Winner winner (3) Chicken Dinners

Alright, here's my contribution for the week: 3 dinners in one!

First, you need to make chicken. For us, I made a whole chicken in the crockpot this time. Usually I roast chicken pieces in the oven, and make extra to use for the week in different things. So, the first night that I made this chicken, Becca and Chad were there to eat, so a lot of it was eaten. I served it with a pasta and a veg, so pick whatever you like. This dinner is very quick, just pop the chicken in with seasonings, and in a few hours, spend 20 minutes or so making your sides. A snap!

Dinner number 2. I spoke to Becca about this, and this one is just about the quickest dinner I ever have made. Once your chicken is cool, if you cut it off the bone before putting it in the fridge, I think that is easiest. Set aside a few cups of cubed or pulled chicken, and add it to a saute of mixed stir fry veggies. I find these bags in the freezer section at any grocery I shop at. Use a pan to saute the veggies as directed on the package, and throw the chicken (or pork, or beef, or shrimp--whatever you have left over!) in the pan and heat it through. Last, finish it off with your favorite sauce. Lately, my choice has been BWW Asian Zing, but you can make your own with some soy or teriyaki sauce and a little corn starch. Stir in the sauce, and serve over rice if you like. Easy and quick (sorry, the rice will take about 30 min, otherwise this is a 15 min dish).

Dinner number 3. I just made this tonight. I took my chicken broth that had been in the fridge, skimmed the fat off the top, and put it in my big pot. I did have to add a little extra, so I used chicken stock in a box, but you can use water and chicken boullion, too. You adjust depending on how much soup you want to make. Start heating the broth, and add onions, celery, and carrots. I put about 1/2- 1 cup of barley in, and then the chicken. I salted and peppered to taste, and added parsley, a little garlic powder, and poultry seasoning, but you can totally just do it with s&p. It needs to simmer for a while after it boils so the barley will cook, about 50 minutes, so you can't rush this one. Hard barley=yuck

So, I've made three meals with this one chicken, and I still have the chicken carcass left to make more broth, and chicken on the carcass for another pot of soup, or maybe, chicken and noodles, or chicken and dumplings...they sound good, but probably not on my diet right now. You girls go right ahead, and let me know if this was helpful.