Brooke's Bites: Rotisserie Chicken

This is my first Brooke's Bites post! I'm super excited about rethinking my blog a little. Of course I'll do the usual posts, but I'm going to add fashion & hair tips too! Wenesday's will be all things food- from fun cooking tips, nutrition, grocery shopping tips, recipes, & just plain ole good food. 

Today I am passing on a secret weapon for when you're in a time crunch. This little nugget will help you fly thru dinner on school nights in a flash- & it's economical too! It has helped me this summer when we stay at the pool all day & are starving by the time we get home- no one wants to wait 2 hours to eat!

The secret?: Rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store- $5-$6. It's not organic...but be honest, there's at least one night a week that you feed your family fast food or frozen pizza, it's better than that! 

Pick up this puppy & deconstruct it that day. If you put it in the fridge before disassembling it will be fine but it's easier to break down if it's room temp or warmer. First things first, take off the breast meat- it's on top of the chicken & is the white meat. Peel back the skin (don't throw that away, there's flavor there, we can use that later) and pull the meat from the bone- you can use a fork if you're fancy, but this country girl just goes in with the hands. Pull apart the thighs & legs leaving the bone intact. Place it in a Tupperware container or baggie, seal tight, & store in fridge until you're ready to use it. 

Don't throw away the bones! Throw the bones & leftover skin into a large pot, cover with water & boil for an hour to create yourself a fabulous chicken broth that you can store in the fridge & use for later recipes. *so much better than store bought broth*

Here are a few ways I use it to put together a yummy dinner:

- Use shredded breast meat for your favorite chicken casserole, chicken salad, BBQ chicken sandwiches, chicken & dumplins, chicken tacos, tortilla soup, chicken dips, etc...really anything where you would use shredded chicken! It literally takes no time to put a meal together! Add a bag of steamable veggies, a dairy item, & a fresh piece of fruit & you've got dinner! And if you've got kids like my oldest son you'll have to add in a whole wheat roll bc he always wants bread with dinner. 

- For the legs (drumsticks) & thighs you can just put them on a baking sheet & roast @ 350-400 degrees for 5-10 mins until heated thru. My kiddos love to eat them with ketchup, they're kids after all! I've also brushed with lemon butter, honey, or BBQ sauce before heating to spice up the flavor.

- If you have kids (or a spouse) who doesn't like a lot of flavor, the chicken is good as is! I have been known to open the fridge & eat the chicken cold, right out of the Tupperware container. ;)

Since the meat is already cooked, literally all you have to do is heat it back up! Keep a rotisserie chicken in the fridge & you'll never need those frozen grey chicken nuggets again!