Make-Ahead Chicken

A time saving and money-stretching trick I started employing at my house recently is cooking hamburger and chicken ahead of time so when I am in a rush, I can just pull it out and it is already made. This is not quite as easy as pulling out a freeze-ahead homemade meal, but to be frank, there just are not a lot of freeze-ahead meals that are gluten and top 8 free (rice noodles just don't hold up the same way!).

The first time I did this, it was a huge hit with my husband (who really doesn't like chicken-on-the-bone). I am able to get several meals out of it, and it is perfect for casseroles, Chinese food, enchiladas and goulashes, and you can save the bones for an allergy friendly, inexpensive chicken broth.

In the photos shown here, I cooked 10-12 lbs of chicken (I bought it when it was on sale for $.99/lb), removed the skin and visible fat from the chicken, drizzled it with canola oil, and seasoned it with garlic, salt and pepper (seasonings that will go with just about any meal). I baked it in a 350° oven for around an hour to an hour and a half. This is a great method, too, because you don't have to rely on the expensive chicken in a bag that often has solutions that may bother an allergy sufferer.