Five for Friday- Five Recipes for a Five Dollar Chicken

I know today is Thursday but I am getting ready for Friday. Normally every Friday my husband comes home for the weekend and I want to make something quick and delicious to have when he walks in the door. I found a recipe where you use a roasted chicken from the supermarket and the rest is history. I am sharing my top five chicken recipes.

Vons, Safeway or Vons Pavillions have a special on their roasted chicken for five dollars on Fridays. They start coming out of the roaster around 10 a.m. and are coming out around the clock. One time I was picking one up and a little old man was going through all of them like a treasure trove and I asked him what he was looking for, his reply "when they are tiny...they have been sitting here to long." Not sure if this is true or not, still kinda stick to this advice.  Listed from 5 to our favorite, tested all of these recipes and find them to work out great.

Recipe #5- Southwestern Chicken Salad

A Real Simple recipe, this is probably not Lance's favorite but I really enjoy it. It is something that you can keep in the fridge, but I would keep the dressing separate until you are ready to eat. I did add tomatoes to this for some extra flavor.

Recipe #4- Chicken and Dumplings

Another great Real Simple recipe. You have to be in the mood for some hot, comfort food with this dish. I have never used the leek, but it was fun to make this dish. I put the little dumplings in and it was fun to watch them cook in the juices. I would also add some rolls to dip with this meal.

Recipe #3- Chicken and Vegetable Pot Pie

This isn't my exact recipe but it is really close. Another Real Simple recipe, it doesn't call for a roasted chicken, I just use one and skip a couple of steps. In any of my pot pies I really try to use fresh vegetable when available and NEVER use peas (Lance's hates them). If vegetables are not available then I use a bag of frozen mixed veggies instead. Also I am a firm believer in Pillsbury pie crusts. When making my first pies I made my own crust and it was time consuming and a lot of work. Pillsbury crusts are just as good and less time.

Recipe #2- Chicken Enchiladas

This is my go to recipe in LOTS of ways. It is fast, simple, crowd pleaser and SO GOOD. Again, it doesn't call for a roasted chicken, but I skip steps and save time by using a shredded up roasted chicken. I also don't like to use the roasted almonds but that really is just my preference. Lance loves when I make this dish because he shreds the chicken as I am getting the dish ready, so really it is team work.

Recipe #1-Chipotle Chicken and Rice

This is Lance's FAVORITE MEAL EVER! It is one of the best dishes ever. Although funny story about the first time I made this...after reading the recipe I had to make a trip to the local Carniceria to find the canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. This is a Martha Stewart recipe so of course I had to go to all lengths to find the ingredients for this. When you do find them, buy at least three cans so you have them.

Anyways, I went to make the sauce and reading Martha's recipe I totally misunderstood when she said "2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo" I read it as "two cans of chipotle chiles" UH OH!

Lance was sitting in the living room crying and I was in the kitchen crying and sweating because the air was burning with chipotle chiles. Bless his heart, my dear husband did eat one of them and drank a gallon of milk. He really does love this dish.

Again with this recipe you skip the first step and twenty minutes when using a roasted chicken.