As the weather heats up, the idea of having the oven on for an hour is daunting. Grabbing a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store on the way home can be just what you need for a quick and easy dinner that won’t leave you sweating in the kitchen.
Buy a rotisserie chicken and remove all chicken from bone and chop. Choose a recipe below for each day of the week (or until you run out of leftover chicken).
BBQ CHICKENBURGER
Mix chopped chicken with barbecue sauce and spread on a whole wheat bun.
QUICK AND EASY TOSTADA
Place shredded chicken on crispy tostada shell smeared with refried beans. Top with light cheddar cheese and bake in 350° F degree for five minutes (or until cheese is melted). Top with mixed greens and diced tomato. Serve with light sour cream and salsa or mix low-fat ranch with chopped cilantro and a small amount of water to thin. Drizzle over tostada.
LIGHT AND HEALTY RAVIOLI
Moist rotisserie chicken makes a great ravioli filling. Chop and stir in part skim ricotta, chopped basil, and grated Parmesan. Dot wonton wrappers (found in produce section) with a teaspoon of the filling, wet the edges, top with another wrapper and seal well. Boil in salted water for five minutes. Serve with your favorite marinara heated with a handful of baby spinach for a wonderful (and easy!) homemade pasta meal.
SIMPLE TAMALES
Put a slice of store-bought polenta in a small glass bowl (like a ramekin). Mix shredded chicken with salsa and spread over top. Cover with another slice of polenta. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes. Garnish with light sour cream
NO RED MEAT CHILI
Use rotisserie chicken in place of ground beef in your favorite tomato-based chili recipe.
EASY MEXICAN BOWL
Add your rotisserie chicken to cooked rice, cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl. Stir in some arugula and salt and pepper. Evenly distribute the mixture into 4 bowls. Top with equal amounts of diced tomatoes (about 1½ tablespoons), black beans (1 tablespoon), corn (1 tablespoon) and cheddar cheese. Add 1 teaspoon of red onion to each and add fresh cilantro, cracked black pepper and salt. Add slices of avocado to each bowl and another squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Recipes and Hacks taken from Healthy Happy Cooking, found in the First Place 4 Health online store. Look for Lisa’s new cookbook, Deliciously Happy, out this fall.