Chicken for One
Eating with people is awesome, but there are times when you may find yourself needing to make meals just for one. This can be tricky as many recipes are for multiple servings and it might feel like it’s too much work to cook for just you. Have no fear! You can definitely make “chicken for one” meals that are healthy and nutritious.
When cooking for one, it’s important to avoid wasting food. This can be done in the following ways:
- Batch cooking
- Smart grocery shopping
- Planning your meals
Batch Cooking
Many of the awesome recipes on chicken.ca can be made ahead of time in batches and frozen into individual portions.
Recipes that lend themselves to batch cooking include:
- Soups/stews/chili
- Pastas
- Pizzas
Soups & Stews
You never just make one bowl of soup or stew… it’s always a big batch! This Big Batch Chicken, Lentil, Bean & Rice soup is a perfect example. You can divide the soup into separate containers and freeze them so you will have a quick meal during the week.
Chili recipes are also great for cooking in a large batch. Try cooking this Chicken & White Bean Chili. Use leftovers as the protein on tacos, quesadillas, salads or with a slice of whole grain bread!
Chicken Pasta
Trying to measure the correct amount of pasta to serve only one person never seems to work! Don’t stress about it. Pasta is perfect for cooking in batches and great for using in leftovers.
This Pesto Bean Rotini Chicken Toss is a great recipe for you to make in a large batch and take the leftovers for lunch the next day.
Chicken Vegetable Lasagna is fantastic slow cooker recipe that can easily be frozen in square containers and brought to work the next day. You can even chop up the noodles to make it a “deconstructed” lasagna to keep things interesting!
Pizza for Days!
Because leftover pizza normally needs to be reheated, it lends itself well to being frozen and thawed. Chicken & Broccoli Calzones are little pockets of goodness that can be made in batches and frozen individually. These are awesome if you don’t have too much space in your freezer and want to keep things compact.
Smart Grocery Shopping & Planning Your Meals
Thinking about your weekly meals will help you determine exactly what groceries you need for the week ahead to avoid food waste. Avoid buying large amounts of produce in bulk as they may perish before you get a chance to eat them. If you are going to purchase meat in bulk, make sure you freeze what you aren’t going to be using within 1-3 days. Frozen chicken pieces can be stored up to 6 months in the freezer, so this is a great option for when you’re cooking for one!
Who knew dining solo could be this easy?