How many meals can you make from 1 chicken? Buy a whole chicken on sale at the grocery store, and turn it into six great meals! Cooking the chicken in a crock pot makes for a tender, juicy chicken, great broth, and easy cooking.

Directions for Cooking Chicken in a Crock Pot

Cover chicken with water; cover; cook on high for about 3 hours until done and tender. If you don’t have a crock pot, use a large pot and plenty of water; simmer on stove for 1 hour. After cooking, allow chicken to cool. Remove skin, cut up chicken, divide into 6 bags (about 1 cup per bag), and freeze for later use. Remove fat from broth by letting the hot broth cool and skimming the hardened fat from the top of broth. Divide broth into 2 bags (about 4 cups per bag), and freeze for later use.

Meal 1: Arroz Con Pollo (Chicken with Rice)

• 2 cups rice
• 4 cups chicken broth (reserved from cooking the chicken)
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 1⁄4 cup chopped red pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 1⁄2 cup black or brown lentils
• 1 cup cooked chopped chicken, skinless
• Seasonings to taste: black pepper and garlic powder

Place all ingredients in skillet or pan on top of stove; cover and cook until all liquid evaporates. In 20 minutes, dinner is done!

Serves 6 to 7. Put extra rice and chicken in freezer bags for later use.

Lentils are great to have on hand. They are a cheap source of fiber and protein. They are as easy to cook as rice.

Meal 2: Chicken Burritos

• 3 cups cooked pinto beans, drained if using canned or boiled
• 1⁄2 cup prepared salsa
• 1 can corn, drained
• 2 teaspoons butter or margarine
• 1 cup cooked chopped chicken, skinless
• 1⁄2 cup fat-free sour cream
• 8 flour tortillas, warmed in microwave when ready to serve

Heat pinto beans and salsa in microwave. Heat corn and butter or margarine in microwave. Everybody can assemble their own tortillas using beans, corn, chicken, and sour cream. Use extra salsa if desired. The 8 tortillas feed 4 to 8 people.

Meal 3: Chicken Wild Rice Soup

• 4 cups chicken broth (reserved from cooking chicken)
• 1 cup brown/wild rice mix (if you don’t have mix, use 1⁄2 cup of each)
• 1⁄2 cup diced pepper (red or green)
• 1 cup cooked chopped chicken
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms or 1 large can mushrooms, drained
• Seasonings to taste: black pepper, garlic powder, thyme, Italian seasoning

Place all ingredients in crock pot and cover. Cook on high until rice is tender, about 2 hours. Add water or broth for desired thickness.

If you don’t have a crock pot, cover and simmer on stove until rice is tender, about 45 to 60 minutes. Add more liquid as needed; stir occasionally.

Meal 4: Chicken Veggie Stir Fry

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup sliced carrots
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup sliced asparagus tips
• 1⁄4 cup sliced, mild hot pepper (poblano)
• 1⁄2 cup sliced red pepper
• 1 bag fresh snow peas
• 1 cup cooked chopped chicken
• Seasonings to taste: 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

Pour oil into pan and heat over medium high. Sauté carrots. Add garlic, asparagus, and peppers. Sauté briefly until golden. Cover and stir frequently for a few minutes until crisp-tender. Add snow peas, chicken, and seasonings. Heat.

Serve hot with cooked brown rice (1 1⁄2 cups brown rice, 3 cups water; cook 30 minutes).

To save time, consider using one of the many frozen packages of stir-fry veggies.

Meal 5: Chicken Pasta Bowl

This dish takes about 15 minutes with ingredients already prepared.

• 2 cups medium shell pasta, dry
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup asparagus, cut in 2-inch strips
• 1⁄2 cup sliced red pepper strips
• 1 small can chicken broth
• 1 cup cooked chopped chicken
• Seasonings to taste: garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, black pepper
• Grated Parmesan cheese, about 2 to 4 tablespoons

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain in colander. Add oil to large sauté pan, and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté vegetables until crisp-tender, stirring frequently.

Add cooked pasta, cooked chicken, broth, and seasonings. Heat until broth is evaporated and pasta is heated through. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve hot.

Meal 6: Chicken Chili

Make this dish quickly in the microwave. Watch it disappear even faster!

• 3 cups cooked pinto beans, drained
• 1 can tomatoes
• 1 cup cooked chopped chicken
• Seasonings to taste: chili powder, dried oregano, garlic powder, coriander, cumin

Place all ingredients in microwave dish. Microwave on high until heated through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir well. Serve over pasta or rice or in rolled-up tortilla. Top with fat-free sour cream, if desired.

Make these recipes your own. Use any vegetables you like.

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Katie Funderburk, Assistant Director, Federal Nutrition Programs, Auburn University

Reviewed August 2024, How to Make 6 Meals from 1 Chicken, FCS-2184