This is the second in a series of articles about leveraging a cooking day. This means cooking something on the weekend with leftovers in mind and then making those leftovers interesting for a week. Although I'll be focusing on minimum effort for maximum results, these meals are also typically cheap so we kill two birds with one stone.The most obvious trick is just changing up the side dishes. Potatoes and peas one night, pasta the next, couscous with dried fruit the third. But some main dishes can also be transformed during the week with minimal effort. And in this case we're going to start with roast chicken.

Sunday - Roast Chicken

You can roast a five pound bird in an hour and a half including prep time. This recipe uses dried herbs and some garlic, onion and lemon. On night one, eat one of the breasts and serve it with frozen peas or fresh, sliced tomatoes (in season) and Parmesan Potatoes.More »

Monday - Chicken Enchiladas

This isn't particularly quick (it takes about an hour start to finish). But only 30 minutes is hands-on and it's as easy as can be to make. If you prefer to use a commercial chile powder go right ahead (for that matter you could use a canned enchilada sauce) but keep in mind that most commercial chile powders already contain cumin and salt, so adjust accordingly.More »

Tuesday - Chicken Stir-fry

This recipe relies on one chicken leg (drumstick and thigh) and a wing. You'll have to make some rice (20 minutes) and make the stir fry (20 minutes while the rice cooks) but still, we're only talking a 20 minute investment in a completely new dish.More »

Wednesday - Take a break from chicken and make hamburgers or paninis.

Thursday - Baked Pasta with Chicken

So now we swing from southeast Asia to Italy. We cook some penne, cut up the remaining leg and wing, toss in a few herbs and tomatoes (canned work fine in this case), mix in some cheese and stuff it in the oven for 30 minutes. Again, we're talking less than 20 minutes work. Serve it with a salad and, if you want to get fancy, some Garlic Bread.More »