When I have an operating oven, I’m a huge fan of roasting a large chicken once a week. It works out really economical as we get at least 4 days of meals from it. It’s known as rubber chicken because of how far it stretches!

Now I’m not as stringent as many with my rubber chicken. Some people are amazing in their resourcefulness with it. There is quite a lot of meat on the average bird, though I’ll admit that some shops and ranges have much higher meat to bone ratios. I much prefer when I can get a free range one from the butcher. They’re more expensive but as they’re not water injected there’s virtually no oven shrinking and by the time we’re sick of eating it, there’s still enough for stock, the dogs and the freezer.

As I’m ovenless, I paid for a rotisserie chicken this week. It was a fiver, which seems cheap, but was wee small. I’m sure a lot of families would eat the lot in one sitting, maybe with a few leftovers. Not me.

The before shot was a small bird in a bag, so I’ll let imaginations work for that as I forgot to take a photo. There was a good amount of meat on it, and not much fat or gristle, so it picked very clean with little waste.

I find the meat goes a lot further if the while bird is stripped, rather than carving it up for a roast dinner, movie style.

One large lunchbox, done. Yum.

Dinner 1: chicken nachos. If I had an oven, it would have been enchiladas, but this is still delicious.

I used taco shells, broken in 4, as the base, as I’d an open box that needed eating. Maybe I should call these “deconstructed tacos” instead! Seasoned chicken, cheese, refried beans, peppers, scallions, and sour cream. Ideally there would be something avocado-based and some salsa, but I didnt want to go to the shop again.

Dinner two: pesto chicken penne.

This is a regular with us, with and without meat. Boy Wonder eats nearly an adult sizes portion every time, so it’s great on days where he’s been eating like a bird.

Lunch one: quesadillas.

I’d an open pack of small flour tortillas, and some grated cheese that I thought I’d have made pizza with by now, so fancy toastie time! These are super simple and versatile. Just don’t overstuff as they’ll be a nightmare to flip on the pan.

Chicken and cheese for Boy Wonder. Folded in half and toasted in a dry pan over a low-medium heat. Got scoffed before photos. Four more wraps used between myself and Husbeast, with the same filling. Dips on the side.

So out of this bird we’ve had two dinners and a big lunch, and then I froze the last of the meat which is plenty for one nights worth of chicken and veg curry. Happy bellies and wallet, and little to no waste.