If you’re looking to trim the fat on your monthly expenses, making the most of the leftovers in your fridge is a huge step towards success. In our newest series, we’ll check out ways you can turn your leftovers into new meals.

Did you know the average American family of four discards up to $2,275 worth of food a year? That’s a lot of money getting thrown out.

For the first post in our series that puts leftovers to good use, we couldn’t think of a better way to start than discussing how to get more out of a chicken dinner. Roast chicken and vegetables is one of those meals perfect for reuse. If you do it right (and follow our recipe), you’ll have everything you need to create another full meal!

Let’s get started. We’re getting hungry just writing about it.

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Roast Chicken and Vegetables Recipe

For the Chicken

  • 1 5lb whole roaster chicken
  • 1½ 4oz sticks of unsalted butter
  • 2 cups of unsalted chicken stock
  • Flour
  • Kitchen twine

For the Vegetables

  • 6 large carrots
  • 24oz package of fingerling potatoes
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 1 cup of sliced mushrooms

For the Spices

  • 1 tbsp of salt
  • ½ tbsp of pepper
  • 2 tsp of onion powder
  • 2 tsp of garlic powder
  • 2 tsp of dried rosemary
  • 2 tsp of paprika

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Mince the cloves of garlic and dice the onion.
  3. Cut the carrots into 1-inch thick slices and the potatoes into 2-inch thick slices.
  4. Remove the package of giblets from inside the chicken.
  5. Put the minced garlic and half of the onion inside of the chicken.
  6. Loosen the skin on the chicken’s breast and spread six 1-tsp dollops of butter between the skin and breast.
  7. Circling as much kitchen twine as you need around the chicken, tie the wings and legs down tightly to the body.
  8. Pour the chicken stock into a large roaster.
  9. Place the remaining vegetables into the roaster, then put the chicken on top of the vegetables, with the breast facing up.
  10. Mix the dry spices in a bowl, then evenly distribute the spices around the chicken.
  11. Place roaster in the oven and roast for an hour and a half.
  12. Melt the remaining butter and brush some over the chicken every 20 minutes.
  13. Once the chicken’s juices run clear and your meat thermometer reads 165°F, remove the roaster from the oven.
  14. Take the chicken and veggies out of the roaster and strain the remaining chicken broth into a small saucepan.
  15. Heat the broth over medium heat, stirring in flour until at desired thickness to create the gravy.
  16. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  17. Allow the chicken to cool slightly before slicing and serving it with the vegetables and gravy.

Once you’re done, clean the chicken’s bones, and place the remaining chicken and vegetables in one container and the remaining gravy in another. You’ll need all these for the meal you’ll be enjoying tomorrow…chicken pot pie!

For chicken pot pie, you’re taking everything that made the roast chicken so delicious and adding a flaky crust. Want to cut the calories from this classic? Check out our “Getting Creative with Comfort Food: Healthy Chicken Pot Pie” post for helpful ways to make this recipe a bit healthier.

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Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

For the Crust

  • 1 cup of self-rising whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • ½ cup of margarine
  • 1 cup of 1% milk

For the Filling

  • Leftover roast chicken
  • Leftover vegetables
  • Leftover chicken gravy

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Mix the leftover chicken, vegetables, and gravy in a large oven-safe pan. (A 9x13 pan should work, depending on the amount left over.)
  3. Mix the self-rising whole wheat flour and salt in a large bowl.
  4. Melt the margarine in a small dish, then pour it and the milk into the flour mixture.
  5. Stir until the batter is thoroughly mixed.
  6. Flatten the chicken, vegetable, and gravy mixture, then pour the batter evenly over top.
  7. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the crust browns and cooks through.
  8. Serve!

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Note: The recipes above should serve two people, and the first meal should provide enough leftovers to help make the second. While we generally try to share recipes that are healthy for you, the goal here is to save you money and time. This means the recipes will be tasty and easy, but they won’t necessarily help you shed pounds.