A healthy diet is essential to living well, especially when you are living with fibromyalgia or other types of chronic pain, but don’t you just wish that sometimes you could fix a healthy meal in the time it takes to go through the Drive Thru?
I thought I’d introduce you to one of my favorite quick and easy meal starters – the rotisserie chicken. You know what I’m talking about – those chickens rotating around in the big ovens in the deli section of your local grocery, smelling so good you’re starving by the time you’re done with your shopping….. They’re very versatile, and depending on how many people are in your family, you may be able to get a couple of meals out of them. I thought I’d share a few of the ideas I came up with….
WAYS TO USE A ROTISSERIE CHICKEN
- Use it “as is” and pair it with roasted red potatoes and your favorite green veggie or salad.
- Make a salad your meal – just cube up the chicken and combine it with your favorite salad fixings and voila! dinner’s done.
- Use cubed chicken and your favorite crust (ready-made or homemade) to make a healthy flatbread. Note: Before I was gluten-free, I used to love to use whole-wheat naan as the base for flatbreads. Some great topping options to go with the chicken are spinach and artichoke; pico de gallo; pesto and tomatoes; or roasted veggies. Then, of course, you might want to finish it off with a sprinkle of your favorite cheese.
- Slice the chicken and use it to make paninis with spinach and roasted red pepper or tomato and basil, etc.
- Cook your favorite pasta or veggie noodle, then add leftover roasted vegetables, cubed chicken, a little good-quality olive oil, your favorite fresh herbs, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese for a one-bowl meal.
- Use a good pesto sauce to coat your pasta or veggie noodles and toss in cubed chicken for Pesto Pasta with chicken.
- Slice or shred the chicken and use it in wraps. You could either use a wrap or tortilla, or you could use any leaf-type lettuce for the wrap.
- Make a “Moe’s®” or “Chipotle®” -style burrito bowl. Shred the chicken, and layer it with rice, black beans, lettuce, salsa, guacamole… whatever you want to put in it.
I like to cook mostly from scratch, but sometimes it’s just wonderful to have those little “helpers” available to get something on the table fast, especially when I’m not feeling my best. How about you?
Do you ever use shortcuts like this? What are some of your go-to meals when you need something quick and easy?
~Terri
The go to meal in our family is definitely spaghetti with a tomato sauce. It takes me 30 minutes to make from scratch.
Thanks for sharing Colline! Spaghetti is always a good choice for something quick, isn’t it?
It is. And the best part? My family love it 😊
Just finished making homemade turkey noodle soup with pre-cooked turkey.
Thanks for sharing V.J.! That sounds delicious! I use the rotisserie chickens to make chicken noodle soup quite often. It really cuts down on the time it takes to make it, and making my own is pretty much the only way I can have it since I’m gluten free. Enjoy your soup!
Same with me – has to be gluten free. I make broth from the chicken carcass usually. Today needed something quick. Made some gluten free cornbread to serve on the side.
Lots of great ideas Terri. Thank you. I just had baked potato with egg mayonnaise for dinner. I really enjoyed it and it did not take long to prepare. 🌼
Thanks so much Brigid! I’m a huge fan of baked potatoes, and since my Mom made me a microwave potato bag, it only take about 10 – 12 minutes to cook two of them. :o)
I make my own takeaways as am Celiac. So every time I cook I make double then freeze in single serves.
So when needing a night off or not having a good day with FM I have a Gluten free ready made nutritious dinner! Just heat & serve! 😉 Winter soups & stews are especially good for this.
Jennifer
Thanks for sharing Jennifer! That’s a wonderful idea to have those single-serve things frozen and ready to take with you. 😊
It’s a pleasure to share my shortcuts Terri 🙂
Great ideas, Terri! Except as a veggie I would roast up a slew of tofu, and use it just like the chicken! 😀
::D 😀
Thanks for sharing Resa! The tofu really could replace the chicken in most of these dishes couldn’t it? Thanks for giving us a vegetarian option!