such a good meal

Make that two good meals - but hang on for that thought.

Saturday I made something new in the crock pot from this book. It was so good I have to share it with you. 

Lemony Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

1 (3- to 4-pound) whole chicken

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon of fresh parsley

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Method:

Rinse chicken and pat try with paper towels. Remove and discard any excess fat. Place onion in chicken cavity and rub skin with butter. Place chicken in slow cooker. Squeeze lemon juice over chicken. Sprinkle with grated lemon peel, salt, and thyme. Cover and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours.

**I don't know where exactly the parsley was supposed to go. The recipe didn't say. I just left it out.

Okay ~ before you get all weirded out that you have to use a whole chicken because it's a pain to clean and cut, let me just tell you that if you've cleaned a turkey - same thing. Also, you don't have to worry about cutting anything because the meat just falls off the bone! So yummy and tender. For a side dish I cubed potatoes and mixed them with a little olive oil, thyme, rosemary, and lemon pepper and let them cook in a pan. Everyone in the family loved this meal. 

Then there was too much chicken for our family to eat, so I just saved the rest. Then last night I cut/shredded it up small. Add some sliced onion, a little taco seasoning (tablespoon or two), and some green taco sauce. Instead of green taco sauce, you can use a small can of diced green chiles. With a pat or two of butter I warmed that in a skillet until the onions were cooked and the chicken was hot enough. Then we had chicken for our quesadillas. These turned out way better than the ones I normally make. 

Let's talk value ~ I got a two-pack of whole chickens for just under $10. Froze one. So the one I used cost about $5 and it made two meals. Meat for two meals for $2.50 a meal. There's actually even a little bit of the chicken left over. Quesadilla for me for lunch! Depending on the size of your family, you may not get the same value we did.

Let me know if you try this recipe. How did it work out for you? What will you do with your left over chicken the next day?