A bird in hand
Rotisserie chicken is the answer to many a dinner
In the blink of an eye, those long summer days we so enjoyed have become a fleeting memory. School is back in session accompanied by all the extracurricular after-school activities and carpooling that go with it. It’s time for some serious time management. ♦ You’ve juggled some meetings of your own in order to pick up the last kid from football practice and the car seems to turn itself on automatic pilot heading back home. Then you hear those dreaded three words coming from the back seat; what’s for dinner? ♦ You take a detour to the grocery store and grab a cart for a spin through the aisles, hoping to come up with an idea that is quick, easy and filling. As you maneuver your cart around the store, your eyes lock on the quintessential dinner salvation, a beacon of crispy golden hope: the rotisserie chicken.
A chicken in every cart (almost)
The rotisserie chicken has become a mainstay in practically every grocery store. Some may be plumper than others and prices may vary, but few can pass the display without thinking of plopping one in their shopping cart. The aroma of crispy, just-roasted chicken is a culinary aphrodisiac.
Costco management is well aware of the allure. Their plump birds are larger than most (about 3 pounds) and have a fixed price of $4.99. In fiscal year 2016, more than 60 million were sold. That’s about 165,000 chickens every day.
Cookbook author, food blogger and mother of two boys Trish Rosenquist loves the rotisserie chicken so much she wrote a cookbook devoted it.
“Over the years, I found myself turning more and more to rotisserie chicken as a time-saving ingredient,” she said. “The chicken is juicy, flavorful and ready to go .... I thought other busy moms, like myself, might be doing the same thing and could use some more creative ways to turn a rotisserie chicken into a dinner the whole family would enjoy.”
Six months of recipe testing (and many rotisserie chickens) went into her cookbook, “100 Creative Ways to Use Rotisserie Chicken in Everyday Meals” (Page Street Publishing, 2015). Her recipes incorporate rotisserie chicken in everything from breakfast offerings to entrées. She even includes a way to use those carefully picked-over carcasses.
“Close to one quarter of the recipes in my cookbook call for chicken broth,” Rosenquist explained. “Why not make your own?”
A slow cooker, some water and 8 hours is all that’s needed to transform that picked bird into homemade chicken broth, ready to be refrigerated or frozen.
You may not be as ambitious as she was at turning those tender chickens into dinner, but you can get started by trying one of these four easy recipes.
Quesadillas as snack or dinner
Grab a pack of flour tortillas, an onion, a can of black beans, a sweet potato and some cheese along with your just-roasted chicken and you’ve got the fixings for an after-school quick snack or dinner. You can even sneak in some spinach or kale.
Mashed sweet potato is combined with sautéed onion, black beans, shredded chicken and greens to create the quesadilla filling base. Flavor it up with some chili powder and, for a little added smoky spice, some chopped canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.
Choose your cheese (cheddar or mozzarella work well) and your quesadillas are ready for assembly. A quick visit to a hot skillet and they’re ready to serve.
Plain Greek yogurt replaces traditional sour cream as the quesadilla topping. Finish with chopped tomato and avocado.
Get your chili fix
Fall and chili seem to go hand-in-hand. Once those autumn leaves start to drop, the chili pot magically finds its way out of the cupboard.
Color your chili white instead of red by substituting pulled rotisserie chicken for beef and white beans for the more traditional red kidney version.
The recipe is ready from chicken-meat pulling to simmering in under an hour. Garnish with your favorite chili toppings and a few tortilla chips.
Healthy, hearty Chinese chicken salad
A restaurant-quality Chinese chicken salad is simple to prepare with the help of rotisserie chicken.
Simply use a fork to shred the chicken. Make a quick warm vinaigrette with garlic, fresh ginger, lemon juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil and a touch of brown sugar for a hint of sweetness. Add blanched snap peas, shredded cabbage and carrots, some cashews and sesame seeds.
And the mystery ingredient? Mix in some cooked quinoa for a jolt of super protein. The ancient grain adds all nine essential amino acids to the dish.
A classic twist
Sometimes, you just want some good old-fashioned food. A dinner of chicken and waffles fits that bill perfectly.
Though you can’t replicate a perfectly fried chicken without getting out that heavy skillet, you can create a quick twist on the chicken-waffle set-up.
A semi-homemade version from Rosenquist calls for a box of cornbread muffin mix, an egg, milk, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and, of course, a rotisserie chicken. Just add the egg and milk to the cornbread mix, and your waffle batter is ready.
Rosenquist upgrades the topping by making a quick reduction of balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Instead of pulling the meat off the chicken, use a carving knife to cut off larger pieces with the skin. If the chicken needs to be reheated, simply place the sliced meat in aluminum foil and place in a 250-degree oven for 8 minutes.
For those of us who want something even easier, opt for a package of frozen waffles. Rosenquist does note that the cornbread waffles are easy to make and suggests making a double batch and freezing some for later use. Just pop the frozen waffles into the toaster.