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Store bought rotisserie chickens are one of the unsung heroes for weeknight meals. Hot, fresh and usually under $5–it’s that go-to protein for the busy professional, parent or student.  Grab a baguette, a bag of the salad mix of your choice, a cucumber, a tomato (or any other veggies you like–mushrooms, zucchini, etc.) and a great chardonnay and you are ready for meal #1.

#1 of 100 Weeknight Ways to Rock a Rotisserie Chicken

If you don’t own a pair of kitchen shears–invest–you won’t regret it! We all have our favorite pieces of chicken and that first meal is pretty simple! Remove the strings trussing the chicken and cut whichever piece strikes your fancy from the whole bird! I love the drumsticks and my husband, Russ, is a wing man!

Cover the remainder of the bird and refrigerate immediately.  Cut the baguette into 2 long, diagonal slices per serving–about 3/4 to 1″ in width.  Place the slices on a baking tray and drizzle a good olive oil and salt to taste. Add a heaping tablespoon of grated parmigiano-reggiano (the genuine and truly wonderful Italian version of the anemic English/American “parmesan”) cheese to the tray for a parmesan tuile. With your oven on broil, place the tray of baguette slices and parmesan on the top shelf of the oven and hit the timer for two minutes. Check it when the timer goes off and then again for one minute increments until just golden brown around the edges (Chef types call these “crostini’s”).

Pull your dinner plates out of the cupboard and drop a handful of the salad mix on each plate. Add a slice of tomato–quartered, a couple of slices of the cucumber in a large dice with skin intact, salt and freshly ground pepper and drizzle a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil across the top of your salad. Snuggle those chicken pieces, toasted baguette slices and tuile on the plate and uncork and pour that chardonnay (our “house” is La Crema–there are still a few of the 2011 bottling out there with a Wine Spectator rating of 87 but there is truly no such thing as “settling” for any vintage–it’s a great chardonnay and for less than $20 retail).  Rotisserie Chicken Meal  #1 of 100 is ready to enjoy and it’s all done in under 10 minutes!