Speedy Option: Buy a rotisserie chicken and use the meat. (To increase health value – check the source of the chicken and the fat used in roasting the chicken.)