The Dynamite Chicken cookbook is here! Get ready for 60 brand-new ways to love your favorite bird. Inside this clever collection by Food52 and chef Tyler Kord, you'll find everything from lightning-quick weeknight dinners to the coziest of comfort foods.
Order NowPopular on Food52
17 Comments
girlwithaknife
May 22, 2018
Thanks for this article! I would love to see more like it, because who doesn't plan meals more than a day at a time? So much more efficient to plan and prep for multiple meals using the same base ingredients. Helps solve the "what's for dinner" problem!
Alexandra M.
January 28, 2018
mis en place small prep to throw things together. and creating one dinner our of another's leftovers. case in point: smoky pulled pork with apples on Sunday. Carnita nachos on Monday with all the fixins'.
Transcendancing
January 23, 2018
I like to look through my recipe database for things I'm really in the mood to cook (and that are possible in that particular budget fortnight), and then from one choice I try and pick other things that mean I can capitalise on what ingredients I need to buy and not waste things, and it helps to solve the 'too many choices' thing too - and going by shared ingredients like a bunch of basil, or kale, etc still gives me the chance to pick things that mix up the flavours a little and not run into the 'chicken every night' problem.
allie
January 17, 2018
Re: chicken, I find that my family doesn't like bone-in chicken for more than one night (it just sits in fridge, sadly), but I often make a saucy dark-meat roast chicken (with thighs and drumsticks), stick leftovers in freezer and voila it's a happy dinner the following week or in 2 weeks when everyone has forgotten about the first batch.
My other - huge - success is making a batch of soup and freezing 2-3 portions for lunch, for another dinner, etc.
My other - huge - success is making a batch of soup and freezing 2-3 portions for lunch, for another dinner, etc.
Rachelwrites
January 17, 2018
We typically plan by the month, marking off in advance days we will be eating out, We do a big monthly grocery shop at Aldi for staples and the beginning fresh produce dairy and anything than can be frozen. Doing things by the month helps me to space proteins/cuisines so we don't get bored as well as make good use of the freezer.
AntoniaJames
January 17, 2018
Hear, hear! A lot of people find that monthly planning is too restrictive. Quite to the contrary, it gives you more freedom and peace of mind than ever you could imagine. Nothing says you absolutely have to make every meal planned on exactly the day you put it on the calendar. In fact, planning and cooking and freezing (especially components/ingredients, and not whole meals) makes it so easy to find a "Plan B" when something goes awry -- you get sick, a meeting or flight runs very late, or you find a wonderful new recipe you can't wait to try, or there's a great sale at your butcher shop, etc. Thanks for weighing in on this, Rachel. ;o)
cookinginvictoria
January 18, 2018
Thanks to AJ, I am a big convert to monthly menu planning too. And keeping a freezer inventory has been life changing for us.
Cari W.
January 17, 2018
I have four kids, but only two of them eat chicken. Even still, we eat a whole chicken in one dinner. Are you roasting three or four chickens that first night? I make stock with our carcass, but I don't at all see how you could have that much meat for those chicken meals from one bird.
Jennifer
January 17, 2018
Why not use/pull from the freezer? Roast a chicken, and sure, eat leftovers, but also freeze some for later use. Vary what's on offer by pulling from meals you've frozen in previous weeks. No more work, lots more variety.
AntoniaJames
January 17, 2018
Yes, Jennifer is right. Even chicken every other night (and not *every* night) is tedious, no matter what you do to create variety. It's so much easier to plan meals with bulk / batch cooking, or at least double batches, freezing half and repurposing later. Keeping a freezer inventory in a Google Doc or other easily accessed format makes this so easy.
Here's an example of how I plan / execute multiple use dishes and components, relying extensively on my freezer (and frequently updated freezer inventory): https://tinyurl.com/Spring17Flightplan
As for the chicken . . . . I recommend freezing the dark meat, which tends to do better than the breast when thawed and used later. I deglaze with hot water the pan juices sticking to the skillet to add to the meat, to prevent freezer burn. Some recommend freezing on the bone, but I find that takes up more space, plus I want those bones for making stock.
;o)
Here's an example of how I plan / execute multiple use dishes and components, relying extensively on my freezer (and frequently updated freezer inventory): https://tinyurl.com/Spring17Flightplan
As for the chicken . . . . I recommend freezing the dark meat, which tends to do better than the breast when thawed and used later. I deglaze with hot water the pan juices sticking to the skillet to add to the meat, to prevent freezer burn. Some recommend freezing on the bone, but I find that takes up more space, plus I want those bones for making stock.
;o)
girlwithaknife
May 22, 2018
Impressive! though I got tired just reading your weekend to-do list :-p (I have a toddler) I also suspect you have a chest freezer; I have a smaller upright one.
Join The Conversation