The fine folks over at L.A. Parent magazine tasked us with one delicious feat: how to turn one roasted chicken into four hearty, complete meals that come together in under 30 minutes. Challenge accepted! Check out our favorite way to make a whole lot of meals from 1 pot (and still have some left over for an epic breakfast).
Ingredients
Whole Roasted Chicken
2lbsPotatoes
3TbspOlive oil
2tspKosher salt
1/2tspGround pepper
1canGarbanzo beansor 2 cups cooked
1Lemonquartered
4-5cloverGarlicpeeled
1Whole chickenabout 4-5 lbs.
3ouncesUnsalted butter
1bunch Fresh thyme
salt and pepper To taste
Breakfast Potato Hash & Eggs (serve 4 as a side or 2 as a main)
all Potatoes that were cooked under your chicken
1bunch Parsleyroughly chopped
4Eggs
1tspKosher salt
Chicken & Fennel Salad (serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main)
all Breast meat from the roasted chicken
2Fennel bulbs
3TbspOlive oil
1Lemonjuiced
all Chickpeas cooked inside the chicken
1bunch Dillroughly chopped
Chicken Soup with Crispy Chicken Skins
all Chicken skin from the roasted chicken
all Dark meat from the roasted chicken
8cupsWater
1TbspKosher saltplus more, to taste
3TbspOlive oil
1lbPasta
2lbsFresh spinach or chardwe love Bloomsdale spinach for its heartiness
Chicken Broth
1Whole chicken carcasswith some meat hopefully left on the bones!
1Carrotdiced
1Onionpeeled and quartered
2Sprigs thyme
1Bay leaf
Classic Risotto (serves 4 as a main)
4cupsChicken brothsee above
1/2lb.Mushrooms
1/3cupOlive oil
4ouncesButter
1Shallotfinely diced
2cupsArborio rice
1/4cupDry white wine
salt and pepper To taste
1/3cupFreshly grated Parmesan cheese
Arancini
1cupCooked Arborio rice or leftover Risotto
3ouncesMozzarellacubed
2Eggs
1/2cupGrated parmesan
1/2cupBreadcrumbs
Frying oil
Instructions
Whole Roasted Chicken
Preheat your oven to 425F. Cut the potatoes into 2” cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and place them at the bottom of a Dutch oven.
In a small bowl, toss the chickpeas with salt and pepper. Place your chicken in the Dutch oven and pat it dry. Open the cavity, taking out any bags of giblets. Stuff the inside of the chicken with the lemon wedges, garlic cloves and chickpeas and nestle the bird breast-side down over the potatoes, making sure the chicken isn’t higher than the Dutch oven.
Melt the butter with thyme, salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken, adding more salt and pepper over the bird. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for about 20 minutes at 425F, then turn the heat down to 375F and continue for another 30 minutes. Remove the lid and cook an additional 20 minutes to allow the skin to crisp.
Test the chicken for doneness by making sure it reads at 165F in the thickest part of the thigh. Once it reaches temp, remove the Dutch oven from the oven and allow the chicken to rest for at least 15 minutes before breaking it down.
Breakfast Potato Hash & Eggs (serve 4 as a side or 2 as a main)
Warm the potatoes and taste; adjust with salt and pepper. Toss with parsley.
Take a saucepot and fill it with about 1-1/2” water. Add the salt to the water and bring to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low to maintain a simmer. Crack your eggs as close to the water as you can. Cover the pot and cook the eggs for 3-4 minutes, depending on how runny you like your yolks.
Pick up your eggs with a slotted spoon and place on a towel-lined surface. Gently pick them up and place them over the potatoes.
Chicken & Fennel Salad (serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main)
Take each fennel bulb and cut off the stalks (the green part). Cut each bulb in half down the middle. Take each half and thinly slice the bulbs, discarding any tough parts (such as the end). Place these thin slices in a medium sized bowl and toss with olive oil and lemon juice.
Add the chicken and chickpeas and dill and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice.
Chicken Soup with Crispy Chicken Skins
Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking pan with parchment paper. Place the pieces of chicken skin over the parchment and bake until crisp (about 15-20 minutes).
Pour the water over the empty (but not cleaned) Dutch oven that you roasted your chicken in. Add the olive oil and some salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
Once the pasta has nearly reached doneness, add the chicken and greens, turn off the heat and cover, leave the greens to soften for about 5 minutes.
To serve, squeeze some lemon juice over the soup and garnish with chicken skins.
Chicken Broth
Place everything in a stockpot. Cover with water (at least 4” above everything) and simmer for about 2 hours. Cool and strain.
Classic Risotto (serves 4 as a main)
Warm the broth in a medium pot over low heat, tasting and seasoning it with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat a large saute pan over medium high. Wait a little, then add a tablespoon of olive oil, and, when warm, add the mushrooms and cook over medium high until they get some good color. Flip them once and cook another couple of minutes. Deglaze the pan with a touch of white wine and salt and pepper and cook until none of the wine is left. Remove the mushrooms and set aside.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the butter and a touch more olive oil to the pan. Add the shallots and sweat them (they will begin to look translucent).
Add the butter to the pan, and once melted, add the rice and stir until it has absorbed all of the butter. Add the remaining white wine, stirring until that has been absorbed by the rice. Your rice should look nearly translucent at this stage.
Slowly add the stock a little at a time, always until it just covers the rice. You may want to cover the pot for a few minutes after each addition. We like to stir once the stock has been absorbed with each step, encouraging the starches to rub against each other and begin to break down. Once all the stock has been added, cover and cook another 10 minutes, or until the rice thick and pourable.. Season to taste and add the parmesan just before serving (as well as the mushrooms).
Arancini
Mix together the rice, parmesan and 1 beaten egg in the bowl of warm to cold rice.
Shape the mixture into 18-20 balls. Make an indentation in each ball and place cubed cheese inside. Press to seal.
Whisk up the remaining egg and set aside breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.
Dip each arancini into the egg, followed by the breadcrumbs and let sit while the oil heats up to 375F. Carefully place each arancini in the oil and fry until golden brown, flipping only once.
Notes
Once your chicken is roasted, go ahead and follow these steps to turn it into 4 meals (and then some)!
Step 1: Take the chicken out of the pot and shred the breast meat off first; set aside in the refrigerator for your chicken salad (save the chicken skins)!Step 2: Remove the dark meat from the chicken and set aside for your soup (keep a little meat on the bones for a richer broth, please)! And save the chicken skins!Step 3: Scoop out the potatoes for your breakfast hash.Step 4: Start the soup.Step 5: Save the chicken carcass for your chicken broth to make the risotto.
Whole Roasted Chicken
We love the idea of poached eggs for brunch because they can be poached a day ahead of time! You can cook them and place them on a towel-lined surface, then keep refrigerated until ready to serve. To re-warm, simple slide the eggs into hot water to get them to temp.
Breakfast Potato Hash & Eggs (serve 4 as a side or 2 as a main)
This salad is my favorite alternative to the classic mayo-heavy versions. Serve this between slices of sourdough or place in a lunchbox with crackers or lettuce cups for an easy school lunch.
Chicken & Fennel Salad (serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main)
This is my favorite soup to make and, other than the pasta, all of it can be made a few days ahead of time. It’s best to make this in the pot that the chicken as roasted in to take advantage of all the lovely schmaltz left behind. We love using Leah Ferrazzani’s locally made Semolina pasta).
Chicken Soup with Crispy Chicken Skins
Homemade chicken broth is a great way to save money with little to no work; we make this in our Dutch oven, or, when our neighbor is home, in 20 minutes with their pressure cooker!
Chicken Broth
But wait! There’s more! Scroll down to find out how to make Arancini, or fried rice balls, with any leftover risotto. I love mushrooms with my risotto (and will usually double the amount in the recipe when I get good ones at the farmers market).