Ingredients

Day One: Roasted Chicken and Gravy with Roasted Potatoes and Veggies
  • 3 3 to 4-pound whole chickens, remove and discard gizzard bag
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus additional for drizzling
  • 2 large onions, thickly sliced
  • 7 to 8 parsnips, peeled and cut lengthwise into 8 pieces
  • 2 small bags (about 2 1/2 pounds each) carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
  • 1 head garlic, peeled
  • 3 pounds small Yukon gold or red skin potatoes, halved or quartered (little ones left whole)
  • 6 cups chicken stock, divided
  • 1/4 cup flour
Day Two: Roasted Chicken Shepherd's Pie
  • 4 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 of the cooked roasted chicken, shredded (about 2 cups)
  • 1/3 of the cooked roasted vegetables, chopped into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups)
  • 2 cups reserved gravy
  • 1 package frozen peas
  • 10 to 15 chives, chopped (optional)
Day Three: Tomatillo Chicken Corn Enchiladas
  • 1 16-ounce jar store-bought tomatillo salsa, divided
  • 1 package frozen corn, defrosted
  • 1/4 of the cooked roasted chicken, shredded (about 2 cups)
  • 8 flour tortillas
  • 1 pound pepper jack cheese, grated, divided
  • 1 cup reserved gravy
Day Four: Chicken & Veggie Pasta
  • 1 pound rigatoni or pasta of your choice
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus additional for drizzling
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 medium-sized zucchini, cut in half lengthwise then sliced into half moons
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup heavy cream (you can also use milk or half-and-half)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • 1/4 of the cooked roasted chicken, shredded (about 2 cups)
  • 1/3 of the cooked roasted veggies, chopped into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups)
Day Five: Italian Chicken Salad
  • 4 thick slices crusty bread
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1/4 of the cooked roasted chicken, shredded
  • 1/3 of the cooked roasted veggies (about 2 cups)
  • 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 romaine hearts, torn or chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 2 tablespoons capers, drained
  • 1/4 pound Parmigiano cheese, grated
  • 10 leaves basil, chopped
  • 1 small jar marinated artichokes, drained
  • 1/4 cup (a handful) pitted Kalamata olives

Yield

Serves: 4 servings every night

Preparation

Day One:

Preheat oven to 375F. Season the chickens with salt and pepper, and drizzle a little EVOO over each one. Using two roasting pans, place the onions, parsnips, carrots and garlic in the first roasting pan and the potatoes in the bottom of the second. Add 1 cup of chicken stock to each roasting pan and season everything with salt and pepper. Place two chickens on top of the veggies and the remaining one on top of the potatoes. Place the roasting pan with the 2 chickens into the oven and roast for 1 1/2 hours, basting with the pan juices every half hour or so.

*The solo chicken with potatoes will be for dinner the first night, so if you're assembling the rest of week's meals earlier in the day, don't prepare the chicken and potatoes until about 90 minutes prior to dinner time.

While the chickens roast, cook up the potatoes for the Roasted Chicken Shepherd's Pie and the pasta and sauce for the Chicken & Veggie Pasta.

For the potatoes: Place the peeled and quartered Idaho potatoes in a large pot and cover them with an inch of water. Place over high heat, bring up to a bubble and boil for about 12 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain and return them to the pot to dry out a little. Add the butter and milk to the pot, and smash potatoes with a fork or potato masher. Season with salt and pepper, and reserve until you are ready to assemble the Roasted Chicken Shepherd's Pie.

For the Chicken & Veggie Pasta: Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat to bring to a boil to cook the rigatoni. Once boiling, add some salt and the pasta, and cook them halfway through to al dente, according to package directions. Cooking the pasta only halfway will prevent it from being too soggy the day you're ready to eat it. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Give the pasta a good size drizzle of EVOO, toss and reserve until ready to assemble the Roasted Chicken Primavera.

For a little extra vegetable for the Primavera, place a large skillet over medium heat with 3 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. Add the zucchini, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring every now and then for 2 minutes. Remove the cooked zucchini from the pan and set aside. The zucchini can also be steamed instead of sauteed.

To the skillet, add 2 tablespoons of EVOO, the butter and the flour to make a roux. Cook the flour for a minute or so, then whisk in 2 cups of chicken stock and 1 cup of cream. Bring up to a bubble and simmer for a couple of minutes to thicken. Season with salt, pepper and a small amount of nutmeg, remove from heat and reserve alongside the pasta and zucchini.

When the chickens have finished roasting, remove them to a platter and loosely cover them with foil. Allow them to rest for 10-15 minutes. When they're cool enough to handle, remove all the skin and then the meat from the bird. Shred the chicken meat and divide it into four equal portions. Remove all but 1/4 of the veggies from the pan and chop them into bite-size pieces. Divide them into three portions and reserve.

While the chickens rest, prepare the gravy: To a skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Once the butter melts, add the 1/4 cup of flour and cook for a minute or so. Whisk in the remaining quart of chicken stock, bring up to a bubble and simmer for a couple of minutes to thicken. Remove from heat and reserve.

Assemble the Roasted Chicken Shepherd's Pie: Combine one of the four reserved chicken portions and one of the three roasted veggie portions, 2 cups of gravy and the defrosted peas together in a large oven-safe casserole dish.

Top with the smashed potatoes, spreading them out evenly across the surface of the dish.

Wrap well in plastic wrap, let cool completely and store in the refrigerator.

Assemble the Chicken & Veggie Pasta: Combine one of the three reserved veggies portions, the zucchini, rigatoni and one of the reserved chicken portions in an oven-safe casserole dish.

Pour cream sauce over everything and give it a little stir to get the sauce down in the dish.

Sprinkle the top with the grated Parmigiano cheese, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

Let cool completely and store in the refrigerator.

Assemble the Tomatillo Chicken Corn Enchiladas: Combine the last reserved chicken portions with 1/2 the jar of tomatillo salsa, the defrosted corn and half of the pepper jack cheese.

Place about 3 tablespoons of the mixture at one end of a tortilla, tuck in the edges around the filling and roll it up. Continue until you have used up all of the filling and tortillas. Place the tortillas seam side down in a casserole or any oven-safe dish, laying them side by side. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of the gravy and the remaining salsa. Pour gravy-salsa mixture over the enchiladas and top with the remaining half of the cheese. Wrap it up well, let cool completely and refrigerate.

Put remaining reserved veggie portion into a small container and refrigerate.

When you are ready to serve tonight's dinner, cut chicken into 8 pieces: 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, and each breast cut in half. Divide the chicken pieces between 4 dinner plates and serve with the roasted potatoes and the reserved veggies you left in large pieces. If the gravy has thickened up by the time you're ready to eat, thin it out with a little chicken stock and serve alongside.

Day Two: Roasted Chicken Shepherd's Pie

Remove Shepherd's Pie from fridge 30 minutes prior to dinnertime. Heat in a 400F oven until warmed through and the top begins to brown, about 30-40 minutes.

Day Three: Tomatillo Chicken Corn Enchilada

Remove enchiladas from fridge 30 minutes prior to dinnertime. Heat in a 400F oven until warmed through and the cheese is browned. About 15-20 minutes.

Day Four: Chicken & Veggie Pasta

Remove pasta from fridge 30 minutes prior to dinnertime. Heat in a 400F until warmed through and the top is brown and crispy. About 30 minutes.

Day Five: Italian Chicken Salad

Toast bread until golden under a preheated broiler or in a toaster oven. Remove and rub with garlic. While the bread is toasting, throw together the dressing and the rest of the salad.

For the dressing: Combine the mustard, vinegar, Parmigiano and a little salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the EVOO in a slow, steady stream.

In a salad bowl, combine the reserved shredded chicken, the last of the roasted veggies and the sliced red onion. Add the chopped romaine and basil, capers, artichokes and olives to the bowl, pour the dressing over everything and toss to combine. To assemble, place a slice of the garlic toast on a dinner plate, top it with some salad.