ROAD TEST: I challenged myself to make 4 tasty meals out of a single supermarket roast chook.

Fact: supermarket or store-bought roast chickens are one of the most underrated dinner options out there.

They’re yummy, hot and hit all the right spots. And, if you’re creative enough, one chook can get you through days of delicious meals.

To find out exactly what you can do with one humble rotisserie chook, freelance chef, recipe writer and stylist Samantha Parish decided to set herself a #1ChookChallenge. The goal? To see how many lunch and dinner meals she could make using, well, one chook. Considering we’re all trying to save extra cash while also not getting bored of our home cooking, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Keep scrolling for Sam’s four brilliant roast chicken recipes. Then, all you have to do is pick which one you’ll make first and head straight to your local supermarket for a chook.

WATCH: This no-bake Easter recipe is so delish. Post continues below.

1. The Classic Chicken Sambo.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shredded chicken meat, from a store bought BBQ chook
• 1 small zucchini, grated
• 1 celery stick, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 tsp cracked pepper
• 2 tbs pine nuts
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2tbs mayonnaise
• 2 rolls, halved
• Pickles and sliced tomato to serve

Directions:

Combine nuts, oil and a pinch of salt on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 1 minute or until slightly golden. Combine chicken, zucchini, celery, parsley, chives, zest, juice, pepper, mayonnaise and toasted nuts in a bowl. Divide between rolls, top with pickles and tomato and serve.

2. Chicken Chilli Cold Noodles.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 zucchini, spiralised or shredded using a julienne peeler
• 1 stick celery, thinly sliced leaves reserved
• 100g dried udon noodle
• 1 cup shredded store-bought BBQ chicken
• Store bought Fried crispy onions to serve
• Chilli soy sauce
• 2tbs soy sauce
• 2tbs black vinegar, you sub with red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil (a dash)
• 1/4 tsp chilli flakes ( a pinch)
• 1tbs chilli jam or crispy chilli condiment
• 2tsp siracha
• 2tsp sesame seeds, toasted (if you can be bothered)

Directions:

For the dressing combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

Boil noodles as per packet instructions. Add zucchini and any celery leaves then strain and refresh under cold water. Divide between bowls and add chicken and celery. Spoon over dressing and scatter with crispy onions.

3. Skin And Bones Soup.

Ingredients:

• Skin and bones of 1 store bought BBQ chicken
• vegetable offcuts, like carrot, celery, onion, zucchini, anything goes! (can even use onion skins)
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped into 1cm pieces
• 1 fennel, chopped into 1cm pieces
• 2 pieces celery , thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, chopped into 1cm pieces
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• shredded zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 sprig rosemary, leaves picked
• 1x400g can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 bunch dill, chopped
• 50g frozen kale or spinach
• Crusty bread to serve.

Directions:

Place bones, vegetable offcuts, peppercorns, turmeric, curry powder and at least 3-4 litres of water in a stockpot and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour or until it tastes super chickeny.

Meanwhile, heat oil in another heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, fennel, celery, carrot, garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, and the chicken skin. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables have softened and are catching on the bottom of the pan.

Add beans and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, for a further 5 minutes or until softened slightly. Season well with salt and pepper. Ladle hot stock through a fine sieve until you have your desired soup/stew consistency. (Remaining stock can be frozen for another soup).

Stir through frozen kale/spinach, lemon juice, and dill. Divide into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

4. Flaky Chicken Pie.

Serves: 4-6.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup (80g) ghee melted (found in the Indian section of the supermarket, sub with butter)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1x 28g stockpot (jelly thing) alternatively add 1/2 cup of chicken stock to the onions after their softened, reduce by half before continuing with the recipe.
• 180g sour cream
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp multigrain mustard
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 3 cups store-bought bbq chicken meat
• 1 head broccoli, grated
• 200g mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 tbs plain flour
• 12 sheets filo
• Rosemary to sprinkle

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200C.

Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a roughly 22cm heavy-based frypan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add stock, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and nutmeg and stir until combined. Remove from heat.

Toss chicken, broccoli, mushrooms and flour in a large bowl. Add cream mixture and mix to coat. season with salt and pepper. Wipe pan and reserve.

Roughly brush 6 filo sheets with 1 tbs ghee and layer on top of each other. Layover pan (alternatively you can use a 22cm pie dish or cake pan) so it roughly covers the base and sides of the pan with some overhang. Add chicken mixture and press down, bring the filo overhang up and over the filling.

Roughly brush the remaining 6 filo sheets with remaining ghee and layer on top of each other. Scrunch and rip to use to cover the top of the pie, tucking filo into the sides of the pan to enclose the filling. Drizzle with any remaining ghee, scatter with rosemary and add salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Cut and serve warm!

Feature Image: Supplied.

This post originally appeared on Maximum of flavour. Minimum of fuss. and has been republished here with full permission. For more of Sam's epic recipes, visit her website or follow her on Instagram. Feature image: Supplied.

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