1 Easy Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe, 5 Quick Meals (with recipes)!

If you need easy weekday meal ideas or just love chicken (or both!), here is a quick and easy recipe to roast a whole chicken in less than 2 hours. You can plan out 4-5 easy meals for the week that will keep everyone full and satisfied.

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I love to cook but meal planning is not my favorite thing to do...and then I kick myself for not planning ahead. So, I often buy a whole chicken at the store knowing that I will get 4-5 meals from it for the week. These recipes are for 2 adults and maybe one small child (like our toddler). Otherwise you can probably get 2-3 meals for a family of 4. Regardless, these are some quick and easy recipes you can use even if you don't roast the chicken yourself...meaning buy it already roasted at the store and dinner is done!

But, if you are feeling like a chef, here are some ideas of how to roast a whole chicken from scratch and use the entire thing for your meals for the week: 1. Roast Chicken, 2. Easy Chicken Noodle Soup, 3. Chicken Pot Pies, 4. Chicken Nachos, 5. Chicken Kale Salad with Feta and Cranberries. Plus, recipes for quick homemade chicken stock, puff pastry and balsamic salad dressing!

Meal #1: Roast Chicken and Veggies

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, 5 lbs.

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon

2-3 sprigs of rosemary (optional)

4-5 large garlic cloves

olive oil

onions, carrots, potatoes, turnips, squash or whatever vegetables you like roasted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Rinse and cut veggies to be about the same size so they cook evenly and place in bottom of roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil over veggies and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place roasting rack on top.

3. Remove the giblets from the inside of the chicken; you can roast the heart and liver in bottom of pan if you like it or just throw away.

4. Give the chicken a quick rinse and pat dry with paper towels, the dryer the better!

5. Sprinkle salt and pepper in the inside of the chicken.

6. Cut the lemon in half, place one half inside the chicken and save the other for juice.

7. Peel and smash garlic cloves and place inside chicken. Add 1 sprig of rosemary inside and 2 on vegetable tray.

8. Place chicken on rack, tuck in legs and wings (or tie them if you are really feeling fancy). Drizzle olive oil on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Take second half of lemon and squeeze juice over top of chicken (no seeds please).

9. Place pan in oven and roast for 1 hour and 20 minutes. It's done when the juices run clear between the thigh and leg or it's at the internal temp you would like. Once done, remove pan from oven and cover with foil for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.

After you enjoy your delicious chicken and vegetables, cut off all remaining meat from chicken and store in a tupperware container. Don't forget about the meat on the legs and wings! I start out with a knife and fork and honestly use my hands for the rest. It's faster and you can get into all the nooks and crannies. If you are going to make the next 4 meals, you could portion out the chicken as desired. Dark meat is best for the soup and pot pies.

Quick and Easy Homemade Broth (cheater version)

Save the bones and carcass for homemade broth. Place the carcass and bones into a large pot. Add 4 cups water, some carrots and/or celery, dried herbs or italian seasoning to taste, and 2 bay leaves and bring to a boil. Turn down heat, cover and let simmer for 1 hour. Remove from heat and let it cool, covered, for another hour minimum. The longer you let it soak and cool, the more flavor you get. Once cool, strain broth into a container like a mason jar, cover and store in fridge until you need it. Skim the fat off the top once it cools in the fridge. This is a little bit of a cheater version, but it works and it's quick and easy! No celery? Don't fret, it will still work.

Meal #2: Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

1 large onion, diced

2-3 garlic cloves, diced

2 large carrots, peeled and cut

2 large celery stalks, cut into small pieces about same size as carrots

3-4 small red or yellow potatoes, cut into small pieces

Leftover chicken from meal #1

3 cups chicken broth you just made (or store bought)

1-2 cups water as needed

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2-3 Bay leaves

1 box of noodles of your choice, sometimes I add mini dried tortellinis for added flavor and texture

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Add all of the vegetables to a large pot and cook over medium/high heat for about 3-4 minutes.

2. Add chicken, stock, water and herbs and being to a boil.

3. Pour in noodles and stir in boiling water for 3-4 minutes.

4. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally for 20-30 minutes. Once noodles are cooked, you are ready to eat. The longer you simmer, the more the flavors develop.

Meal #3: Chicken Pot Pies

Ingredients

Leftover chicken from meal #1

1 cup chicken broth (that you made after you roasted the chicken) or store bought

Puff pastry, either store bought or make at home with recipe HERE

1 can cream of chicken

1/2 onion

1 large garlic clove, minced

5-6 large mushrooms

1 small can of peas/carrots or small bag of frozen

salt and pepper to taste, I like extra pepper in this mix because it's so creamy

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cook up onion in a little bit of olive oil in a deep fry pan until onions are translucent, about 2-3 min. 3. 3. Add minced garlic and cook for another minute.

4. Add mushrooms and cook for 2-3 more minutes

5. Add chicken, soup, broth, peas and carrots and cook on medium heat until everything is combined and nice and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.

2. Pour some of the mixture into your cooking vessel like a large ramekin or single portion baking dish. Fill almost to the top.

3. Roll out puff pastry and cut to fit the top of dish with a little overhang all around, this doesn't have to be perfect. Roll edges or crimp to the top of dish and make a few small cuts with a knife to vent. Brush egg wash on top and place in oven for 50-60 minutes until top is golden brown. *Caution, these are HOT when they come out of the oven, so plan for some cooling time...trust me on this one.

Meal #4: Chicken Nachos

Ingredients

Leftover chicken from meal #1, chopped or shredded

1/ 2 onion, diced (leftover from pot pie)

1 can red enchilada sauce

tortillas chips (I used homemade see directions in recipe**)

2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey, etc)

1 can black or pinto beans

1 small can sliced black olives

1 avocado, diced

sour cream

chopped green onion

sliced jalapenos (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line cookie sheet with foil

**Make your own chips, cut corn tortillas into quarters, line on oven rack and bake until brown. Flip once during cooking. Delicious and healthier than store bought!

2. Cook onions in pan with a little oil until translucent

3. Add chicken and enchilada sauce, mix all together and remove from heat

4. Place a layer of tortilla chips on pan with foil, layer with chicken, beans, cheese. Add second layer and repeat.

5. Sprinkle olives on top and place in oven for 10 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil for another 3-4 minutes.

6. Top with avocado, sour cream and green onions. You can also add sliced jalapenos if you like a little spice. We eat right off of pan to make clean up easy!

Meal #5: Chicken Kale Salad with Feta

Ingredients

Leftover chicken from meal #1

1 pre packaged kale salad from grocery store or lettuce of your choice

Crumbled feta cheese

Handful of dried cranberries

Roasted almonds or walnuts, optional

Directions

1. Toss all together and enjoy! You could also cut your own lettuce or add whatever toppings and dressing you like. To make your own dressing add 1/4 cup Olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 garlic clove, salt/pepper. Combine in mason jar, shake and serve! I find that the premade mixes at the store are a perfect proportion and mix of goodies, then I add a little of my own.

Whew! That seems like a lot when you type it out but I promise you will enjoy taking this on. When these chicken go on sale, buy one. Even if you don't have a plan yet. They are really inexpensive and freeze really well. Happy cooking!