What to Do When You Only Have 1 Chicken Breast and 4 Mouths to Feed

Sometimes you take a look in the freezer, and the only meat you have in there is a lone, frosty chicken breast.

I don't know about you, but I feel like I spend my life in Shoprite. Part of my "Mom ain't got time for that" agenda is to streamline dinner prep and do a better job of utilizing what I have on hand.

If you find yourself with a small bit of meat for a family of 3 or more, here's what to do.

Put the meat out to defrost in the morning. Fridge is fine if you work all day; I'm home, so I do kitchen sink for most of the morning and then transfer to a container in the fridge for continued, afternoon thawing.

Plan a stir-fry or one-pot meal. Think about what veggies you have. If it's a bag of frozen broccoli, that's easy enough to incorporate. You can zap it in the microwave 10 minutes before adding to your one-pot chicken medley. Check the crisper for a carrot, zucchini, green pepper, mushrooms. Whatever you find will be dinner.

Consider adding beans. You'll probably want some extra protein if everyone's sharing a single chicken breast. I keep cans of kidney beans, chick peas, white beans and black beans in my pantry. Plan to use those in your stir-fry.

Select your grain of choice, as you'll most likely serve this with pasta, rice, or some other, more sophisticated grain like quinoa, right? Cook the grain in a pot of water on the stovetop at any point in the day when you have a free moment. You can also root around the fridge for a leftover starchy side to use. There could be a tub of pasta in there from 2 nights ago!

Start cooking. When you've got about an hour before it's dinner time, sautee up some garlic and/or onions in a big Dutch oven or wide frying pan. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. If it's on the bone, it will take much longer. Reduce heat, and cook covered until the meat is no longer pink.

Cut up the chicken. You'll have to cool it first. Use a chopping board to cut into bite sized pieces, then set aside.

Cut up all the veggies, and add to the pan with more garlic if you like. I sometimes use those Thai curry pastes that come in a jar. When the veggies are done, return the chicken to the pan and add a little soy sauce or whatever seasonings you like. Gently stir in the beans at the very end.

Sauce it up. If you want to make a sauce, add chicken broth and a little flour or cornstarch, then blast with high heat until it bubbles and thickens. Be sure to stir frequently.

Heat up the rice, pasta or other grain. Add a pat of butter or a drizzle of good oil, like sesame. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve, and eat!

What's your favorite go-to meal when there isn't much meat in the house?