one 4 pound chicken, three meals

seriously. one 4 pound chicken can make three meals for a family of four.

here's the breakdown. . .

begin by breaking down your chicken into 8 parts (2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 legs, 2 breasts). and buy a whole chicken, people! it is often at least $1 per pound cheaper. and it is simple to cut up. . .all you gotta to do is try and practice. buying a whole chicken combined with making three meals out of it is so wonderfully cost effective. you should really treat yourself to something. . .wink!


1. pesto baked chicken

baste 4 pieces of chicken with a jar of pesto (or make your own. . . i made the arugula pesto recipe on the back of the bag i bought at trader joe's)
in a glass pan greased with olive oil, bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour, top with shredded mozzarella, bake another 5 - 10 minutes until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through. serve with cous cous & broccoli, enjoy!

while you are making the above recipe, poach the remaining pieces of chicken. let chicken cool while you eat dinner. shred chicken and store in fridge until you make these next two recipes.

2. chicken and kale hand pies

i use frozen pie crust and just add a bit of shredded cheddar to the filling. these are also a great thing to freeze for a quick dinner in a few weeks. AND i did not use kale because i had none so i used the remaining arugula i had from the pesto. by the way, trader joe's had wild arugula for $1.99 a bag. booyah!

3. bbq chicken pizza

one pizza crust

bbq sauce

jalapenos (fresh or canned), optional

shredded mozzarella

remaining shredded chicken

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

roll crust out onto greased cookie sheet. top with bbq sauce, chicken, red onion, jalapenos, & shredded cheese. season with a bit of salt & pepper. cook at 425 degrees for 10 -15 minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden brown. enjoy!

there you have it. . .for around 5 bucks you can provide the protein in three dinners. p.s. the bbq pizza was a HUGE hit with mike.