I’ve long been a believer that EVERYONE should know how to roast a chicken.  Right up there with changing a tire or being able to sew on a button, being able to roast a chicken is a delicious and economical life skill.   It pleases friends and family at your table and, as I recently learn, can create a week’s worth of meals.

Several weeks ago, my friend Jacob reached out to me with a challenge for this blog.  Jacob is an enthusiastic and creative cook, but even I was a bit surprised when he shared with me that he recently prepared FIVE meals for he and his wife from ONE roasted chicken.

Seriously?!?! I thought.  How big was the bird? I wrote back.  4 lbs came the quick reply and the Chicken Challenge was born.

I asked Jacob to send me descriptions and photos of the meals he prepared from his roasted chicken. Upon seeing the proof, I challenged myself to come up with five meals from one chicken and post them here.

And now we are challenging you. For every two people in your family, purchase one whole chicken, roast it, and then see how many meals you can make from it.   Take photos of the meals you create, send them to nikki@n2foodlove.com with descriptions of each, and I’ll compile all the meals in one blog post for plenty of roasted chicken inspiration.

Since Jacob started this challenge, it only seems fair that he would kick us off and I’ve included his five meals with his photos below to give you something to cluck about.

Meal #1: Roast Chicken with Sides

Meal #2: Buffalo Chicken Sandwich with Thigh Meat

Meal #3:  “Master Worth” Salad with a scoop of rice on top and sliced chicken breast (dressing of choice)

Meal #4:  Chicken Pho with remaining chicken and body turned to broth

Meal #5: Chicken Stock into Sausage, White Bean and Kale Soup

Like the idea, but want someone else to do the hard part?  
Starting on Monday, I’ll be sharing my recipes for the five meals I made from my roasted chicken.  Want to cook along?  Click here for the shopping list so you will have everything you need to make the five meals below as I post the recipes.  Happy cooking!

Meal #1: Slow Roasted Chicken with Choice of Sides

Meal #2: Roasted Chicken Salad with Artichokes and Walnuts

Meal #3: Chicken Pot Pie

Meal #4:  Udon Noodle Bowl with Shredded Chicken, Collards, and Egg

Meal #5:  BBQ Chicken Pizza