Dinner Recipes, Winter Meal Plan #4 (2024)

What to cook for dinner this week:

Roast Chicken with Sautéed Vegetables
Easy, Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
Chicken Tartines with tarragon, capers, roasted red peppers, radishes and cucumbers
Chicken Chopped Salad
Potato Corn Chowder with Bacon and Roasted Poblano Peppers

On this page, you’ll find a meal plan for the week. Each meal is designed to build on the previous night’s efforts by using leftover ingredients. A little = a lot.You’ll also find a preparation schedule and grocery list.

If you’re not familiar with this blog, here’s the basic idea:

Using some of the same ingredients in multiple dishes throughout the week is the key to gettingdelicious, wholesome, good for you, home cooked meals on the table several nights of the week. The recipes in each5-day meal planinclude some prep-work for another meal later in the week.

Each meal is designed to build on the previous night’s efforts. Alittle= a lot.

*This meal plan is based on a family of 4, with a couple of meals making more than 4 servings so that you have some leftovers for lunches, etc.

(A shopping list for this week’s meal plan is at the bottom of this page)

Day #1: Roast Chicken with Sautéed Vegetables and Crusty Bread

Meal prep for tonight and for the rest of the week:

Roast three chickens. The recipe below offers two methods for super simple roast chicken. Both require minimal hands on time; however, one method requires soaking the chicken overnight in buttermilk so plan accordingly.
The easiest way to roast all three chickens at once is to put two chickens in a 9×13 baking dish and the third chicken in a square 9-inch baking dish. (The single chicken will be finished roasting before the two that are roasting together in the 9×13 dish.) Eat one for dinner tonight.
Pick the meat from the bones of the other two chickens (plus any leftover meat from the first chicken). Reserve 2 cups chicken in a zip top bag or container and put in the freezer for Chicken Chopped Salad. Reserve 2 cups chicken Enchiladas Verdes. Reserve 3 cups chicken for Chicken Salad Sandwiches.
Optional: After picking the chicken meat from the bones, use the chicken bones to make simple chicken broth, letting it simmer in the slow cooker overnight.
Sauté red bell peppers and any other vegetables you’d like to eat tonight. For a family of 4, sauté 6 red peppers; serve half of the peppers tonight and reserve the rest for Chicken Chopped Salad on Day #5.

Optional meal prep for the rest of the week:

Two recipes this week call for Salsa Verde: Enchiladas Verdes and Potato Corn Chowder. You can use bottled Salsa Verde (I like Herdez) or make some from scratch. Here's my favorite Salsa Verde Recipe.
Cut up some of the bread into small ½-inch cubes – about 2-4 cups of bread cubes – and use to make homemade croutons, for Chicken Chopped Salad on Day #5. Reserve remaining bread for Open Face Chicken Salad Sandwiches on Day #4.
If making homemade tortillas for tomorrow’s Enchiladas Verdes, make them today. This is optional. Homemade tortillas are fantastic, but packaged tortillas will work just fine.
Slice 1 English cucumber and 12 radishes into paper thin slices. If you have a mandolin, now is the time to use it. Put the sliced vegetables in a zip top bag or other airtight container and reserve for Open Face Chicken Salad Sandwiches on Day #3.
Sauté the bacon, hard boil the eggs, and chop all the vegetables except the avocado for Chicken Chopped Salad on Day #4.
Dice 2 red bell peppers, storing them in a zip top bag or other airtight container in the refrigerator for Potato Corn Chowder on Day #5.

2 Fool Proof Methods for Perfect Roast Chicken

Two genius methods, from two of the most acclaimed chefs, for how to make the most tender, juicy, richly flavorful Roast Chicken. Both methods require minimal prep time (5-10 minutes) and only 3 ingredients, including the chicken.

Perfect Sautéed Vegetables

The trick to perfectly sautéed vegetables is to slice them uniformly & cook them quickly in a hot pan with a tiny bit of oil. Here’s how to get it right every time.

Dessert Pairing: Cherry Shortbread Crumble Bars

These buttery, cherry and crumb covered shortbread bars are little slices of heaven, that’s what they are. The shortbread base is everything shortbread should be – tender, rich, not too sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth buttery. The shortbread is spread with cherry preserves spiked with a touch of orange zest and orange liquor, then covered with crispy, crunchy, sweet butter crumbs.

Every bite is buttery, fruity, and crispy. A little like cherry crumb pie in cookie form. And making them couldn’t be simpler.

Day #2: Easy, Cheesy Enchiladas Verdes

Use 2 cups of leftover Roast Chicken for these super easy chicken enchiladas.

Easy, Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

These super cheesy chicken enchiladas verdes require one bowl and one pan, and about 15 minutes of your time. They are the kind of simple, basic, casual comfort food that takes so little time and energy, they are within reach any time you crave them. Which, if you're anything like me, is about every other day.

Soft Homemade Flour Tortillas {Butter Recipe}

If you want to make tonight's Enchiladas extra delicious, start with homemade tortillas.

Homemade tortillas, soft and warm, are one of the best things in the whole wide world. Combine that with how easy they are to make and flour tortillas from scratch becomes one of the few life decisions for which there can be no regrets.

co*cktail Suggestion: Grapefruit Margaritas {with jalapeños and lime}

These grapefruit margaritas are a refreshing balance of fresh, tart, sweet, and salty, with a mild jalapeño kick that goes down easy.

Day #3: Chicken Tartines with tarragon, capers, roasted red peppers, radishes and cucumbers.

Use 3 cups of the leftover roast chicken to make the chicken salad, and several slices of the leftover bread for the sandwiches. This is a quick, simple meal, especially if you chopped the cucumbers and radishes on day 1.

Open Face Chicken Salad Sandwiches

These open face chicken salad sandwiches (also known as tartines) are bursting with the flavors of chives, tarragon, capers, and lemon juice, and will come together in about 15 minutes, thanks to using pre-roasted chicken.

co*cktail Suggestion: The Perfect Manhattan

The Manhattan is well known for a reason. It’s delicious in its simplicity, requiring just three ingredients plus a some brandied cherries if you like.

Dessert Suggestion: Extra Creamy Coconut Cream Pie

This pie is the ultimate in rich, creamy, coconut deliciousness.

Day #4: Chopped Chicken Salad

If you chopped the veggies, boiled the eggs, sautéed the bacon, and made the croutons for this salad earlier in the week, tonight's dinner is simply a matter of defrosting the chicken you put in the freezer earlier this week, and assembling the salad.

Chicken Chopped Salad

This chicken chopped salad begins with a bed of leafy greens studded with chopped cucumbers, radishes, and red bell peppers that’s topped with stripes of hard boiled eggs, sliced avocado, roasted chicken, crispy bacon, and sweet cherry tomatoes.

Apple Cider Moscow Mule

Add a warming fall twist on the classic Moscow mule with a space of sparkling (or non-sparkling) apple cider.

Cherry Turnovers with Cream Cheese and Almonds

Cherry turnovers with a sweet dark cherry & cream cheese filling that’s wrapped in flaky puff pastry and topped with roasted almonds and almond vanilla glaze.

Day #5: Potato Corn Chowder

Use If you made Chicken Broth earlier in the week, now's the time to use it. Smoked Gouda and Bacon Biscuits are an optional but highly recomended accompaniment.

Potato Corn Chowder

This creamy potato corn chowder is packed with vegetables and spices, and bacon.

Smoked Gouda and Bacon Jalapeño Biscuits

Rich and tender cream biscuits stuffed with smoked gouda, bacon, and jalapeños, are slightly crisp on the outside, pillow-soft on the inside, and bursting with spicy, cheesy flavor. Start to finish, they’ll be on your table in under 30 minutes.

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*Does not include ingredients for suggested baked goods or co*cktails.

Take a look at these two simple methods for Roasting Chicken and decide which one you’d like to follow.

If using Method #1, you’ll need: Three 4 pound chickens, salt and pepper.
If using Method #2, you’ll need: Three 4 pound chickens, salt and 4 cups of buttermilk

Crusty bread: You’ll need bread to serve along side Roast Chicken on day #1 plus enough for Chicken Salad Sandwiches on day #3. Optional: enough bread to make homemade croutons for Chicken Chopped Salad on Day #4. OR, pick up a package of croutons.

A total of 22 ounces salsa verde. This can be bottled, or homemade. Here’s the recipe for homemade salsa verde (ingredients are not included in the shopping list below).

You'll need at least 5 Flour Tortillas. Making homemade tortillas for Enchiladas Verdes on Day #2 is optional, but highly recommended. Here's the recipe. (ingredients are not included in the shopping list below)

You'll need 5 cups of chicken broth for Potato Corn Chowder. You can use the roast chicken bones to make it yourself - How to Make Simple Chicken Broth - or pick up a couple of jars or cartons.

1 cucumber (I like to use English cucumbers, but any kind will do)
12 radishes
6 cloves
3 poblano peppers
1 medium yellow onion
2 cups Yukon gold potatoes
½ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup minced fresh chives
¼ cup minced fresh tarragon
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 large lemon
8–10 cups Romain lettuce
9 red bell peppers (or any color bell pepper)
Any other veggies you’d like to sauté with bell peppers on Day #1
8–12 radishes
2 avocados
2 cups cherry tomatoes
Optional toppings for Enchiladas Verdes: ½ cup chopped green onions, 1 cup diced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 lb. (32 oz) thick cut bacon
3 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
A few dashes of hot sauce (Optional, for Potato Corn Chowder. My Favorite is Merf’s Electric Lime Sauce.)
4 oz capers
12 oz jar roasted red peppers
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoon honey
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
6 large eggs
¾ cup sour cream
3 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1 ½ lbs (24 oz) frozen corn

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