One Chicken, Three Meals, No Waste

Meal One:  Chicken and Dressing.

This is a fairly easy meal if you’ve ever done Thanksgiving.  Think of it as Thanksgiving Light.  This recipe will feed for two people, maybe four, depending on how many sides are served and how much they eat.

Buy a Rotisserie Chicken at the grocery store.  Pull off the breast meat without the skin and set it aside.  Eat the wings and/or drumstick (Meal One) while you’re cooking the rest.

(Here’s the part where you need to pay attention.  You will be either a chicken ahead or a chicken  behind.)

If you are a chicken ahead, you will already have broth in the freezer and you won’t need to use today’s chicken to make some.  If you're a chicken behind see my recipe for Chicken Broth.

If you are a chicken behind you will need to start the broth early and use that broth for today’s casserole.  Either way, I will continue with the recipe for Meal Two:

Mix up a package of cornbread.  When it’s done and cooled, crumble it into a big bowl.  Add a chopped onion and the same amount of chopped celery.  Mix this together with sage or poultry seasoning.  Then add the chicken broth you already had (you’ll have to thaw it) or the broth you just made. Add enough to make the dressing moist but not soupy. You probably won’t use all the broth.  You could re-freeze it or add it to Meal Three.

You just made the dressing part.  How easy is that?

To finish the casserole, cut up the two breast halves and combine them with the dressing. This will fit perfectly in an 8X8 inch pan.  Heat it up in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  Meal Two is now complete, you’re belching Meal One and someone is at your feet waiting for Meal Three.

If you have to make a fresh batch of broth you'll have the bones leftover for Meal Three for the dog or cat.  You have no waste and will have fed about five people and a pet.

If you’re taking  the casserole to someone’s house put it in a disposable aluminum pan. You don’t want to burden the recipient with a pan that they will have to keep track of.  As pretty as your dishes are, the whole reason you're cooking this casserole is because the recepient doesn't have the time or energy to mess with stuff like cleaning your pan and returning it to the right person 

The only time I take someone one of my nice pans is when they are new neighbors who just moved in.  Returning the pan gives them a reason to come to your house and thus begin a new friendship.  Of course, if they don’t return the pan you will know you’ve got lousy neighbors and won’t ever  have to take any more meals over to them.