Contents
Introduction 2 Chapter 1 Roasting 101 4 Chapter 2 A World of Roast Chicken 28 Chapter 3 Super Salads 88 Chapter 4 Soups, Stews, and Saucy Sautés 108 Chapter 5 Pasta, Rice, and Grains 138 Chapter 6 Comforting Casseroles 184 Chapter 7 Sandwiches, Pizzas, and Other Light Meals 216
Roast Your Way to Weeknight Meal Magic
Cooking every night isn’t easy. Little things like hunger and fatigue and junk food can get in the way (tortilla chips are my kryptonite). And on those occasions when you do get to the stovetop, clear-headed and skillet in hand, the rut of routine can ensnare you, making tonight’s meal a lot like the one from last night or last week or last year. It’s the culinary equivalent of writer’s block, and your spouse and/or kids are always ready to call you on it with the cry that haunts every hard-working home cook: “Again?!?!”
Of course, you can just give in: throw your hands up in the air and call for pizza. Or, you can get hip to the concept of meal planning. It may sound like something out of home economics class, but it just means getting organized: Go to the store with a plan, then prepare the foundation for a couple of meals back at home. In the coming nights, that jump-start can be the beginning of all sorts of new meals. Sounds good, right?
There are many things you can use as a base. A pot roast, a pot of marinara sauce, or even a large batch of grilled vegetables will do. But absolutely nothing matches the versatility and simplicity of a roast chicken. The fact is, it’s dead easy to roast a chicken. And it takes no extra effort at all to set another bird in the pan to roast along with the first one. By doing this, you’ve got the lovely makings of at least one, if not a few, weeknight meals. I’m talking about dishes with vibrant flavors that go beyond your basic chicken à la king. With some spice, a well-stocked pantry, and a little imagination, leftover chicken can be dressed up in a world of ways: bright salads, crisp stir-fries, warming baked pastas, creamy casseroles, or satisfying soups.
And that’s as complicated as it gets. Roast two medium birds (or you could make it a big roaster), enjoy one for dinner tonight and the other in any of 150 different dishes. To keep things interesting, I’ve also given you more than 50 ways to roast your chicken—you can hit it with a spice or herb rub before roasting, brush it with a glaze so it gets browned and sweet, or surround it with vegetables to roast alongside it in the pan. You also can play around with the roasting method: use a low fire on the grill to grill-roast a bird or sear it in a skillet before roasting to intensify and brown the crust.
I must add one final note: Not only am I the author of this book, but I’m also a member of the leftover chicken fan club. When somebody first suggested the idea to me, I had never really approached a roast bird as a way to create other meals. But now, many hundreds of chickens later, I am still playing around with different roasting pairings and leftover dishes. It simply is a great way to get dinner to the table. I think you will agree.
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