This post has been sponsored by Boston Market. All opinions here, however, are my own.
Are your kids back to school yet? We’re starting to settle into the swing of things here, and back-to-school season is always back-to-busy season — including the challenge of planning and fitting in weeknight dinners around kids’ various schedules and activities. So let me tell you today about this Family Meal Deal we recently had the chance to try out at Boston Market, and how we stretched ours into multiple easy dinner ideas to help make that back-to-school transition a little easier!
As a back-to-school meal deal for a limited time, Boston Market is offering a $1.99 whole rotisserie chicken (fresh, never frozen) with the purchase of any Family Meal. What do you get with a Family Meal? These are intended to feed families of 3-4, and feature your choice of rotisserie chicken, roasted turkey, BBQ ribs, or home style meatloaf, plus three sides of choice and three cornbread. So when you add in that $1.99 rotisserie chicken, too: Now, you’re speaking my language.
MashupDad and Mr. 10 fixated immediately on the meatloaf as their main dish of choice, and then we each picked a side, ending up with: Mac & cheese, creamed spinach, and herbed potato wedges — plus, of course, the included cornbread. They were so happy with that meatloaf choice, and dinner disappeared pretty quickly over here!
That’s one quick and easy family dinner with a nice variety of choices, but we weren’t done yet…
Leftovers ftw:
You can stretch a whole rotisserie chicken to make so many different meals, which makes that $1.99 add-on chicken a great option! Here’s what we did with ours this time: Since meatloaf isn’t my own favorite, I actually ate a little of the chicken for dinner that first night while the boys enjoyed the meatloaf included in our Family Meal. Then, I shredded up the rest of the chicken and made stock overnight in my Crock-Pot overnight with the bones.
That let me use part of the leftover chicken + the stock to make a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup, and then we added the rest of the chicken to a salad with veggies + cheese for another light family dinner later in the week (similar to the chopped salad here).
So: Our one Boston Market Family Meal + $1.99 rotisserie chicken stretched out into three family-friendly dinners, making it a good investment as the basis for several easy weeknight meals. And here’s my easy rotisserie chicken soup recipe for you to try out if you decide to pick up your own Boston Market $1.99 Family Meal Deal.
Easy Rotisserie Chicken Soup
Ingredients
Six cups homemade chicken stock (or boxed chicken broth)
4 cups water
3 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 a medium yellow onion, chopped
1.5-2 cups leftover rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 Tbsp thyme
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp turmeric
Black pepper, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
6 oz dry egg noodles
A splash of fresh lemon juice (optional)
Directions
Add broth, water, veggies, chicken, and spices to a large Dutch oven or stock pot. Bring to a boil, skim if necessary, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally, until carrots are softened and flavors have blended.
Stir in egg noodles and cook another 10 minutes over medium heat, or until noodles are cooked al dente. Add lemon juice and serve. (Top with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.)
Rotisserie chicken soup is a simple comfort food recipe…
Mr. 10 put away two bowls the first night and enjoyed leftover soup again for dinner the next, so I’d say that this soup is a kid-friendly hit. And, it’s so easy to throw together with a little leftover rotisserie chicken + a few pantry staples! Making your own broth from the bones overnight makes this leftover rotisserie chicken dinner idea even more economical (and tastier), too.
Your turn
What are some of your favorite ways to use leftover rotisserie chicken?
Easy Rotisserie Chicken Soup, printable recipe
Easy Rotisserie Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- Six cups homemade chicken stock (or boxed chicken broth)
- 4 cups water
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1/2 a medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1.5-2 cups leftover rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1 Tbsp thyme
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- Black pepper, to taste
- Sea salt, to taste
- 6 oz dry egg noodles
- A splash of fresh lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Add broth, water, veggies, chicken, and spices to a large Dutch oven or stock pot. Bring to a boil, skim if necessary, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally, until carrots are softened and flavors have blended.
- Stir in egg noodles and cook another 10 minutes over medium heat, or until noodles are cooked al dente. Add lemon juice and serve. (Top with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.)
Christina Noe
Tuesday 15th of October 2019
I've never seen a recipe with onion and garlic that doesn't call for sauteing them first before adding everything else. Do you find that skipping that step doesn't sacrifice any flavor?
rachel
Tuesday 15th of October 2019
The idea behind this recipe is hands off and easy, and it is a good soup -- but if you would like to pre-saute your onion a bit, it does of course add more depth of flavor.