Chicken Two Ways

When life gets busy and the weekend fills up fast, having something wholesome and ready in the fridge can be a lifesaver. That’s exactly why I love cooking a couple of whole chickens and turning them into two completely different, delicious meals. One chicken gets butterflied and roasted until golden and flavorful, perfect for using to make my delicious chicken salad. The other is gently boiled, creating a rich base for my cozy redskin potato soup. Both are hearty, nourishing options that can be enjoyed anytime someone’s hungry, and they pair beautifully with a thick slice of crusty bread. Even better, these meals are made for sharing—whether it’s feeding your family throughout a busy weekend or dropping off something comforting to a friend both of this are just what you need.

As I am sure you are aware of,  if you live in the USA, it’s Memorial Day Weekend.  My kiddos have a 4 day weekend. That means I have to have all my ducks in a row, if I am going to have any peace this weekend.  So I decided to make two things that would be easy for the inhabitants of this house to pull out of the refrigerator and have for lunch, a snack, or breakfast if they felt so inclined.  Keep in mind these kiddos have friends, and everyone is hungry all the time.

I bought 2 chickens from Costco.

I butterflied them. (Which is different than spatchcocking a chicken.) This is a super easy technique, just flip your birdy breast up on a cutting board.  Using a very sharp knife slice down along one side of the breast bone.

 

You may need to break through a few small bones, but cutting along one side of the breast bone should lay your bird wide open.  Yikes!  What’s up with the freaky phalanges?

 

Flip your birdy over, give him a nice sprinkle of season salt, and baked him in a preheated 400 degree F oven degrees for 30-45 minutes. When you place a meat thermometer in the breast it should be 160 degrees F. Remove from oven and let rest. Once the chicken has baked, and cooled, remove the meat from the bones and make your family some delicious Chicken Salad!

 

Chicken Salad is so versatile for a busy weekend.  Eat it alone.  Put it in a wrap  with some lettuce.  Pile it high atop whatever bread you have on hand.

 

I submerged the next little birdy in a pan of water and boiled him for 1 hour.  Then I made my Chicken and Redskin Potato Soup out of him!

Both of these recipes I have shared before on Meals 4 Sharing.  They are definitely two meals that are easy to share! They also are great for a busy week when you need to keep something on hand to grab and eat quick.

What are you sharing this weekend?  What are you doing this weekend? 

What ever you are up to this weekend I hope you are with your family having fun and eating something Yum!

From my table to yours with love, Sheila