How to Cook Chicken

Chicken is a fantastic protein to add to other dishes, and if you pre-cook it a little ahead of time, you can have quick fix meals all week long.

If you love chicken but hate the amount of time that goes into preparing it, you're not alone. Who wants to prepare chicken every night? No one! But by prepping ahead one day a week, you can enjoy a delicious protein throughout the week.

Here are some fantastic tips for different types of chicken that can be made ahead and enjoyed later on in the week with almost no effort at all.

Roasted Chicken

If you're big on weekend dinners, you can simply grab a larger chicken than you normally would, or buy two medium-sized chickens and roast them together.
 


Serve one portion for Sunday dinner, and then pull the extra meat from the second portion. Use this in dishes throughout the week. For example, a chicken salad sandwich made from the roasted chicken earlier in the week assembles quickly and effortlessly, and tastes much better than what you could get in the supermarket. Cutting slices of chicken breast thin and serving them over spaghetti with red sauce is a fast way to serve up chicken marinara, which is sure to please your crew.
 

Baked Chicken Breasts

The easiest way to prepare chicken is to bake it. After all, it's nothing more than tossing it in the oven, leaving you with an easy meal of moist, delicious chicken.

And because it's so effortless, you can make a whole batch of oven-baked chicken breasts at once, saving extras for later on in the week. These can easily be reheated in the microwave or oven, or even in a pan on the stove if you want to crisp up the outside for extra flavor.

• Try this Chipotle Chicken and Leafy Salad recipe

And let's not forget the favorite of busy people everywhere: The wrap! Using leftover baked chicken on your favorite tortilla shells with a bit of mayonnaise and veggies is a great take-along lunch that fits perfectly with your busy life.

• Try this Chicken Chunk-Grape Sandwich Wrap recipe

Fried Chicken

If you're a fan of making your own fried chicken, you've probably munched it cold. Not too bad, right? In fact, some people like it better cold!

Next time you make a batch of fried chicken, make extra. Then, store the pieces in a brown paper bag (which will stop them from becoming soggy in the refrigerator) and munch on them later in the week. Of course, you could always use a boneless portion of the chicken and add to various dishes later for a crunchy, salty treat.
 
Now that you've got a whole set of ideas under your belt, you're ready to enjoy a little extra flavor all week from planning ahead.

Tell us your fave chicken tips below!