Meal Prepping With Chicken Leg & Thigh Quarters by Caroline
The beginning of a new year is always an exciting time, filled with hope and plans for the future. This year I gathered with a few friends to make vision boards in attempt to help shape our goals and desires for 2025. As each of our boards took shape I began to think about how everyone has such different goals for the new year. One main thread that I noticed between my friends and I’s boards was health, whether this be physical, mental, financial, or a combination. One habit that I feel like always gives me a feeling of general wellness when I keep up with it is meal prepping. It allows me to have healthy foods readily available, relieves me of decision fatigue during my busy weekdays, and is often a great way to save money for me! However, there is nothing that I hate more than eating the same thing for days on end, as someone who loves to cook I need to switch it up.
One of the best ways to meal prep without the usual monotony is to cook a protein (usually on Sunday for me) and change it up with different sauces and toppings throughout the week. I love to do this with chicken leg and thighs as they stay so juicy while I add them to my dinners! I simply roast them on sunday, usually just with salt and pepper to leave me a fairly blank slate, and then after cooling I remove the meat from the bone and shred it before storing in tupperware in the fridge. There are a million and one things you can do with shredded chicken, but I am going to break some down into a few of my favorite categories with some ideas for each!
Soups: Soups often seem labor intensive, but with some frozen veggies and delicious Hillacres Pride Chicken Stock on hand, they really can be quite simple! Here are some of my favs, I often simplify these recipes, but they are a great start!
Bowls: For me a bowl is generally a grain (usually rice honestly) with a protein, a few handfuls of veggies and other toppings, all covered in a delicious sauce. Mix and match these ideas to create your perfect meal!
- Greek Inspired Bowl
- Grain: Rice or Orzo
- Toppings: Arugula, Tomatoes, Red Onion, Cucumber, Feta, Olives, Pita Crisps
- Sauces: Tzatziki, Simple Vinaigrette
- Teriyaki Bowl
- Grain: Rice
- Toppings: Steamed Broccoli, Steamed Carrots, Sauteed Pepper and Onions, Green Onions, Sesame Seeds
- Sauce: Teriyaki Sauce
- “We’ve got Chipotle at home” Bowl
- Grain: Rice
- Toppings: Tomatoes, Onions, Lettuce, Sauteed Onions & Peppers, Sweetcorn, Shredded Cheese, Tortilla Chips/Strips
- Sauces: Salsa, Sour Cream, Honey Lime Vinaigrette
Salads: There is truly no food that I love more than a good salad, but I mean a GOOD salad. I’m talking lots of toppings, textures, and protein, which is where our shredded chicken leg and thighs come in!
- This is THE SALAD for me, from my favorite chef, Meredith, of Wishbone Kitchen, here is her Christmas Confetti Salad
- Cobb Salad: Greens of choice, cubed avocado, bacon bits, crumbled hard boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, croutons or tortilla strips, balsamic vinaigrette
- Fruity Salad: Leafy greens, diced fruits of all sorts (strawberries, apples, blueberries, pomegranate, oranges, etc), pecans, feta or goat cheese, maple vinaigrette
This methodology can be applied to all sorts of proteins. Browned ground beef can be used to make spaghetti, tacos, hamburger bbq, zucchini boats, cheeseburger soup, and so much more. Or a slow cooked pork roast is perfect for tacos with onions and cilantro, on a sandwich with barbecue sauce and slaw, and it all sorts of bowls. Whatever your protein of choice is, remember that meal prepping doesn’t have to be boring. Get creative and have fun with it!
